Diabat

Diabat (الديابات) is a village, not a district of the town. It sits on the far bank of the Oued Ksob, at the southern end of the bay, 5 km and 7 minutes by road from Bab Doukkala by our route calculation. Its houses fit into a rectangle of about 700 m by 250 m, which you cross in 9 minutes on foot. Our view: this is the easiest outing beyond the walls, because you can walk it.

Our tour of the neighbourhoods and surroundings puts it in the ring of villages, with the bay beach to the north and the Ghazoua countryside 6 km by road to the south-east.

Getting there: an hour on foot, seven minutes by taxi

On foot, start from Place Moulay Hassan. Our walking route calculation gives 4.3 km and 57 minutes along the seafront, then over the bridge across the Oued Ksob. From the village, the mouth of the Oued Ksob at the southern end of the beach is 900 m and 14 minutes away on foot. It is hard to cross at high tide. Our view: take the bridge until we have timed the low-tide crossing.

The northerly trade wind blows mostly from April to August, and mostly in the afternoon: at your back on the way out, in your face on the way home. Our view: walk in the morning, and take a taxi back if the wind has picked up.

By road, a petit taxi leaves from Bab Doukkala, 5 km away, or Bab Marrakech, 4 km away: 7 minutes from either by our calculation. No fare is published for the ride. Ask for the meter, or agree the price before you get in.

Around the village: dunes, golf and horses

Diabat backs onto the coastal dunes. With the islands offshore they make up Ramsar site no. 1469, Archipel et dunes d’Essawira: 1,520 hectares according to the information sheet published in January 2025. The belt reaches south from the town as far as Cap Sim. Phoenician juniper keeps the sand in place, and the land belongs to the state forest estate.

Quad and horse outfits set off from here all the same. Essaouira Ride Art, based in Diabat, lists its one-hour quad circuit through the village, beach, forest and dunes at €30 single and €45 double, hotel transfer included. Our quad and buggy section compares the circuits. Our view: cross these dunes on foot or on horseback rather than by quad, since this is a protected site.

Mogador golf course covers more than 3 km west and south of the village. The club announces two courses designed by Gary Player, the North course open since 2009. Its booking page asks for an official handicap, but its latest news items date from 2015. Our view: call the club for the fee and a tee time before you come.

North-west of the village, near the sea, the ruin of Bordj El Berod carries a Jimi Hendrix legend that no official source supports, and it belongs among Essaouira’s landmarks and historic sites.

Sleeping, eating, and what to avoid

Diabat is a guesthouse village, and our guesthouses around Essaouira sort the addresses here and in Ghazoua. The golf hotel is 1.2 km south of the village. The club still calls it Sofitel Mogador Golf & Spa, but as of 16 October 2026 Accor no longer lists it among its Sofitel hotels in Africa, and the MOGA festival’s ticketing calls it Hôtel Le Golf d’Essaouira & Spa. Our view: stay here for quiet with the town a taxi away, not for nights out.

For dinner the medina is 7 minutes away by taxi, and our guide to Essaouira’s restaurants says where to sit. We have not yet surveyed the village’s own tables. Our view: take water and food for the dunes, and eat dinner in town.

Diabat is a daytime place: Essaouira Ride Art runs its rides from 8:00 to 20:00, seven days a week. Avoid crossing the river mouth at high tide, and avoid walking back after dark. The sun sets at 17:40 on 21 December and 19:47 on 21 June by our calculation. After that, we advise a taxi.