Spot
Moulay Bouzerktoune
Moulay Bouzerktoune, 29 km and 29 minutes by road north of Essaouira, is a wave spot for experienced windsurfers and kiters only. A right-hander breaks there over a rock slab. Magic Fun, a windsurf centre opened in the village in 2007, rents kit and rooms. Beginners, stay in the bay.
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Moulay Bouzerktoune (مولاي بوزرقطون) is a village on the north coast, a wave spot first and a place to stay second. It is 29 km and 29 minutes by road from Bab Doukkala, by our route calculation. You can walk through its houses in 7 minutes, south to north. North of the houses, OpenStreetMap maps the mausoleum of Sidi Bou Zarktoun. Our view: come for the water, not for a stroll.
On our map of the neighbourhoods and surroundings, it is the only spot to the north. Sidi Kaouki, 26 km south of town, is the beach for moving up a level. Here you show what you can already do. Essaouira’s bay is still where to learn.
Who it is for: the wave, not the first lesson
Magic Fun, the village’s windsurf centre, has been here since 2007. Its website describes a small sandy beach in front of a rock slab, where the swell stands up into a right-hander. The wind blows along the shore from March to October. The centre gives 1.5 to 3 m of swell from March to June, then wind rising to 30 or 35 knots in summer over smaller waves.
It is a windsurf spot before anything else, and our windsurfing section sets out the level it demands. Experienced kiters come too, and our kitesurfing pages put it at the top of the three stretches of water. In autumn the swell returns with less wind, and the centre offers windsurfing and stand-up paddle in turn. The PWA held its first World Cup in Morocco here in 2018, according to World Sailing. The Wave Classic, a stop on the WWT Euro-African tour, has run here every spring since 2023, and the 2027 edition is announced for 24 April to 1 May. Our view: if a jibe in the chop still makes you hesitate, this is not your spot this year.
Getting there: 29 km on the Safi road
From Bab Doukkala, follow the N8 for 7 km, then the R301 towards Safi for 18 km. A 2 km road then leads to the village. Allow 29 km and 29 minutes without stops or traffic, by our calculation. The grand taxi leaves from Bab Doukkala, by the seat or hired whole. No official fare is published: agree the price before you get in. Our view: if you bring your own kit, book the whole car, and settle the return time before you leave.
Before you set off, check the day’s wind and swell. Our weather and wind page gives Moulay Bouzerktoune on its own, next to the bay and Sidi Kaouki.
In the village: a club, rooms, a few tables
Magic Fun runs a café-restaurant with a shaded terrace facing the spot, and advertises five rooms on site. Its undated website lists a single room from €15 a night, a double from €30, full windsurf hire at €70 a day, and opening every day from 09:00 to 21:00. A letting business in the village offers sea-facing houses by the month or for shorter stays, with no prices shown. OpenStreetMap also maps two restaurants, Café du Coin among them, a hotel and a campervan site in the village.
Our surf and kite camps set these lets against the packages at Sidi Kaouki and on the bay. Our view: sleep in the village if you are on the water every day of the week, otherwise drive out from the bay and back.
What to avoid
Three things. Going out before you have located the slab: the wave breaks over rock. Coming for a swim: this is not a bathing beach, and our guide to Essaouira’s beaches says where to lay your towel. Driving back on the R301 after dark: in Essaouira the sun sets at 17:40 on 21 December and 19:47 on 21 June, by our calculation. We found no official information on lifeguards at this beach. Our rule: never go out alone, and be back on the road before nightfall.
See on the map
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From Essaouira: about 27 km, about 35 min by car
Frequently asked questions
How do you get to Moulay Bouzerktoune from Essaouira?
By car or grand taxi from Bab Doukkala: 29 km and 29 minutes on the N8 then the R301 towards Safi, by our calculation. No official taxi fare is published, so agree the price before you get in.
Can you learn to windsurf at Moulay Bouzerktoune?
The village centre runs courses, but we advise against your first runs here: the wave breaks over a rock slab, and the centre says the wind rises to 30 or 35 knots in summer. Learn in Essaouira’s bay and come here once your jibe in the chop is solid.
When is the best season at Moulay Bouzerktoune?
March to June for the waves: the Magic Fun centre gives 1.5 to 3 m of swell then, with the wind blowing along the shore. In summer the centre says the wind rises to 30 or 35 knots, over smaller waves.
Where can you eat at Moulay Bouzerktoune?
At the Magic Fun café-restaurant, whose shaded terrace looks over the spot, open every day from 09:00 to 21:00 according to its undated website. OpenStreetMap also maps two restaurants in the village, Café du Coin among them.
Where can you stay at Moulay Bouzerktoune?
At the Magic Fun club, five rooms from €15 a night for a single according to its undated website, or in a sea-facing house let in the village. Otherwise stay on Essaouira’s bay, half an hour away by road.
Can you swim at Moulay Bouzerktoune?
We advise against it: this is a wave spot in front of a rock slab, made for boards. To swim, choose the main beach on Essaouira’s bay, in the morning.