Sidi Kaouki

The village of Sidi Kaouki (سيدي كاوكي) lies 26 km and 26 minutes by road south of Bab Doukkala, by our route calculation. It takes its name from a late nineteenth-century saint whose shrine stands at one end of the beach, according to UN Tourism. It named the village one of its Best Tourism Villages on 2 December 2021. Our view: come for the water, because the town does everything else better.

Our guide to the neighbourhoods and surroundings lists it as one of the coast’s three spots. The Ghazoua countryside lies on the way, 16 km and 13 minutes from the village. Imsouane and its long wave, 99 km from Essaouira, is the other surf village.

Getting there: grand taxi, bus or airport

The grand taxi leaves the Bab Doukkala rank when its seats are taken. No official fare is published, so ask the price of a seat, then of the whole car, before you get in.

Lima Bus line 2 does the same trip. Its online timetable shows six departures from Essaouira, from 07:20 to 18:30, and six back from Sidi Kaouki, from 08:00 to 19:15. No date is printed on it, its web address dates it to November 2024, and no fare is published. The village stop is 4 minutes’ walk from the shrine. Our page on getting around Essaouira explains how to take either.

The village is closer to Essaouira airport than the medina is: 15 km and 15 minutes by road, against 17 km for the town, by our calculation. Hotel Le Kaouki charges 200 MAD for that transfer on its price list. Our view: for a surf week, get picked up at the plane and skip the town.

On the ground: a quarter of an hour on foot, waves and wind

From one end of the village to the other, our walking calculation gives 1.1 km and 15 minutes. In a 5 km square centred on the village, OpenStreetMap maps about fifteen restaurants, more than twenty places to stay, three campsites, a pharmacy and a police post.

The beach is open, with no breakwater or shelter, and it has currents. Our surf pages rate it as the place to progress, from October to April, when the swell arrives and the wind drops. In Essaouira the 1991–2020 normals count 7.6 days of wind above 15 knots in January, against 20.1 in July. Summer therefore belongs to the kiters, and our kitesurfing section keeps Sidi Kaouki for riders whom waves no longer bother. Our view: learn in the bay, and come here for the next step.

Sleeping, eating, and what to avoid

You sleep here in a surf camp, a beach inn or a guesthouse. The surf camps of Sidi Kaouki sell the winter week, lessons and kit included. Our guesthouses around Essaouira sort the countryside addresses. At Hotel Le Kaouki a double room costs 390 to 690 MAD with breakfast, on its price list in force since 1 April 2026. It has nine rooms for four bathrooms, and only the suite has its own. One dinner per stay is required, at 150 MAD for guests. The same list adds 25% to the night from 20 December to 10 January, and 50% during the Gnaoua festival. Our view: before you book in the village, ask whether dinner is compulsory and whether the bathroom is shared.

On OpenStreetMap, seven of the fifteen restaurants sit within 200 m of the shrine, by the taxi rank. We have not been able to check the cash machine it shows there, so take out cash in Essaouira.

Three things to avoid. Swimming: the waves and currents make this a surf beach, not a bathing one. Missing the ride home: the sun sets at 17:40 on 21 December by our calculation, and the last bus on the timetable leaves the village at 19:15. Nothing guarantees a taxi at the rank after dark, so plan your return before then. Coming for the evening: we suggest keeping dinners and nights out for the medina, and arranging a car if you return after dark.