Beach · Diabat
Cap Sim
At Cap Sim you find a working lighthouse and Ramsar-listed dunes, 14.6 km south of Essaouira as the crow flies. By road it is 28.9 km and 50 minutes via Sidi Kaouki, including 3.3 km of track. From April to September the wind builds in the afternoon, so be on the point before 11:00.
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The road: 29 km to cover 14.6 km
Cap Sim lighthouse is 14.6 km from Bab Doukkala in a straight line, on the far side of the Diabat dunes. No mapped road crosses them. The road therefore goes down the N1, then along the road to Sidi Kaouki beach: 28.9 km and 50 minutes by our calculation. The last 5.9 km follow unnamed roads, and the final 3.3 km alone take 19 minutes.
Those last stretches are track, with no surface recorded. We found no published source on their state in 2026. Our advice: take a high-clearance car if you have the choice, drive at walking pace, and turn back rather than force a rutted section.
The Ministry of Equipment’s technical sheet puts the lighthouse about 20 km south of the town, a figure that matches neither the straight line nor the road. As for public transport, Lima Bus, which runs regular bus lines out of Essaouira, has none to the cape. Its line 2 stops at Sidi Kaouki, leaving 8.4 km on foot. Our guide to getting around Essaouira weighs up a hire car against a taxi by the trip.
At the end of the track: a lighthouse, dunes and nothing else
The lighthouse stands on the hill of Dhar Cap Sim, near the hamlet of Douar Ouassen, and the point itself, Ras Sim, is 1.4 km to the south-west. Its green and white tower rises in the middle of a walled enclosure with five towers. The light sits 15 m above the ground and 103 m above the sea, and gives three white flashes every 15 seconds, visible 21 nautical miles out.
The lighthouse was built in 1917 and entered service on 1 February 1922. In 2019 it ran on solar power. Its Ministry of Equipment sheet, archived in April 2019, mentions no visits, and we found none announced. Our advice: do not drive the track for the lighthouse alone, as five minutes outside is all it offers.
The dunes around it belong to Ramsar site no. 1469, designated on 15 January 2005. The site runs from the hinterland of the town to the cape. Three kilometres east of the lighthouse, on the plateau, turn the blades of the Amogdoul wind farm: 60 MW, running since 2007 according to OpenStreetMap. Within 3 km no café, shop or lifeguard post is mapped. Our advice: the emptiness is the reason to come, so bring your own water, lunch and windproof.
When to go: mornings, and not for a swim
Over ten years of ERA5 reanalysis, from April to September the wind tops 15 knots in 6% of hours at 06:00, 14% at 09:00 and 46% at 14:00 and 15:00. It blows from the north to north-east 82% of the time. From October to March it tops 15 knots in only 19% of 15:00 hours. Our wind forecasts give you the day itself. Our advice: from April to September, be on the point before 11:00.
The sun sets at 17:40 on 21 December and 19:47 on 21 June, Moroccan time (GMT). Our advice: on a first visit, do not stay for sunset, as the track is hard to read in the dark.
No lifeguard post is mapped at the cape, and we found no source on the currents. We advise against swimming. For the water, stay on the main bay beach, and our other beaches around Essaouira tell you which suits the day’s wind.
See on the map
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Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Cap Sim from Essaouira?
By car, down the N1 and then the Sidi Kaouki road: 28.9 km and 50 minutes, including 3.3 km of track. No mapped road crosses the dunes from Diabat.
Do I need a 4x4 to reach Cap Sim lighthouse?
No published source describes the track’s condition or surface in 2026. A high-clearance car is safer, and after rain you are better off finishing on foot.
Can you visit Cap Sim lighthouse?
No visits are announced: it is a working light belonging to the Ministry of Equipment, whose sheet mentions no public access. Allow five minutes outside the tower.
Can you walk to Cap Sim from Sidi Kaouki?
Yes: 8.4 km and 1 h 52 on foot one way along the track. Set off early with water, as there is nothing to buy on the way or at the cape.
Is there a bus to Cap Sim?
No. Lima Bus has no line to the cape: its line 2 stops at Sidi Kaouki, which leaves 8.4 km and about 1 h 52 on foot.
Can you swim at Cap Sim?
We advise against it. No lifeguard post is mapped at the cape, and we found no source on the currents.
Is there anywhere to eat at Cap Sim?
No. On 16 October 2026 no café or shop was mapped within 3 km of the lighthouse. Bring food and water from Essaouira or Sidi Kaouki.