Is Tamraght Worth Visiting? My Experience Surfing in Morocco

After beginning my Moroccan adventure by climbing Mount Toubkal, I caught the bus from Marrakech down to Agadir before continuing on to the small surf town of Tamraght. The bus journey cost 140 MAD (around £11.50) and took roughly 4 hours. Once I arrived in Agadir, I used the InDrive taxi app to get to Tamraght and found it surprisingly easy to use.

I had actually won this surf trip and accommodation through an Instagram competition, which feels surreal to say out loud - I'm never usually so lucky to win anything. I arrived in Tamraght a day early, and had actually planned to book another hotel for a night, but the owners of Wave Chaser Surfhouse kindly allowed me to stay an additional evening there instead.

From the moment I arrived everything instantly felt warm and welcoming, I was greeted by a beaming smiley face by Sukina, the receptionist, who instantly made sure I was comfortable and even brought me a cappuccino and home made cakes. Throughout the trip she was endlessly kind, helpful and genuinely one of the loveliest woman I have met during my time in Morocco - she really would do anything to help you.

Unfortunately, my arrival in Tamraght also coincided with me still recovering from the stomach bug I had picked up after climbing Toubkal. Safe to say I was not exactly thriving at life at this point. I skipped dinner in the surf house on my first night and went for a gentle walk instead, eventually deciding to try to eat something and ordering a burger from Pueblo Social Club . Although the food was lovely, my stomach was still against me at this point and I ended being sick multiple times on the walk home which was humbling. Moroccan food poisoning is no joke 😅.

Day 1 of surfing in Tamraght

My first morning started off with rooftop yoga overlooking Tamraght, this cost 150 MAD. Despite still feeling pretty rough, this was a beautiful way to start the day and just what I needed before surfing (little did I know just how much this would work your upper body).

Breakfast was fresh fruit, pancakes, yoghurt, muesli, omelette, smoothies and pancakes - a breakfast fit for a queen!! And it was all made fresh on site. I found myself sitting with a group of Muslim women who were also staying at the surf house on a retreat. One of my favourite things about travelling is how quickly complete strangers from all different backgrounds can become a vital part of your experience.

Because I had arrived early, I ended up getting an additional surf lesson that day and got to join their group, which I wasn't expecting. I met Meryam, one of the co owners and literally the coolest person ever - her surf skills are on point and she came out to join us on the beach. We got ready in our wetsuits and drove out to Crocro point, named so because the landscape behind looks like the outline of a crocodile - but I've heard it on good faith that there are no crocodiles in these waters... I hope 😅🤞🏻. We passed another famous surf point along the way called Devil's Rock, but the conditions weren't too good for us to go there on this trip. I should add that all of your surf equipment, wetsuits and boards etc are included.

The first session was mainly focused on learning the basics and safety - how to lay on your board properly, safely manoeuvre it in the water and how to try to stand up without face planting in the Atlantic every five seconds. We walked the boards out through the waves to Waleed - our helpful surf instructor, who would help us to get on the board, give us time to position ourselves properly as a wave came in. As we started moving, he would encourage us to try to stand up and ride the wave for as long as possible (which in my case was not very long😅). This was really helpful to get a feel for what it should feel like before trying it out on our own. The wind was fierce today and made surfing conditions pretty tricky, but that also somehow made it more fun. No matter how fit and sprightly you think you are, the ocean has a very quick way of putting you back in your place. Every time I thought I had figured it out, I was immediately humbled by an approaching wave. I won't lie, I do think I swallowed quite a large amount of the Atlantic. The beaches here are bustling with activity from fruit sellers, people offering horse back rides, keen surfers and an abundance of friendly stray dogs who were absolutely adorable and mostly just wanted some love, attention and the occasional spare snack if you had any.

Lunch was beautiful but I was still really struggling to eat from being unwell, so I only managed a pitiful amount but I can appreciate how lovely it was and how much effort went in to preparing and making it. I also tried Aryan, a traditional yoghurt based drink popular in the Middle East and North Africa. I'll be honest, I'm not 100% sold on it yet.

By the afternoon my stomach was still struggling and, due to not having eaten much, my energy was depleted. I spent most of the day relaxing around the surf house and trying to recover. Just before dinner I was introduced to two of the other girls who had won the same competition as me, and we quickly got chatting over dinner and getting to know one another. Dinner that evening was a full three course meal with lamb tagine, pasta and lemon cake. All homemade and honestly incredible, I don't know how these women do it, but I take my hat off to them. Later that evening, Angy arrived and our little surf tribe was complete for the next few days.

Day 2 of surfing in Tamraght

Day two began a little earlier than the previous day, as we left at 7am to catch the best surf conditions before the wind picked up. Who knew Morocco could be so windy?

It was a different spot we went to this day but I can't for the life of me remember the name of this one, but I do know that it was on a long stretch of golden sands near the Hilton in Taghazout.

The water felt much colder that morning, maybe because it was so early. But having spent most of the previous day face planting into the sea, I actually managed to stand up on the board today - even if it was only for a split second. Both of our groups combined today so there was eight of us, out giving surfing our best go until it was time to retreat back to the apartments.

After another delicious breakfast we spent time up on the rooftop in the sunshine, chatting, painting and learning more about each other's cultures and beliefs. This was such a beautiful part of the trip, there is something special about listening to the call of prayer echo through Tamaraght whilst sharing stories with women from completely different backgrounds and countries. It reminded me how much you can learn from people whose lives look completely different from your own in you take some time to just listen. One of the girls, Fatima even gave me one of their paintings to take home, which was such a thoughtful gesture and something that I will keep in my memory box at home.

Although the food continued to be amazing, my stomach still wasn't completely back to normal, so most of my day was a balance between finding the energy to surf, resting and trying not to offend the chefs by eating like a sickly Victorian orphan. Dinner that evening was fish and calamari, and we had another relaxing evening chatting before bed. It was supposed to be a live Gnawa band this evening with a rooftop party around the firepit but this had to be cancelled due to high winds. I honestly think I must have picked the windiest time to travel to Morocco.

Day 3 of surfing in Tamraght

By day 3, surf lessons were starting to become a bit more challenging. We paddled further out beyond the breaking waves into deeper water, which was both exciting and equally terrifying for me as you could no longer touch the bottom. Falling off suddenly felt a little different out there in the deeper water. Although this was challenging, it felt like a step up from the previous days and a little closer to proper surfing. Paddling out on the board and floating on top of the water was really fun. This would be my last surf lesson of the trip and I have to say although it was something completely new to me and a little out my comfort zone, it's something I'd really like to keep up, I'm going to try to take a few lessons back home in Scotland. We were lucky to see some really cute playful puppies in the car park as we were packing up our surf stuff.

After a delicious breakfast back at the surf house, some of us went for coffee and a walk through Tamraght. We originally tried to go to Hey Yallah but it was far too busy so we ended up going to NOUR instead. Both of these are really cute coffee shops that are definitely worth a visit. I ended up going for an ube latte, this purple yam based drink is becoming increasingly popular in the coffee shop community, is this the next matcha craze?

I decided to skip dinner that evening and decided to take a trip to the skate park in Taghazout that I had been hearing so much about. I tried to time this for sunset and arrived in by Indrive to the centre of Taghazout, from there there is a bit of a hill you have to climb up to the skate park (I felt like I was climbing Toubkal all over again 😅) but it is worth it. The skating happens in the middle while everyone sits up high on the surrounding walls watching. It is very busy, but watching the skaters is very impressive and honestly this could be my next mid life crisis hobby 😂 it looks so cool. There was music playing, people gathered along the walls and a really nice relaxed atmosphere as the sun went down - a perfect way to spend my last night. After all the fun of the skate park I went back to Tamraght and gave in to my ongoing illness recovery cravings and ordered a burger and chips for dinner. At this point I had survived Toubkal, surfing AND food poisoning so I deserved the chips - don't judge. I had an early flight to catch in the morning so went back to the room to make sure all my stuff was packed. One piece of advice from someone who absolutely did not do this - book your airport taxi in advance. I ended up panicking and roaming the streets trying to find a taxi, but thankfully meeting a lovely Irish girl at the coffee shop who was also going to the airport and let me share her taxi which I am extremely grateful for, because who knows, I may have still been in Morocco.

Staying at Wave Chaser Surfhouse

Wave Chase Surf House felt more like a family than just accommodation, by the end of the trip it felt less like checking out of a surf camp and more like I was saying goodbye to friends. Run by two sisters, Fatima and Meryam, they have created a lovely family atmosphere where you genuinely feel like you have been invited into their home. It's welcoming, comfortable and incredibly easy to settle into.

The surf house offers:

• shared and private rooms

• a gym

• work spaces

• rooftop yoga

• daily surf lessons

• rooftop terrace

• all inclusive traditional Moroccan dining cooked fresh on site

• coffee and water machines

• cultural activities that you can add to your trip

The interiors are beautifully designed with a relaxed, social atmosphere that makes it particularly welcoming for solo female travellers. As someone travelling alone, I never once felt uncomfortable there.

Final Thoughts

Tamraght is somewhere I had never been before and that hadn't even crossed my mind, but I loved it. Between the surfing, rooftop mornings, ocean sunsets, conversations with strangers and the general chilled out vibe and slower pace of life, it became somewhere that was incredibly easy to settle into.

If you are looking for somewhere with good surfing, a social atmosphere and a slower, more grounding pace of travel, then Tamraght is definitely worth adding to your Morocco itinerary.

Useful Arabic Words

Salam - hello

Shukran - thank you

Yalla - come on / let's go

Inshallah - god willing

Habibi - my friend / my dear