Kitesurf at Essaouira

About 2.5 hours’ drive from Agadir and Marrakech, Essaouira will likely meet your criteria if you are traveling with family: there are all the necessary facilities to make your trip to Morocco practical and entertaining, the city is friendly, and the locals are welcoming.

The kite spot in Essaouira is a 3km bay of sand. On the wilder side, it is a meeting point for horses, camels, and quads for excursions. On the other side, it is the entrance to the Medina and its small fishing port. Its particularity: a side wind blowing all year round, and offshore, the island of Mogador. This island, 1 km off the coast, protects the bay from swell and filters the waves and currents of the Atlantic. This makes this spot a very secure navigation area. In case of big swell, the bay of Essaouira serves as a backup spot when the waves are too hardcore on the rest of the coast.

Essaouira is nicknamed “the city of the trade winds”, here you can kite all year round! Rare are the days when there is no kite on the bay, as the wind always blows at some point during the day. In terms of weather, Essaouira has a unique oceanic climate in Morocco: temperatures are constant throughout the year, with winter lows of 15° and summer highs of 30°. For water temperature: an average between 18° and 22°. It is a multifaceted spot, offering waves in winter for strapless enthusiasts, and regular flat water in summer for beginners, or to perfect jumps on twin-tips.

Advantages: easily accessible, affordable, facilities and infrastructure, local life, wind stats.

Disadvantages: gusty, especially in summer, never kite in a swimsuit.

Kitesurf practicing conditions in Essaouira: Essaouira is an ideal accessible destination for a kitesurfing stay. The temperatures are mild all year round, and it rarely rains. In addition, the city of Essaouira has a stunning charm, and the region has much to offer outside of kiteboarding.

The wind is present all year round in Essaouira. From March to October, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the trade winds coming from the northeast, providing a fairly secure side-on wind for beginners. The trade winds strengthen in summer due to thermal winds adding to them, creating sometimes beautiful gusts. However, in winter, the trade winds give way to a rather depressional wind that you will appreciate if you are still in the area.

If you are unlucky and the wind is slow to show up, don’t worry. You can enjoy the other resources that Essaouira has to offer. Various excursions or surfing, the choice is yours. The only downside, whether for kiting or surfing, is that it will never be without your wetsuit.

How to get to Essaouira: Essaouira is only a 2.5-hour direct flight from Paris. It is a very accessible kite destination, with many airlines having open lines (Transavia, Easy Jet, Ryanair).

Once you arrive at Essaouira-Mogador airport, you are only about ten kilometers from the city center. If you do not have a transfer organized by your accommodation, there is a bus or taxis to connect the city to the airport.

To spice up your trip, you can also opt for a flight to Marrakech or Agadir, and drive the rest of the way to fully enjoy what Morocco has to offer.