Africa

Agadir

On the edge of the desert

Mountain and sea join in the landscape of Agadir, one of our new destinations. With only 200,000 inhabitants, it has one of the world's best bays, surrounded by the Atlas Mountains. Its marvellous climate has made it a byword for winter sun. City life takes place in the modern apart with its shopping area where it is essential to try the delicious fish and seafood in some of its restaurants.

It is also essential to shop in the Agadir souk or the Tiznit market. The Kasbah, a typical northern African fort, is another of its symbols and is an obligatory visit for seeing the skyline of this fine town. You can take many excursions from Agadir to waterfalls, deserts in the Sous-Massa National Park and many more.

Central Market: the Souk (also called Souk Elhed) is one of the largest in the Maghreb and is a spectacle of colours, aromas and flavours. Fruit, vegetables, meat, fish but also decorative items, souvenirs and clothes. Don't forget that haggling is almost obligatory.

Town Hall and surroundings: Agadir's Town Hall is a modern building built in the 1960s. A terrible earthquake completely destroyed the historic centre of the city at the beginning of that decade and the government decided to build a new city oriented, as mentioned above, to leisure and tourism. The Wall of Remembrance was built to commemorate the tragedy, in front of the Town Hall.

Mohammed V Mosque: You can't visit the interior but it is still worth a visit to the Nouveau Talborjt neighbourhood to see it. It is the largest mosque in the city.

Olhao Garden: a green lung in the heart of the city centre. It is very pleasant to stroll in the shade of its trees and have lunch in the restaurant that occupies a privileged corner of the garden.

Agadir Beach: Its more than six kilometres of fine sand and practically still waters make it one of the obligatory stops. It has all kinds of services such as boat hire, jet skis and activities for children. From the beach you can take a short walk to the Loubnane Mosque. The marina is at the northern end of the beach.

Port of Agadir: being the first sardine port in the world, we don't need to tell you what the star dish served in its taverns and restaurants is.

The Kasbah: Situated on top of a hill, it houses the remains of the old 16th century fortress that protected the town. From here the views are excellent. Although you are told that it is possible to get there on foot, we recommend that you save yourself the 45-minute climb and go by car.

Valley of the Birds: the last stop on this walk through the centre of Agadir is the Valley of the Birds, a small zoo of two and a half hectares.

Outside the city: the Agadir Medina, the old town, is about 10 minutes from the centre by car. Further north of the city is Paradise Valley, with its beautiful palm grove surrounded by olive, almond and argan trees. The Asif Tamraght Gorge is one of the biggest surprises of the trip: natural pools where you can take a refreshing dip after visiting the Wadi Tinkert Waterfall, a beautiful waterfall that slides down walls whitened by calcium deposits and known as "the bride's veil". You should go there in winter, otherwise you won't find any water. Cape Rhir is 40 km from our destination, a high bluff overlooking the ocean with a view that will leave you speechless.

The best places to eat are located on the boulevards in the centre, especially in the Ait Souss passage. It is also advisable to go to the seafront promenade. Generally, traditional cuisine uses exotic fruits, spices unique to the region, vegetables and seafood in its recipes. Take a chance and try what they recommend, even if you don't know exactly what you're going to encounter.

Fancy some fish? You can choose between the more luxurious restaurants in the marina or the cheaper ones in the fishing port. If you're looking for more authenticity, head to the Nouveau Talborjt neighbourhood, where the locals tend to eat. You can try it roasted, stewed or in the form of tajines, one of Morocco's most popular dishes.

Among the meat recipes, lamb stands out, of course. It can be ordered roasted or baked. Either way it is delicious. The national dish is tajin, which takes its name from the earthenware bowl in which a stew of chicken or meat (sometimes also fish) and vegetables is prepared. All deliciously flavoured and eaten directly from the dish itself. Another of Morocco's gastronomic symbols is couscous, a kind of puff pastry with poultry, hard-boiled egg, parsley, almonds, sugar, cinnamon and honey. Couscous can be eaten every day and is always prepared in a different way since there are hundreds of ways and ingredients to accompany it.

As for sweets, the traditional ones are often delicious. Especially popular are shebbakia and feqqas with sultanas.

And after a delicious meal, there's nothing better than trying the national drink, mint tea, which, believe it or not, will help cool you down during the hottest part of the day.

Agadir is located on the northern border with Marrakech and Essaouira. Founded by the Portuguese around 1500, the territory passed through Saadian and French hands until 1956. Shortly after, an earthquake devastated the city, although today you can still glimpse the remains of what it once was.

Its location on the Atlantic coast, its climate and the quality of its beaches make this area a world-famous tourist destination and one of Morocco's main tourist attractions. The Timitar World Music Festival is another major tourist attraction since its creation in 2004.

Founded by the Portuguese, invaded by the Saadites, a French colony and now Moroccan, Agadir has an exciting and sometimes harsh history, which was capped off by an earthquake in 1960 that destroyed the city. Rebuilt for a future geared to leisure and tourism, the city today has a population of around 700,000 and lives mainly on visitors and fishing. If you decide to visit it, you'll soon see that change has been good for it.

Bargaining is a widespread practice throughout the country. In fact, if the customer does not want to negotiate, it can even be annoying for the sellers. The first price you will be quoted will usually be very high, reduce it considerably in your offer, and from then on, let yourself be drawn into the game.

Another very important recommendation has to do with drinking water. Never drink it from the tap and, when you order it in a restaurant, make sure that the bottle is not open. It is also a bad idea to eat unwashed fruit or uncooked food. It's not that anything serious will happen to you, it's just that our European stomachs are not used to it and may suffer some "uncomfortable" upset.