Featured image: Essaouira, Morocco, was the perfect destination to get back into travel | Photo by eAlisa on Envato

How a visit to Essaouira, Morocco, helped me regain my travel confidence

by Diana Eden

There’s nothing like an injury at age 85 to make you rethink travelling. However, my recent trip to Essaouira, Morocco showed me that I could return to travel with energy and confidence.

Three months ago, I broke my ankle on the second day of my vacation in Santorini, Greece. It was bad enough to warrant an operation on foreign soil and a return trip in a boot, with crutches, and wheelchair assistance. I asked myself: “Was I too old to travel? Was this the beginning of the end of my adventures?”

My first instinct was to cancel my holiday trip to Morocco, which I had booked last May. Why risk it? But then I felt that old adage of “getting back up on the horse” applied to me. I had to overcome my fears imagining what terrible things could happen. Joined by my 80-year-old sister, I decided to go on the trip, and in doing so, was able to regain the confidence I had lost in Greece. Though caution and smart choices are important, I came to believe that I could return to travel safely, and with energy.

 While overcoming my fear, I also have had to acknowledge that I cannot ignore the realities of being an older person. At 85, I am in the demographic that DOES fall, so I must take it upon myself to keep my eyeglass prescription up to date, to look where I am going, to hang on to handrails where they are available, and, most of all, to continue balance and strength exercises at all times. A bruised ego is a lot easier to get over than a broken bone. 

Why Essaouira, Morocco?

After visiting Essaouira a few years ago, I wanted to revisit it. This coastal town on the African Atlantic Coast is a hidden gem without the noise and traffic of Marrakech, Fes, and Casablanca. It has a laid-back vibe, and everyone is friendly and welcoming. You can quickly fall under its spell. (It’s pronounced “Ess—swirra.)”

This part of Africa has been inhabited for many centuries, and the ancient town has seen the influence of many Indigenous civilizations as well as the Portuguese and French in more recent times. The town is surrounded by high walls (the original name is Mogador, which translates as “little fortress”), and the architecture reflects both the Berber and Mediterranean cultures.

The town sits right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, with its old fort and ramparts facing a rocky shore and blue water. It is so picturesque that it served as the site for the ancient city of “Arpino” in “The Game of Thrones.”

Walkable for all ages

Even though I made this trip as an 85-year-old with my sister, who is 80, apart from the stairs, we found it very doable. The distances were not as overwhelming as in the larger cities, and the quiet and slower tempo was so welcome. However, it is not wheelchair accessible, and any physical limitations involving strenuous walking or climbing stairs would make it difficult for a traveller. There are NO elevators in the old town.

The old Medina can be walked from the north to the south gates in about 10 minutes and features the same wonderful souks selling brass lanterns, colourful embroidered babouches, beautiful wooden boxes with an inlay made from Thuya wood, a tropical hardwood that grows in the Atlas Mountains, Berber carpets, and vibrantly coloured woven fabrics. Vendors don’t overpower you with their sales pitches, either. Cats are everywhere, but obviously well-fed and cared for by the locals.

The weather between Christmas and New Year’s was perfect—comfortable high 60s in the daytime and light-jacket-weather at night. Morocco has been experiencing a severe drought this year, with rainfall significantly below average, which is a concern for the farmers but not the tourists. In terms of budget, Morocco becomes very desirable as the exchange rate between US & Canadian dollars and Moroccan Dirham is very much in our favour.

Why I loved the off-season in Essaouira, Morocco

Because of the frequency of strong winds, especially from May to September, the ocean here is also a destination for windsurfers and kitesurfers from all over the world. For those of my vintage, it is more fun to sit at one of the beach restaurants and watch!

If you are missing the sand of the desert, you can have that, too. Just outside the Medina gates is a long, curving bay with a wide sandy beach where you can ride camels and horses.

The horses used for riding here are usually Barb Arabs or Arabian stallions. These horses are gorgeous, bred and trained for beach riding and can only be ridden by experienced riders. If you are not a rider, it’s still a joy to watch these beauties. What a sight to see…. beautiful sleek animals galloping along the water’s edge, the wind lifting their tails and manes, the low sun making their beautiful coats glisten.

Horses are a vital part of Moroccan culture and history. Horses are used for transportation, farming, and as a symbol of wealth. They are also featured in traditional Moroccan sports and 10 years ago horse-riding became the second most popular sport in Morocco, behind football!

You can book a camel ride of two to three hours through one of the tour companies, or you can do as I did, which is negotiate right on the beach with one of the handlers. I paid about $20 for a short ride. My camel ride symbolized for me my “getting back up the horse” moment!

Just remember that you mount the camel while they are seated, but they get up their hind legs first, so you will pitch forward until they get up on the front legs, too! From then on, it is a gentle ride that gives you plenty of time to take in the blue water, the setting sun, and the white town of Essaouira just down the beach.

At the edge are several beach restaurants where you can recline on daybeds and watch the action while sipping exotic drinks. Alcohol is not part of the Muslim tradition, but the more upscale restaurants, rooftop bars, and places aimed at European tourists have plenty of cocktails and wine choices.

There are abundant restaurants, all levels and cuisines, including the very chic and fun Dar Baba and La Clé de Voute. There are also tiny “hole-in-the-wall” places that seat maybe four or five tables but serve up authentic steaming tagines. You can also find street vendors making on-the-spot crepes of all types.

What to do in Essaouira

There is not a great deal to do in Essaouira if you are a visitor who likes a lot of excursions or destinations. We spent most of our days lingering over a late breakfast and then going out into the Medina and wandering a part of it we hadn’t seen before, perhaps over to the fish market or the Jewish area. We stopped by to witness several local people active in their crafts, woodworking, or weaving on the loom.

One day, we walked along the ramparts and then to the ancient port which still harbours hundreds of blue fishing boats. They bring in the catch daily, which you can buy and eat (or photograph). However, the odour of fish was not our favourite. For pleasant scents, we preferred walking past the shops selling Argan oil products or spices!

Essaouira appears to be a very safe environment. We never felt pressured or endangered as two single women in their 80s wandering around, even after dark. In fact, one vendor told us that he’d moved his family from Marrakesh because it was so much safer in Essaouira.

Even on New Year’s Eve, the most rambunctious activity we heard was a few tourists laughing and singing in the streets. The Moroccans do not celebrate our January 31 New Year’s Eve. Instead, they use the Islamic lunar calendar.

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Where to stay in Essaouira

Most of the accommodations in the Medina are in the restored former residences built around the central courtyard, called “riads.” We stayed at the Riad Villa Garance.

I was concerned when we checked in to find our room was on the roof terrace level, three flights up narrow, twisting tiled steps of slightly uneven height! But it turned out perfectly. We had a two-room suite right off the roof garden where we could look out over the rooftops toward the sea, watch the antics of the seagulls, and enjoy breakfast right outside our door, served every day on the terrace. Our riad, which was mid-range, cost us around $900 for seven nights for a one-bedroom suite.

Breakfast was included every morning with fresh fruit, yogurt, freshly squeezed orange juice, eggs if we wanted them, and an assortment of Moroccan-style bread and pastries. An elaborate meal with wine, starter, entrée and a wicked dessert came to the equivalent of $42! Even purchases in the souks seemed very reasonable. I bought a lovely original watercolour painting for $40, and my sister bought an inlaid wooden box for about $10.

How to get there

Now, having told you all this, Essaouira is not the easiest place to get to if you come from North America. All international flights from North America land in Casablanca, and for some reason that I cannot understand, they no longer have flight service from Casablanca to Essaouira. The only way to get there is a five-hour drive either along the coast, which is slower, or via the freeway, which is slightly faster and goes inland through Marrakesh. On our inbound trip, we did the five hours all at once, which I do not recommend, but on our return, we drove into Marrakesh and stayed overnight before doing the second leg of the journey. Multiple car services provide this transportation. We used Morocco Touring Adventures.

It’s not as difficult for European tourists who can fly directly from many points in Europe to the small airport just outside of the town. In fact, we heard almost no American voices while there. Instead, we mingled with many travellers from Ireland, England, France, and Italy and other tourists from Muslim cultures. It was a delightful mix. Most of the locals speak French and Arabic, and some speak English, so communication was not a problem.

If you don’t mind the slightly convoluted way to get there, Essaouira is indeed a hidden gem. To see a less-travelled Morocco, visit this small coastal town. It has everything but the traffic and the noise, and visitors of all stripes are welcomed by friendly people.

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