Our taxi driver belly laughed as he recalled “I was smoking hash for years with the hippies at the camp site in the 1970’s.”
Conversations with local’s are always the most enlightening. It transpired that our taxi driver used to be the manager of a camp site below the village of Taghazout decades previously, where a luxury hotel now stands. He fondly recalled that the area had no running water or power but the hippies and surfers arrived to smoke and play music on the beach. Even Jimi Hendrix was know to have joined in the journey down to Taghazout in the 1960’s.
The taxi driver’s story was a glimpse back into the unique era of the hippy trail, no internet, word of mouth and discovering un-ridden waves in hidden corners of the world.
Echoes of those early days of surf exploration still prevail in Taghazout village, a fishing enclave with deep rooted Berber culture. The surfers still arrive and many in camper vans as they discover surf spots along the coast. In the village the population expands as the younger crowds arrive to experience a flavour of the old hippy trail and take surf lessons amongst the throngs of surf schools and hire boards on the northern corner of Panorama beach.
Locals still fish with a small fleet of blue, wooden fishing boats launching by tractor from the main town beach. Their catch is sold on the beach or can can be seen later stacked in boxes waiting to be BBQ’d at the numerous small cafes and restaurants nestled in the narrow streets of the white and blue painted village. Past and present co-exists in the village as old men in traditional Djellaba hooded robes sit and watch wetsuit clad beginner surfers with damp, bare feet slapping along the dusty pavements returning their soft boards to hire shops. It’s an interesting mix.
Just to emphasise the contrasts further and remind you that you are in Africa, local camel owners walk their animals along the beaches touting rides to tourists, with a backdrop of crowds of learner surfers swarming the white water foreshore waves.
Surfing was one of the major early draws for western visitors back in the day and that’s amplified over the years to the extent that Taghazout is now a world renowned surf destination. The area caters for all levels of surfer as it packs in over 20 surf spots within a 15 minute drive. There’s the inside whitewaters of Panorama beach for learners, through to the intermediate to advanced right hand point break of Anchor Point and the more advanced wave at Killers.
The surf zone in this area stretches North from Agadir beach – a very average looking break – through to Tamraght town up to Taghazout. The beach breaks have a tendency to close out and be dumpy with swell rolling in from deep water and hitting the shallow beach shelf. Be prepared for crowds at all of the named spots and before paddling out accept that there appear to be no rules or surf etiquette, someone will drop in on you, it’s often a total free for all! The swell season is throughout the winter months when there’s almost always waves.
Another draw for visitors to Taghazout is the skate park, nestled above the village. Built in 2017 by over 100 volunteers from the Make Life Skate Life foundation, the skate park is a non-profit space for cultural exchange between locals and international visitors. On warm evenings the crowds walk up the hill along a rocky goat track to watch skaters charge the concrete bowls of what has to be one of the worlds more stunning skate park locations. Overlooking the village and Atlantic ocean beyond it’s a cool place to hang out and soak up the atmosphere.
Unlike the visitors of the 1960’s and 70’s, tourists no longer need to drive vast distances along unpaved roads to reach Taghazout. The local airport is Agadir which is around 45-60 mins drive away. There’s a range of carriers that fly there from across Europe including EasyJet, Ryanair, Jet2, TUI, Wizz Air, British Airways, Royal Air Maroc, KLM and Swiss. Accommodation is plentiful ranging from hostels to 5 star all-inclusives, the weather is mild and warm in winter and scorching in summer, with Taghazout enjoying 330 days sunshine a year.
Taghazout is friendly introduction to Morocco, there’s sunshine, waves, culture and great food. Jimi Hendrix may be long gone but alternative vibes remain.
Start a conversation