Tamraght: the quiet village between two beaches

01

Two villages in one

There is an old Tamraght and a new one. The old village climbs the hill in lanes of flat-roofed houses, with the mosque at the top and views over the roofs to the water; the new part spreads along the main road below, where the cafés, the surf schools and the shared taxis are. Between the two is a steady life of goats, bread ovens, children walking to school and surfers walking to the beach with boards under their arms. The people are Amazigh, as they are all along this coast, and you will hear Tashelhit before Arabic in the shops.

02

The beaches

Imourane, the village beach, is long, sandy and quiet, with a few parasols for hire (20 MAD for a lounger and shade) and a concrete skatepark between the camper parking and the beach ramp that is not on any map. Devil’s Rock, at the north end, is the dark rock in the sand that gives its name to the gentlest learner wave on the coast; a café sits on the beach, and on Sunday evenings the whole village comes to watch the sunset and the boys jump from the rock. Crocro Beach runs north toward Taghazout, wide and empty. South, past the river mouth, is Banana Point at Aourir, a mellow right-hander ten minutes’ walk along the sand.

Tamraght is the village people choose when Taghazout feels like too much.

03

The Banana Village

Aourir, the next village south, is called the Banana Village for the plantations that fill the river valley behind it, irrigated by spring water that comes up through the rocks. The fruit is small, sweet and sold from carts along the main road, and the village has a traditional hammam and a Wednesday souk where the whole valley comes down to trade. It is five minutes from Tamraght by car and worth an hour.

04

Cafés and kitchens

Tamraght eats well and cheaply. Le Petit Kawa is the institution for Moroccan food; Chez Mimoun does lentils, soup and tagines at local prices. Sandwich Kamal, a shack by the mosque, sells 10-dirham sandwiches to a steady line of locals; Fana Food does crunchy chicken for 35 MAD. For coffee, Zawya is tiny, busy and has a sign that says no shoes, no rules; Surf & Friends has the wifi and the lattes; La Panière d’Imourane opens at seven for bread, pastries and a sea-facing terrace; Hey Yallah does specialty coffee and weekly events. Kisslaz, run by two local women, serves a Berber omelette and a calamari tagine worth the walk, cash only. The full list is in our eating guide.

05

Practical village

Bus 32 runs along the main road to Agadir for 5.50 MAD and stops around seven in the evening; a shared taxi to Taghazout costs 10 MAD, a taxi to Agadir at least 100. Soft boards rent for about 50 MAD a day and wetsuits for 50 more. There is a pharmacy, small grocers, a laundry at Kasbari House, and cash machines in Aourir and Taghazout; bring cash, most places do not take cards. Kasbari House also runs yoga and events open to everyone, and Brookolie teaches jewellery-making in a small workshop.

06

Our house

Blue Whale is the blue house in the lanes of the old village, about fifteen minutes on foot above Crocro beach, with two terraces facing the sunset, doubles and a shared room, and breakfast every morning. In Tamazight its name is written ⵜⵉⵣⵎⴳⵜ ⵜⴰⵣⴳⵣⴰⵡⵜ.