5-Day Countryside Morocco Tour – From Essaouira to the Atlantic & Anti-Atlas

Your Countryside Morocco Tour begins with pick-up at your riad or hotel in Essaouira, where you can briefly review the medina, fishing port, ramparts and artisan wood workshops if you haven’t done so already. Soon you head south along the coast to Sidi Kaouki, a wild Atlantic beach about 25 km away. Here you can walk on the sand, breathe the ocean air, watch surfers and, if you wish, arrange a short camel or horse ride along the shore.

In the afternoon you turn inland towards Ida Ougourd, a rural Berber area known for its weekly souk (typically on specific market days). You see local life up close: livestock, produce, simple food stalls, a mosque at the heart of the village and traditional dress. This is everyday Morocco, largely untouched by mass tourism. By late afternoon, you reach your countryside guesthouse or eco-lodge near Sidi Kaouki or back towards Essaouira, where you can unwind in a quiet rural setting. Overnight in the Essaouira countryside.

After breakfast you leave the immediate coast and drive inland through the Souss region. Near Biougra, you stop at a women-run argan oil cooperative, where local women demonstrate how argan kernels are traditionally cracked and pressed. You can try and buy genuine cosmetic or culinary argan products, directly supporting a female-led rural economy.

Continuing south-east, you climb towards the Anti-Atlas mountains, crossing the Kerdous Pass with panoramic views of ridges, valleys and scattered villages. You descend into the Ammeln Valley, where palm groves, fields and Berber houses sit at the foot of dramatic rock formations. By afternoon you arrive in Tafraoute, an Anti-Atlas town surrounded by granite peaks. Depending on time and your interests, you can explore the town’s souks, nearby painted rocks, palm oases and adobe villages. Overnight in a riad or mountain guesthouse in Tafraoute.

Today takes you into one of the most memorable landscapes of this Countryside Morocco Tour: the Aït Mansour Gorge. You drive into a canyon where a palm-lined river and small villages sit between red and orange cliffs. You can walk short sections under the palms, enjoy the contrast between the heat of the rock and the cool shade, and photograph traditional houses squeezed between mountain and oasis.

From Aït Mansour, you return via Tafraoute and continue north-west, passing through small Berber villages, mountain mosques and local markets. Often you pass near or through Tiznit, a fortified town known for its silver jewellery and old walls (short stop possible). By late afternoon you arrive in Sidi Ifni, a coastal town with art-deco buildings, wide ocean views and a calm, slightly nostalgic atmosphere. You can stroll the seafront and enjoy cliffside beach vistas as the sun lowers over the Atlantic. Overnight in a seaside riad or hotel in Sidi Ifni.

After breakfast, you head a short way north to Legzira Beach, famous for its dramatic red rock formations and arches, powerful waves and broad sands. Even though one of the most iconic arches collapsed, the remaining cliffs and shapes still make Legzira one of the most photogenic spots on the Morocco Atlantic coast tour route. You can walk under the cliffs, watch the waves and take striking photos of sea-meets-mountain.

Continuing along the coast, you reach Mirleft, a small town with a mix of rural tradition and bohemian surf culture. You may stop for a coffee, explore artisan shops or walk to a nearby viewpoint above the ocean. Later you travel back towards the Essaouira area and visit the Val d’Argan Winery, a vineyard near Essaouira. Here you can walk among the vines, learn how Moroccan wines are produced and, if you wish, enjoy a wine tasting and optional countryside lunch. You typically spend the night in an eco-lodge or vineyard guesthouse, enjoying a peaceful rural setting among fields and vines.

On your final morning, you drive back to Essaouira, completing the loop of your 5 day Morocco tour from Essaouira. Depending on timing and your past visits, you may have free time to:

Revisit the UNESCO-listed medina for last souvenir shopping.

Explore the Jewish quarter (Mellah) and its quiet alleyways.

Return to the fishing port and ramparts for fresh photos and a final harbour walk.

Your driver then drops you at your riad, hotel or onward transfer point in Essaouira. You end your Countryside Morocco Tour with a sense of having seen a hidden side of Morocco—villages, gorges, wild beaches and small towns that most visitors miss.