Taghazout is a fishing and surfing village situated on the West Coast of Morocco 17km north of Agadir on the "International Road". On the Atlantic coastline the weather is sun blessed all year round, although the winter months can bring cooler conditions. This region has over 330 sun days each year. The ideal winter get away.
Taghazout has watched the passage of man for many centuries as trade has passed through so have the changes, but as Moroccan people have the ability to choose the best, here the land has been able to choose the finer pieces from the passage of time.
A bit of History: The village has seen some different travellers over the last few centuries. Each invading army leaving their imprint on the sun scorched earth (the summer temperature can reach 40'c. In the winter a mild day time temperature of 25'c gives way to 15'c at night). From the early days when Razel (Taghazout) was a place to leave your boat, nets and hooks and the only buildings around were to house the fishing nets.
To the multinational culture that is now found in Taghazout; a mixing of surfing surfers, surf camps and modern day hippies walking the same ground as the mobile caravan of people who have stopped in Taghazout over the decades.
The village has places to stay including an Auberge and plenty of houses to rent for a great winter surf holiday. There are also cafes and restaurants for your evenings.
In the later part of the 19th century this headland was occupied by the Spanish who built factories and Mosques for the local Berber inhabitants to work and live in. (The European influence can be seen in the brick work and a few metal objects which have been left from this earlier time, when Sardines were processed in the summer and chocolate in the winter (the large waves making the sea dangerous and fishing difficult).
Before this change of life style was thrust on the Berbers, they were mountain dwellers who lived in the more fertile foothills of the High Atlas Mountains and only came down to the sea to fish and trade on "the main" road. Razel (Taghazout) was a place to leave your boat, nets and hooks and the only buildings around were to house the fishing nets.
SURF CAMPS: Reserve your place in one of the surfcamps, auberges or just rent an apartment. The choice is yours. The apartments hold up to 8 people, while a reservation for one person can be made at the local hostel. If the surfing zone of Taghazout not firing you will be able to deplace to Boilers and other surf spots along the coast.
There are people in the village who are able to mend dings but please bring your own fibre and resin if you want to DIY. You can buy boards, wax and leaches in the village (5km away). A 3/2 wet suit is the normal with water temperatures resting between 16 - 18'c. Bring boots for the sea urchins.
Surfing in Taghazout is one of the best regions of Morocco and a well known winter surf trip for European surfers looking for winter sun within 5 hours flight of London.The water is at 16/17'c for most of the year. Found 3 km north of Taghazout, 6 km north of Aourir (Banana Village), 20 km north of Agadir and 151 km south of Essaouria.
