Apr 13 – Day trip to Essaouira
We had a choice to spend the day on our own in Marrakesh, to do a hot air balloon in the early morning or take a bus tour to the seaside town of Essaouira. We chose the day tour. The drive was about 3.5 hours each way and well worth it. I wish our trip had included a couple of nights in this lovely town.
Argan Oil
On the way to Essaouira, we stopped at a women’s argon cooperative. Argan Oil has been made for hundreds if not thousands of years by the native inhabitants of Morocco, the Berbers. It is well known for beneficial properties for skin. These Berbers occupy lands between Marrakesh to the north and just south of Agadir and from the west coast over towards the Algerian borders.
Traditional preparation of Argan Oil by Berber women was a very labour intensive affair with low production yields. This made the commercial sale of Argan Oil outside of Morocco impossible. Argan Oil co-operatives have now made large scale production this possible. At the coop, we watched the local women demonstrate the various steps in the traditional processing of the argan nuts. The women were dressed in traditional outfits and they sang traditional songs for the visitors.
There are more modern methods for processing the argan, mechanical cold press machines, which generate higher quality oil with less sediment and water. The process of cracking the nuts is done communally by large groups of women. The pressing of the oil done by a modern cold pressing machine.
One article I read said that in 2013 these women were now making a living wage of $8 per day, a ten-fold increase from 1997! I hope they make more than $8 a day in 2025 as the price for the beauty products in their shop is quite high. However, that didn’t phase the shoppers in our tour group who were racking up credit charges in the hundreds of dollars!
Essaouira
When we finally reached Essaouira, our Tour Manager gave us a short tour of the port where blue fishing boats are piled on the shore, through the streets of the medina and the beach. Of course another shopping stop, a recommended jewelry shop giving Gate1 customers a 10% discount. We passed on any purchases and later found a small shop under the clock tower with great prices on good quality silver jewelry.
We had a lovely lunch at a small restaurant serving fresh grilled whole fish. We enjoyed sitting outside and people watching. It took almost an hour for our food to arrive but it was well worth it. Restaurant le Mogadorien. We spotted the jewelry store under the arch of nearby clock tower. This area of Morocco is the recommend place to buy good quality silver jewelry. After lunch we found a spice shop to get some bulk Moroccan spices and jars of amloue which is a nut paste similar to peanut butter, made from argan nuts and honey.
We walked through the medina and on the ramparts overlooking the ocean and took a walk along the sandy beach so we could put our feet in the water.
Essaouira was formerly called Mogador (its Portuguese name) until the 1960s. This port city is located on the western coast of Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean. Essaouira is such a picturesque town. There are many art displays, beautiful doors. The rampart walls were built in the 16th century. In the past centuries, this town was a haven for pirates and slavery trade. It has also been a fishing port and a military post. There are lots of riads for overnight stays. The town hosts some well known music festivals in the early summer.
After our lovely day at the seaside, the bus headed back to Marrakesh for one more evening there.
If I were planning a trip to Morocco, I would make sure to include a two night stay in Essaouira. And at least a day trip to the Blue City.