Take a full-day private trip to Essaouira, one of Morocco’s most attractive coastal towns. Admire its undeniable charm, with whitewashed and blue shuttered houses, art galleries, wood workshops, fishermen and colorful boats, all enclosed by ancient red walls. Your private tour starts with pickup at your hotel or riad in Marrakech. Depart Marrakech, driving through lush valleys filled with orange groves, ancient olive trees, and working farms. Stop at Chichaoua for a coffee or snack at Cafe Afoulki. Continue past your first Argan trees. These special trees are valued for their nutritive, cosmetic, and medicinal properties. A relic species from the Tertiary Period, it is extremely well adapted to drought and other environmentally difficult conditions of southwestern Morocco and, while now endangered, under the protection of UNESCO. Arrive in Essaouira and wander the ancient streets, where it’s easy to imagine life before you. The streets have a Portuguese feel after they renamed the city in the 16th century and used it as a port city of their own. Dine on fish straight from the sea at any number of local restaurants, and ride a camel on the beach. After some free time to explore on your own, return to Marrakech for drop-off at your hotel or riad.

Your full-day adventure to old Mogador from Marrakech begins when you’re picked up from your hotel to drive along the gorgeous Haouz plains towards the quaint village of Chichaoua. Here you’ll make your first stop of the day, enjoying a cup of coffee before continuing on to Sidi Mokhtar.  Along the way, you’ll pass through a lush forest of Argan trees, where you’ll witness native goats in their natural habitat. Here you’ll have the chance to see how Argan oil is extracted, visiting a cooperative run by a group of local women to discover how some of the world’s finest cosmetic products are made here using Argan oil. Next, you’ll head to Mogador to explore the fascinating Portuguese fortress, Sekkala, before continuing on to visit the old harbor, the meeting point for local fishermen. At the harbor, you can choose a fresh fish and fry it yourself before exploring the picturesque blue streets of old Mogador, relaxing by the beach and taking a therapeutic stroll in this unique location.