Taghazout vs Tamraght: the short answer
Taghazout if you already surf and want the points on foot, or if you like a village with cafés open until eleven. Tamraght if this is your first week, you are bringing children, or you want to hear the sea from your bed and nothing else. If you cannot decide, book "Both hostels" and do both.
The waves
Taghazout's fame comes from the headland north of the village: Anchor Point, Mysteries, Killer Point and Boilers, right-hand point breaks that run for hundreds of metres when a winter swell arrives. In front of the village, Hash Point and Panorama take smaller swells and beginners on quiet days. But when the swell is up, Taghazout's beginner options shrink, and the coach drives to Tamraght.
Tamraght has the two most forgiving waves on the coast: Devil's Rock, a sand-bottom beach break at the south end, and Banana Point, a long, slow right off the river mouth that lets a beginner ride for ten seconds instead of two. Crocro, north of the village, gives intermediates a beach break of their own. What Tamraght does not have is a wave for advanced surfers, so the coach drives north for them.
| Taghazout | Tamraght | |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner waves on foot | Small days only | Every day |
| Intermediate waves on foot | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced waves on foot | Yes | No, 15 min in the van |
| Crowd at the main spots | Busy in winter | Moderate |
| Cafés and surf shops | Dozens | A handful |
| Evening noise | Cafés until 23:00 | Quiet by 22:00 |
| Alcohol | Limited | Not sold |
| Families | Fine | Ideal |
The villages
Taghazout is a fishing port that became a surf town and kept both jobs. The slipway is full of blue boats at dawn, the cafés above it are full of surfers by nine, and the lanes behind are surf shops, juice bars and rooftop restaurants. It is the most social place on the coast, and the most crowded in the water from December to February.
Tamraght is a farming village on a hill above banana plantations. There is one main street, a Sunday souk, a hammam, and Aourir, the market town, ten minutes down the road. There are no bars and few tourists who are not there to surf or do yoga. Evenings happen on rooftops.
The hostels differ the way the villages do. The Taghazout hostel has six rooms and 21 beds in the middle of the village, a roof terrace, and quiet hours from 23:00; five of the six rooms have a bathroom of their own. The Tamraght hostel has nine rooms and 32 beds on the hill above the beach, a garden as well as the roof, and a village that winds down by 22:00 on its own; seven of the nine rooms have their own bathroom. From Agadir Al Massira Airport the drive is 45 to 55 minutes to Tamraght (43 km) and 50 to 60 to Taghazout (50 km), and the transfer is in the price either way.
Cost
Our packages are priced separately for each hostel: see our surf holidays in Morocco for the figures. Outside the hostel, lunch in a Tamraght café costs a little less than in Taghazout, and there is less to spend money on.
The figures, per person for the stay, everything included: over the 3-night minimum, €150 for a beginner or €180 for an intermediate in Tamraght, €180 or €210 in Taghazout; over 7 nights, €350 or €420 in Tamraght and €420 or €490 in Taghazout. A private room adds €20 per person per night; Two Together has its room in the price. From five people, 5% comes off the total, applied automatically when you book.
There are no seasonal supplements, so a Christmas week costs the same as a week in May. A split stay is charged leg by leg at each hostel's rate, and the van that moves you between them costs nothing. You pay a 15% deposit or the full amount by card, the balance on arrival, and the deposit comes back in full if you cancel more than 14 days before arrival.
Getting between them
Fifteen minutes in the hostel van, which moves between the two hostels and the spots as the day's plan needs and costs guests nothing; a shared taxi from the coast road; or an hour and a quarter on foot along the beach at low tide, which is a good thing to do once. Our coaches move between the hostels every day, so a Tamraght guest who is ready for Anchor Point gets there, and a Taghazout beginner gets to Banana Point.
Our advice
Book the Tamraght hostel for a first week, a family week or a quiet week. Book the Taghazout hostel if you can already trim along a wave and want to walk to the points. And book 7 nights if you want to try both; tell us and we split the stay.
