Beaches of Agadir and Cascades of Immouzzer, Morocco

To see our Morocco Photos, Click Here

Sunset at Agadir

Although the large Atlantic coastal port of Agadir is full of rich Europeans and package-tour holiday-makers, it is a breath of fresh air: the locals are pleasant, much more relaxed and not pelting us with "You want hotel...restaurant... tannery...museum  .. for good price my friend". Normally we are afraid to make eye contact with people because of all the hustling that Morocco is famous for, but here, people just smile and say 'Bonjour' with no underlying motives of getting money out of you. Wow! It's the people, usually, that we enjoy most on our travels, so it's a wonderful relief to finally relax and feel comfortable with the Moroccan people.
 

Agadir Beach - Interesting beach attire

Agadir, Morocco's main beach resort town, was founded by Portuguese traders in the 15th century, and then recently rebuilt after the 1960 earthquake that killed 18,000 people here. The huge bay and sandy beach (sadly full of litter) was packed with local families and foreigners alike.  Local women of course, remain all covered up while their kids splash around, mostly covered up too, in the sea.

At Cascades De Immouzzer

Agadir for us was a stepping stone to Immouzer Waterfalls - a series of cascades in beautiful Paradise Valley - not really on the tourist trail unless you pay 350 dirhams (about $45 or 35quid) for a day tour. Instead, Martin and I decided to piece together our own transport by taking a local bus then 'Grand Taxis' (shared local taxis that cram in 6 passengers - 4 people on the backseat, 2 in the front seat, plus driver) to get there. We waited less than an hour for fellow passengers going up into the hills and (we think) we didn't get too ripped off, and we did make it there - and back! The drive through Paradise valley was extremely scenic and the waterfalls were great. Climbing up to the top of one of the falls gave us a great panorama of the valley below. And either sitting in the river below, or getting a view from afar in the wheat fields provided us with scenic vistas.

Martin over Immouzzer

One funny thing, as we were walking back through the little village, an old, hunched, wrinkly faced man stopped us and started serenading us with a French song "Allouetta".  We had a good laugh with him and the locals.
We were a little concerned about our return trip though, as we were not really in a touristy area, and not much transportation options.  Luckily, a Moroccan guy, who we'd traveled with in the grand taxi, was also waiting for a taxi back, and managed to call someone to pick us up.  We made it back easily with his help.  A pleasant day trip, and not bad for 70 dirhams - a fifth of the normal tourist price! * Mush