Who writes this
Essaouira Trips is written by locals: people who live in Essaouira, not travel writers who spent two weeks here. We are not a tour company and we do not run any of the activities on this site. We are sharing what we know about our town with the people coming to visit it.
That is the whole reason the site exists. The two biggest English-language guides to this town are written by someone who visits and by a tourism office. Both are useful. Neither can tell you which instructor is good, which ranch treats its animals properly, or what a quad tour should really cost.
We can, because this is our town. We know the operators by name, and we hear about it quickly when one of them starts cutting corners.
How we choose what to recommend
We only list an operator we would send a friend to. In practice that means we have used them, or we know the people who run them well enough to vouch for them. If a partner's standards slip, they come off the site — the recommendation is the only thing of value we have.
We also say when something is not worth doing, or when there is a cheaper way to do it yourself. The Marrakech day trip page tells you to take the bus instead. That costs us money and it is the correct advice.
How this site makes money
Two ways, and you should know both. Some activities are run by local operators who pay us a commission, typically 15 to 20%, when a booking comes from here. Others are booked through marketplaces like GetYourGuide, which pay a smaller affiliate commission.
In every case the price you pay is the same as booking direct. Commission comes out of the operator's margin, not added to your bill. We say on every activity page when a booking earns us something, and we name the company you will actually be booking with.
We do not take payment for a good review, and we do not publish invented ratings. If you ever find something here that reads like an advert, tell us and we will fix it.
Corrections and contact
Prices change, operators close, and bus timetables move. If something here is out of date, telling us is genuinely useful and we will update it and credit you if you want. Email hello@essaouiratrips.com.