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Your independent local guide to Essaouira

Essaouira Trips
A line of saddled camels walking along the beach in Essaouira

Beach & desert

Camel ride to Diabat and the dunes

South across the Oued Ksob to the half-buried fort, the Diabat village, and the dunes behind the beach.

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From €20
per person
1 or 2 hours
Duration
Ranch de Diabat
Booked with

Who runs this

Run by Ranch de Diabat. Their own page: Ranch de Diabat.

We earn a small commission on some bookings. It never changes your price.

Duration
1 or 2 hours
Best for
Families, first-timers in Morocco, sunset photos
Best season
All year. Late afternoon in summer
Where it starts
Ranches on the Diabat road, 10 min taxi from the medina

This is the postcard ride, and unusually for a postcard activity it is genuinely good. You leave from the ranches south of town, cross the estuary of the Oued Ksob, and come up past Borj El Baroud — the old artillery fort sinking into the sand that everyone photographs.

One hour gets you the beach and the fort. Two hours gets you into Diabat village and the dune belt behind it, which is the better ride when the wind is up, because the dunes shelter you. Camels here work in rotation, and the ranches we point people to are the ones where the animals look it: full humps, no sores, saddles that fit.

Go late. A 17:00 departure in summer puts you on the dunes for sunset over the Atlantic, and it is far cooler than the middle of the day.

Why it is worth it

  • Crosses the Oued Ksob estuary and its birdlife
  • Borj El Baroud, the fort being swallowed by the dunes
  • The dune belt shelters you when the wind is howling
  • Horses available instead if camels are not your thing

What's included

  • Camel and guide
  • Mint tea at the halfway point on 2h rides
  • Helmet for children

Good to know

Wear long trousers — camel hair and bare legs are a bad combination. Do not take a ride from a tout on the beach: same price, no insurance, and no idea who you are riding with.

Common questions

How much is a camel ride in Essaouira?

From €20 for a one or two hour ride, with the camel and a guide included, and mint tea halfway round on the two-hour version. You book at the ranch, not on the beach.

Where do you ride camels in Essaouira?

At the ranches on the Diabat road, about ten minutes by taxi from the medina. They ride out along the beach and the dunes south of town, towards Diabat.

Should you take a camel ride from someone on the beach?

No. It is the same price, there is no insurance, and you have no idea who you are riding with or how the animals are kept. Go to a ranch instead — that is the whole point of booking one.

Are camel rides in Essaouira suitable for children?

Yes, and helmets for children are included. Families usually take the one-hour ride rather than two. Wear long trousers, whatever your age: camel hair against bare legs is a miserable combination.

Is it a camel or a dromedary?

A dromedary, the one-humped kind — the two-humped camel lives in Central Asia. Everyone here calls them camels anyway, and so does every sign in town.

More things to do

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