Essaouira, the Atlantic at the end of the road

After three hours of plains and argan trees the wind shifts and the air turns salty: Essaouira always announces the Atlantic before it comes into view.

The road crosses the argan forest, which grows nowhere else in the world. You stop at a women's cooperative where the oil is still pressed by hand — and, with a bit of luck, the famous goats perched up in the branches.

Once there, you are free to explore at your own pace. The medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the few in Morocco laid out on a grid: straight streets, white walls, blue doors and cabinetmakers working thuya wood. The ramparts of the Skala de la Ville look out over the ocean, Portuguese cannons still trained on the horizon.

Below, the fishing port and its blue boats are the best part of the day: this is where you eat grilled fish landed the same morning. The vast beach is swept by a steady wind that made the town's name among surfers and kitesurfers. Back to Marrakech in the late afternoon.