Taghazout, the tiny fishing village north of Agadir, is a multi-cultural enclave for travelers seeking mosaic-tiled passageways, winsome Atlantic waves, and unexpected bo-ho vibes.
Deep in the south of an Islamic country, one doesn’t expect to find marijuana. But it’s offered up under different names by young men in djellabas: full-length, woolen, hooded robes that wouldn’t be out of place on the Venice Beach boardwalk. Here in Taghazout, 175 miles southwest of Marrakech on a tiny cape jutting into the warm Atlantic, you’ll find all sorts of contradictions to Western perceptions of life in this Northern African country. Girls in bathing suits wander barefoot while others pass wrapped in hijabs, turbans, or abayas. An endless ocean backs up to craggy mountains that buttress the sprawling Sahara desert. Languages and accents meld into a shared dialect: French, Arabic, English, and Spanish are tinged with Aussie slang and Eastern yogi jargon, mixing into one very gnarly shared tongue. A static-y Bob Marley melody complements the daily call to prayer.