Surfing South Morocco: A Road Trip Through Mirleft, Legzira and Sidi Ifni

Hi again, I’m Diana from Wave Finder Morocco, and today I want to share one of my favorite memories from this summer: a road trip to south Morocco that started as a simple surf mission and ended up being so much more.

It began as a simple surf trip, one of those we take all the time, but somewhere along the way we realized it was really about everything in between: the pauses, the sunsets and the people.

The Road to Mirleft

We left Essaouira early in the morning, the car filled with surfboards, music and that restless excitement that comes with not knowing exactly where the day will take you.The road south seemed to stretch forever... winding through endless dunes, clusters of argan trees and villages painted in sun-faded colors.

Every few hours, we stopped just to breathe it all in. Mint tea at a roadside café, a chat with a fisherman, a quick surf in Tamraght to cool off. By the time we reached Mirleft, the light was soft and golden. We climbed up to the ruins of Fort Tidli, an old Spanish military post built in the early 20th century to guard the coast.The view from up there was timeless: waves rolling beneath the cliffs, seagulls gliding through the evening air, the scent of salt and dust mixing as the sun began to sink.

We watched the sunset from those ruins, whilst drinking mint tea and savouring msemen, feeling that familiar stillness that only arrives when the world turns golden and the day exhales.

Morning Lines

The next morning, we paddled out early. The waves were clean and forgiving, breaking along the cliffs with rhythm and power. We surfed for hours, salt drying on our skin, laughter echoing off the rocks.

The water felt familiar, almost like it knew us... gentle yet demanding, playful yet grounding. Out there, surrounded by nothing but sea and sky, it was easy to forget everything else. It wasn’t about chasing the best waves or counting rides. It was about being exactly where we were meant to be, moving with the ocean, breathing with it, feeling completely alive.

Legzira’s Arches and the Rhythm of the Coast

From Mirleft, we drove toward Legzira, one of Morocco’s most breathtaking stretches of coastline. The cliffs there burn deep red under the afternoon light, and the sea has carved out arches so large they seem almost unreal.

We wandered barefoot through the sand, passing under the arches as the tide began to rise. The beach slowly disappeared behind us, the sound of the waves growing stronger with every step. It was like walking inside time itself: the cliffs holding stories, the sea whispering its own language.

When the sun hit the rock at just the right angle, everything turned orange and gold. That moment alone was worth the drive.

The Unexpected Stop

Somewhere south of Legzira, we turned off onto a small dirt track that curved toward the cliffs. It wasn’t on the map, but something about it pulled us in.The road ended at a lookout point high above the ocean, where the red rocks opened into a vast arch carved by time and tide. Below, waves rolled in slow motion, breaking white against the burnt-orange cliffs.

We stood there for a long time, saying very little. The wind carried the smell of salt and dry earth, and the horizon seemed endless. It wasn’t a place to surf or swim, but to pause — to take in the scale of the landscape and feel how small we are beside it.

That moment became the highlight of the trip, not because of the waves, but because it reminded us why we wander — to be humbled, to be surprised, and to remember how wild the world still is.

Sidi Ifni: Where the Past Still Breathes

Further south, we reached Sidi Ifni, a small coastal town that still carries the echoes of its Spanish past. From 1934 to 1969, it was part of Spain’s colonial territory, and traces of that time are still visible today: the blue-and-white art deco buildings, the old airfield, the wide boulevards lined with palms.

We surfed near the port, where the waves were long and mellow. Between sets, we looked back at the town - Spanish architecture meeting Moroccan soul, framed by cliffs and sea spray.

Later, we wandered through quiet streets, ate grilled sardines near the market, and watched the sky fade into shades of rose and violet. There was music somewhere in the distance, and for a while, it felt like time had stopped.

The Return North

By the time we drove back toward Essaouira, the car was covered in salt, the boards still dripping, and the air thick with that lazy contentment that only follows good waves and long days in the sun. We had actually found one: a perfect, unexpected wave that caught us off guard and left us smiling all the way back to shore.

But it wasn’t just the wave that stayed with us. It was everything around it: the stillness between sessions, the laughter on empty roads, the feeling that the ocean had been quietly guiding us the whole time.

Driving north, the coastline passed like a slow-moving film, with its cliffs, villages, stray goats, and the occasional sparkle of sea beyond the dunes. It felt less like we were leaving and more like we were carrying a piece of that southern rhythm home with us.

Some trips change you not because of what you find, but because of how you move through them: open, curious, and ready to follow wherever the tide decides to lead.

See you in the water,

— Diana

References:

• Just our beautiful experience!