Why is Essaouira one of the best places in the world to learn kitesurfing?

Spot & season

Why is Essaouira one of the best places in the world to learn kitesurfing?

A wide sandy bay, side-shore wind almost every day, and a town you actually want to spend the evening in. What makes this spot work for beginners.

There are windier places and warmer places, but very few combine the conditions, the safety and the setting the way this bay does. Here is what makes it work specifically for people who are learning.

A forgiving bay

The main beach is wide, sandy and shallow a long way out. There is no reef, no rocks in the learning area, and plenty of room to make mistakes — which beginners do constantly, and should. A big empty beach is an underrated teaching asset.

Wind that behaves

The bay gets side-shore wind for most of the season. Side-shore is the ideal direction for learning: it carries you along the beach rather than out to sea or into the sand. Combined with the length of the season, it means lessons rarely get cancelled.

Space to progress

Once you can ride, the bay opens up, and there are spots a short drive away for when you want flatter water or more swell. You do not outgrow the place after a week.

The part nobody mentions

Essaouira is a genuinely good town. A UNESCO-listed medina, a working fishing port, food that is worth planning an evening around, and a walkable centre ten minutes from the beach. When the wind drops — and it does — you are not stuck in a resort with nothing to do.

Getting here is easy

  • Essaouira has its own small airport
  • Marrakesh Menara is about 2.5 hours by road
  • Agadir Al Massira is about 2.5 hours by road
  • Airport transfers are included in all our camps

Add multilingual instructors and equipment that is renewed every season, and you have a place where a complete beginner can go from never having flown a kite to riding independently inside a week.

Ready to get on the water?

Tell us your dates and we will put together the right lessons or camp for your level.

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Excellent Based on 296 reviews Google
Кристина Стоянова in the last week

I wanted to surprise my boyfriend for his birthday with semi-private kitesurfing lessons, so we actually organised our trip to Morocco around it. My requirements were for the two of us to be together during our classes, but each have our own kite, and for the instructors to be certified and speak English. NaneaKite did not disappoint! We took 8 hours of lessons each and the progress we made was amazing. I had been in constant communication with Abdou, the owner, for months before our trip. He was always kind and reassuring, and kept me updated on the weather and kitesurfing conditions in Essaouira, which made planning everything so much easier. Our instructor, Mohammed, was amazing as well. He explained everything clearly from scratch, paid close attention to what we were doing, and corrected us whenever we made mistakes so that we could progress faster. We are so happy we chose NaneaKite and would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking to learn kitesurfing in Essaouira!

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Blue Iris Records in the last week

Best teachers of essaouira mohamed is super nice and abdou and ilyes. I recommand

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Karam Maghames in the last week

The coach Elias was such a very respectful, kind and polite guy & passionate about what he’s doing. He never left the water and stayed the whole session supporting and making sure we’re doing the right moves.

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Mael Kernin a week ago

A very warm welcome from the whole team, great moments of interaction with professionals who supported us despite less than ideal conditions for learning kitesurfing. I highly recommend it!

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