Traslado privado de Rabat a ImsouaneLuxury Travel

Plan on about 6h55 for the 565 km between Rabat and Imsouane, following the A5 / A3 bypass, the A7 / A1 via Had Soualem, the R301 coastal road, the N1 / coast road and finally the N1 through argan country. Rabat is Morocco's capital — calm, green and orderly, with the Kasbah of the Udayas above the river mouth, the Hassan Tower and a compact medina.

Who makes the Rabat to Imsouane trip

Why this trip? Departures from Rabat are split between business trips and itineraries continuing to Fes, Tangier or Chefchaouen. As for Imsouane, longboarders and surf learners come for the endless bay wave, and everyone else for the harbour fish and the sense of being at the end of the road. Few people make this 565 km crossing in one go, and we would rather say so plainly: it is booked by travellers who have a fixed flight or hotel at the far end and would rather cover the distance in one private day than stitch together buses and grand taxis.

The road from Rabat to Imsouane

From Rabat the coastal motorway heads south and bypasses Casablanca on the east to reach Mohammed V without entering the city. From Mohammed V the route skirts Casablanca to the south, joining the coastal motorway at Had Soualem and running past Azemmour to El Jadida. South of El Jadida the R301 coast road runs through market gardens and salt pans to the Oualidia lagoon and on to Safi. South of Safi the road hugs the coast past Souiria Kdima's fishing beach, then crosses the Had Draa farmland towards Essaouira. South of Essaouira the N1 heads inland through Smimou and Tamanar's argan hills — the stretch where goats famously climb the trees — before cutting back towards the coast at Imsouane. Good places to break the drive: the Oualidia lagoon, Souiria Kdima beach and an argan oil cooperative near Tamanar.

Arriving in Imsouane

Imsouane is a remote fishing village on a headland roughly halfway between Agadir and Essaouira, famous for one of the longest right-hand waves in Africa, rolling into its bay. The village has one access road off the N1; the final kilometres wind down a hillside to the harbour, where most guesthouses meet cars.

Should you split the journey?

At 6h55 this is a full day in the car. We run it in one day for anyone who wants that — with breaks every two hours or so — but many travellers prefer to split it. The natural halfway point is El Jadida: El Jadida's Portuguese quarter is worth an evening. Book two one-way legs and the driver meets you again the next morning.

Before you go

The bay wave works best on bigger winter swells; summer is calmer and good for complete beginners. From Imsouane, Tamri's banana plantations and Cap Ghir are on the way south, the argan hills on the way north. The return leg, Imsouane to Rabat, has its own page and the same per-vehicle pricing.