Imsouane, famous for it’s legendary surf spots, is getting more and more travelers these days who want to ride the waves themselves or just stay there for the vibes. Getting to the town is not quite simple though as it lies far away from any major population center and not close to any main road. In this guide I will explain to you all the possibilities for getting to Imsouane and go into detail about each one.

Reaching Imsouane: Different Options

Bus

Traveling by bus is pretty common in Morocco and is, apart from the stations, a very relaxed way of traveling throughout the country. Most busses are modern, clean and have AC and are the perfect way of traveling on a budget if you have the time. Sometimes though, rides can get longer than expected when drivers take a break all of a sudden or stop loads of times to pick up people along the road so take the times you see online with a grain of salt.

To avoid ticket scams at the bus terminals you have two options. Option 1 is definitely the less stressful one. Book your ticket via the Markoub.ma website. It includes most bus operators and is useful to check schedules on routes all throughout the country. There is a 5 DH service fee for booking with them though, making this option slightly more expensive. Option 2 is booking directly at the stations. Fight yourself through the many ticket resellers trying to get a commission out of you and buy your ticket at the official sales point. You will almost always find it in the station building itself. Most of the time, prices for certain routes are not listed out front but you will almost always be asked for the same amount as is shown online here.

When you are at an intermediate stop somewhere along the road, where there is no real bus terminal, tickets can be bought on the bus itself. This is especially important, when trying to take the bus from Imsouane to anywhere else. The „bus stop“ is just a random bench at the intersection of N1 and R211. Other moroccan surf towns do not have this „problem“ and therefore are a bit less tricky to get to compared to Imsouane.

Shared Taxi

Shared taxis or „taxi collectif“ as they are called in Morocco are a typical form of transportation for getting around the country, even on longer distances. They typically have 6 seats, serve fixed routes and go when they are full. Taxis can typically be found at the local Grand Taxi Stand, which is most often located near the bus station.

Prices are not fixed and some drivers will try to charge you more, if you are a foreigner. Should the price seem too high though, do not hesitate to negotiate. They usually will come down in their asking price pretty fast. Generally, shared taxis are a bit quicker than the busses yet slightly more expensive. They can bring you to more off the beaten path places or stop at random intersections to drop you off or pick you up. Although you will have to wait for them to fill up, once they go they are the fastest mode of transport on most routes.

SoukToSurf

SoukToSurf is a private company connecting different surf towns via minibus. They operate on schedules and offer connections which otherwise would not be possible. For example: they have a once daily direct connection from Agadir Airport to Imsouane, perfect for those who want to travel completely hassle free. Prices are a little high compared to busses or shared taxis, but the ease of travel makes up for it. The only downside with SouktoSurf is that there are not a lot of rides each day on any specific route. You will have to plan your day a bit around the schedule in order to use them.

I tend to choose them, when I am short in time and want to use the day to surf and explore and not take ages to get between places. Their rides to and from Imsouane end at the Chillax Café. The big advantage with the scheduled rides and direct connections is that you will save loads of time, which you would otherwise spend jumping between different busses and taxi, waiting for departure times and so on.

Private Transfer

Private transfers are best for those, who want to bring in their own equipment and not rent a car to transport it around. You have the option of booking a driver online or negotiate with the local taxi drivers. Price wise this does not make much of a difference, so I would recommend you book your transfer in advance to have a smooth start into your vacation.

Transport From Agadir

The bus and the shared taxi leave from two adjacent areas in the center of Agadir, the gare routière and the taxi stand near Rond-Point Al Massira. There are around 8 daily busses, so it is only really worth taking the taxi if the time until the next bus is really long or if the taxi would take you directly down into Imsouane itself. If you are coming from the airport, then you will have to reach the stations first with some kind of other transportation. Although there is an Airport Bus, it does not pass near the stations. The best course of action would be to take another taxi from the Al Massira first before getting on the bus or shared taxi to Imsouane.

SoukToSurf has several locations to start from in Agadir, so you can choose the one closest to your accomodation, making it less of a journey in order to get to Imsouane. A big advantage of them is, that one of their pick-up spots is the airport itself saving you the hassle of getting to one of the other stations first. If it is your first time in Morocco and your flight arrives in time to take the SouktoSurf minivan, than I would highly recommend using them here.

From Essaouira

In Essaouira bus and taxi stand are right next to each other to west of the medina. They are chaotic, pretty dirty and full of vendors for goods and food of any kind. The taxi stand here is special in the way, that you do not negotiate the price with the driver itself, but rather buy your seat for a fixed price with a ticket salesman at the entrance gate. As in Agadir, it is advisable to only take the taxi, if the next bus towards Imsouane is really far away or if the taxi goes directly down into Imsouane. Otherwise just take the bus. The SoukToSurf bus leaves from Bab El Mechouar and La Coupole Restaurant.

From Taghazout

In order to take the bus from Taghazout to Imsouane you will have to make your way to the Rond-Point La Source, which is roughly 2 kilometers away from the village itself. It is not really worth it in my opinion, as you can just take the taxi, which leaves from the town center. As there are a lot of tourists here who might also want to go to Imsouane, you have a high chance of being taken right down into the center and not be let out at the N1 intersection towards the town. SoukToSurf leaves from the SurfMaroc Shop. The best option in my opinion is the shared taxi here, as it will most likely fill up fast and cost less than the SouktoSurf transfer.

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