Essaouira
Kitesurf & Yoga
Wind. Salt. Freedom.
Diabat Beach · Essaouira
The retreat
The wind capital
of North Africa.
Essaouira is not just windy — it is mythically windy. Jimi Hendrix lived here. Orson Welles filmed Othello in its ramparts. The Gnawa musicians have played on its squares for centuries. And for three decades, it has been one of the world's great kitesurfing destinations.
8 to 12 participants. 12 hours of IKO-certified kitesurf instruction, beginner to advanced. Daily morning yoga on the beach or rooftop. Shared dinners of grilled Atlantic fish. Hammam mid-week. Sunsets on ramparts classified as UNESCO World Heritage.
Apply for Essaouira →“The wind is the oldest resident of Essaouira. Everyone else is just visiting.”
The blue harbour of Mogador
Ramparts · UNESCO World Heritage
Daily sunrise yoga
The experience
What awaits you
Kitesurf sessions
12 hours of IKO-certified coaching over 6 days. All levels: total beginner to seasoned freerider. Diabat Beach: long flat stretches, consistent wind, warm water. Full equipment included.
Sunrise yoga
Daily 6:30am practice on the beach or rooftop terrace, facing the Atlantic. The sound of the ocean as your soundtrack. Movement before the wind picks up.
Medina & ramparts
A guided walk through the UNESCO-classified medina of Mogador. The ramparts. The spice souk. The cannons pointing toward the sea. A city that is as much music as architecture.
Hammam ceremony
Mid-week hammam: black soap, kessa scrub, argan oil. Recovery for muscles that have been working hard. One hour of deep rest after big days on the water.
Atlantic table
Fresh catch from the harbour daily. Chermoula-marinated grilled fish. Preserved lemon tagines. Local bread from the communal oven. Shared dinners with a view of the medina skyline.
Sunset on the walls
Every evening, the Atlantic turns the rampart stones gold. Aperitif on the roof. The sound of Gnawa drums rising from the square below. A ritual you will want to repeat.
Day by day
Eight days in Essaouira.
Arrive
Settle into the riad. Welcome dinner by candlelight in the courtyard. Orientation walk along the port at dusk.
First kite
Safety briefing and equipment setup. First session on the water. Sunset yoga on the rooftop terrace.
Progress
Morning kite session. Afternoon: medina and ramparts walk with local guide. Sunset aperitif on the walls.
Deep water
Full day kite session. Beach lunch packed and waiting. Hammam ceremony in the evening.
Full flight
Advanced session for those ready. Optional camel walk to Diabat for others. Rooftop dinner with Gnawa musicians.
Open water
Morning kite session with the full group back on the water. Afternoon at your own pace: rest, argan cooperative visit, or a long walk on Diabat Beach.
Free & final
Optional morning kite. Free afternoon in the medina: argan, ceramics, music. Farewell dinner on the terrace.
Departure
Breakfast and transfer to the airport. Or extend: ask about additional nights in Essaouira.
Included
Everything.
- 7 nights luxury riad accommodation in the medina
- 12 hours kitesurf coaching with IKO-certified instructors
- Full kite equipment (kite, board, harness, wetsuit)
- Daily morning yoga sessions
- All meals: breakfast, beach lunch, shared dinners
- Traditional hammam ceremony
- Medina guided walk with local guide
- Airport transfers (Marrakech or Essaouira)
- Daily transport to Diabat Beach
- Session photography
- The Umnya kit: hand-woven fouta, engraved flask, and the piece made for this retreat
Getting there
How to arrive.
Fly to Marrakech Menara (RAK) from most major European cities. Direct seasonal flights to Essaouira-Mogador Airport (ESU) available April to October. From Marrakech, a 3-hour private transfer along the Atlantic coast road is included.
Private transfers from airport to riad are included in all directions. We coordinate logistics from the moment your place is confirmed. Ground transport to Diabat Beach each session is also included.
Nearest airports
These weeks run with a partner
This retreat is not on open sale. We build it with a studio, a club or a clinic that brings its own group, and we open a date around their season rather than ours. Tell us who you would bring and when, and we will come back with a week.
Design this together→2027 Season
Receive the full programme
8 days · 8 to 14 guests · Morocco. We send the itinerary, dates and availability by return.
No newsletters. One email with the programme, nothing more.
Where you stay
Superior accommodation, chosen on the ground by our own experts.
Nothing on this site was booked from a catalogue. Every riad, camp, kasbah and guesthouse was found, visited and slept in by one of our experts before it was ever offered to a guest. The standard is superior throughout, and the reason is practical: after a day of walking, surfing or altitude, comfort is not a luxury, it is what makes the next day possible.
Visited before it is offered
Our team travels the country year-round. If one of us has not slept there, it does not go into a programme.
Original, never generic
Private riads, our own exclusive-use camp in the dunes, restored family kasbahs, guesthouses in Berber villages. Places you cannot book from a screen.
Comfort as a working tool
Real beds, hot water, quiet rooms, proper food. Recovery is part of the programme, not an afterthought.
Groups & circles
Coming as a group?
Six of you or more, and the whole retreat can be arranged around your circle. Tell us the size and the dates, and we prepare a proposal for you.
Request a group proposal→A departure for your circle alone
A private date set aside for your group, at the pace and in the season that suit you.
One group at a time, never mixed
You are never placed among strangers. The camp, the table and the guides are yours.
Group rate and privatisation on request
For six guests or more we prepare a tailored proposal. Simply ask.