Around Agadir
INEZGANE
One of the region’s transport hubs, Inezgane, 13km south of Agadir, is not a tourist destination,
but some travellers enjoy stopping here for that very reason. There’s a vast fresh-produce
market across Ave Mokhtar Soussi, the main street, from the combined bus station and grand-
taxi lot. Tuesday is the main souq.
Hôtel-Restaurant La Pergola ( 0528 27 18 01; www.lapergola.ma; Km 8 Rte d’Agadir;
s/d Dh223/264) is a relic of another, low-key Agadir, its bungalows set in a flowery garden. The
traffic noise on the N1 outside is constant and the blandly comfortable rooms need a fresh coat
of paint, but the pleasant bar-restaurant (breakfast Dh24, set menu Dh106) serves old-
fashioned French cuisine with some Moroccan specialities, all very comforting after a long bus
journey.
The best of the cheap hotels around the bus station, Hôtel Hagounia ( 0528 83 27 83; 9
Ave Mokhtar Soussi; s/d Dh143/190) is friendly and comfortable, if a little musty. Rooms at the
front have balconies, but those at the back are quieter.
You’ll find dozens of cheap cafes and restaurants around the main square and outside the
market.
There are plenty of buses going in all possible directions. The bus station is just off the
Agadir–Tiznit road. The CTM and Supratours offices are nearby, facing each other on Ave
Mokhtar Soussi.
Loads of grands taxis to Essaouira (Dh80, three hours), Tiznit (Dh23, two hours) and
Taroudannt (Dh23, 2½ hours) gather here, as well as less regular taxis for Goulimime (Dh60,
4½ hours) and Tan Tan (Dh80, six hours).
Adding to the organised chaos are regular local buses (Dh8) and grands taxis (Dh5) heading
to Agadir, and to Al-Massira Airport (bus 37).
Souss-Massa National Park
Places like the Souss-Massa National Park are going to become ever more important in
Morocco’s future. The most significant of all the country’s national parks stretches 70km south
of Agadir, a block of over 330 sq km of protected land between the main north–south highway
and the beach. It is a spectacular and wild place of cliffs, sand dunes, farmland, coastal
steppes and forests.
The park was created in 1991 in recognition of its importance as a feeding ground for birds.
Along with the Souss estuary near Inezgane, it has become popular with birdwatchers, although
it is also a great place for walking. The best times to visit are March and April, as well as
October and November.
During the winter, ospreys and large flocks of pochard and other ducks are commonly seen,
as well as greater flamingos. But the biggest attraction is the population of bald ibises. These
birds, revered in ancient Egypt and once widespread in central Europe, North Africa and the
Middle East, are now an endangered species. A few small colonies or breeding pairs have
been found around the eastern Mediterranean, but over half of the world’s total population is