VISAS: Visas are not generally required for stays up to 90 days. More information can be found in this guide. CURRENCY: MAD (Moroccan Dirham), EUR PRICES: Beer: €1-2 Food: Lunch €10-25 Accommodation: €10-80 pp Kite Lessons: 2H €64 Kite Gear rental: €35 per hour LANGUAGE: French, Arabic and Spanish INTERNET: Offered in most accommodations, but the signal can be weak. We recommended getting a Local SIM card. TRAVEL ADVICE: Don’t bring your drone to Morocco unless you have a special permit, it will be seized at the airport, and you will be fined. Moroccan Dirham is a closed currency therefore, you can only exchange in Morocco. Make sure that if you want to exchange some leftover bills, you do it before you go through security in the airport when leaving the country. Check this Lonely Planet guide for detailed health and insurance advise while traveling to Essaouira, Morocco. TEMPERATURE: Water temperatures range from 15 – 22°C / 59 - 71°F depending on the season, so a light 3/2 wetsuit is required most of the year. For the windy days, a windbreaker jacket and for the winter months a 4/3 wetsuit is recommended.

NEAREST TOWN: Essaouira NEAREST CITY: Marrakech NEAREST AIRPORT: Essaouira [ESU], Marrakesh [RAK] or Agadir [AGA] Essaouira airport is only 16km away from the old town, and taxis or buses to the town are very easy to find. Taxi will cost around €25 (ask your accommdation to organis it for y and the bus is less than €3 per person. Transfer time from Marrakesh is 2,5h and Agadir 3h, request your accommodation provider to organise you reputable transfer (please note that transfer can cost you around €70 - €100+ each way). For a more cost-effective option, you can get a bus (Supratours) or rent a car. GETTING AROUND: Everything is effortless to reach by foot in Essaouira, to get to kite Beach from Medina is only 10 min walk. If you want to explore the surrounding area a bit further, then a rental car would be a good option.

Essaouira is called ‘the city of the wind’ for a reason. The North - East trade winds Charkhi, bringing strong cross-on-shore/cross shore winds to Essaouira almost all year round. In the summer season, March to November and especially July to September the hot climate adds to the wind, and it can increase up to 30+ knots. The rest of the year there are often winds that come mostly from the south-west, creating some days that the wind may not be as predictable and slightly more cross-offshore but never the less still windy. Winter also brings some epic swells for surfers and wave riders. Generally, wind can be slightly more off-shore in the mornings, swinging and gradually increasing throughout the day and getting stronger in the afternoon. The wind can feel gusty as it is increasing, also depending on your position at the bay, due to the wind coming over town some areas are gustier than others. The average wind speed is 15 to 25 knots, but the thermal wind can add to the wind forecast by 5+ knots; therefore bigger kites will be used in the morning and the smaller size ones in the afternoon. If you are there in the summer and for wave riding smaller 7m or 9m kites will be used the most. For the winter months, occasional 12m days are expected. The air temperature can reach 27°C / 80°F and more in the summer months and can drop to 11-20°C / 51-68°F in the early season. There is plenty of sunshine all year round, and the weather is warm, but it is called ‘Windy city’ for a reason and a sweater/jacket and a beanie will come in handy at any time of the year especially after sunset. WIND DIRECTIONS: N, NE, S, SW WINDIEST MONTHS: High Season: May, June, July, August, September, October. Mid Season: March, April, November.

There are no such rules, just a common sense - the main kite beach area is relatively large, sandy beach, no strong currents or rocks at the beach, therefore, the usual precautions when launching and landing the kite should be considered. Avoid kitesurfing near the town (the right side of the lagoon) as the winds are gusty and you can find hidden large rocks in the water. There are no such hard obstacles at the beach, but be aware of the horse and camel tours and the general population of tourists and locals at the beach, try to set up your equipment out of their way. *If you need kite related service like kite repairs, lessons or beach assistance please contact with the locally operating kite centre or camp. ** We always recommend seeking additional knowledge about the spot from local kite school or qualified instructors.