Cap Sim Dunes

South of Essaouira the coast runs into a belt of mobile and semi-fixed dunes several kilometres deep, held in place where they are held at all by juniper, retama and argan, with a lighthouse on the Cap Sim headland at the southern end. The walk or ride down from Diabat along the beach and then inland over the sand is one of the standard half-days out of Essaouira and is done on foot, on horseback from the stables at Diabat, or on quad bikes, which is the noisy option. Beyond the dunes the argan forest starts, and this is the country where goats climb into the trees for the fruit - a real behaviour that is also, along the main roads, staged with tethered animals for photographs, which is worth knowing before paying for the picture. The ruins of the Borj el-Baroud, a fort half-buried in sand near Diabat, are on the same route.

What you actually see

• A dune belt - several kilometres deep, held by juniper, retama and argan.
• The Cap Sim lighthouse - on the headland at the southern end.
• Borj el-Baroud - a fort half-buried in sand on the route from Diabat.
• Argan and goats - the forest inland where the behaviour is genuine, unlike the roadside version.

When to go

April to October. Half a day, walking or riding from Diabat.

Honest expectations

Quad traffic on the dunes is noisy and erodes them. Roadside tree-goat photographs are staged with tethered animals - paying for them keeps it going. There are no facilities on the route. Wind and blown sand are constant.

Nearby

Essaouira is north; Sidi Kaouki is south along the coast.