Tifnit – Ultimate Travel & Surf Guide
Tifnit has some lovely surf spots. Sadly, the town has suffered greatly because of new coastal building projects – it was even bulldozed in 2023/24!
An introduction to Tifnit
Hidden on the largely unexplored coastline south of Agadir, the colorful coast village of Tifnit is a read Moroccan gem.
It’s not amongst the almost world-class that we think lurk in this region. They begin in earnest where the big cliffs of Mirleft offer up pounding right hand points that can rival Anchor on their day.
However, Tifnit is definitely one of the best-protected beach breaks in the region; one that can hold shape even on the largest NW swell pulses in the midwinter.
Come here when it’s triple OH in Taghazout and all the learner beaches there are a maxed-out mess. The inside of the bay might just be offering up its trademark wedges, which have quick, pitching rights mirrored by nice bowly lefts that are playful and downright fun.
In Tifnit you can often be surfing totally alone, at least that’s the case as of the 2024 season. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to the Picadilly Circus lineups around Taghazout.
Sadly, something really bad is afoot in Tifnit. Last we heard, the government had pushed ahead with the threatened demolition of the old homes on the headland citing illegal squatting.
We have no idea if it’s true or not, but from the pictures we’ve seen can say this…
Morocco has just lost one seriously pretty little fishing hamlet come surf town, complete with 80-year-old cave homes and cute Berber kitchens that we’d say had every right to be there since they probably predate any law you can find in any dusty tome someplace.
Much of the town is now rubble and there are rumors that the land that’s been freed up is going to be predictably fobbed off to some international developer for a big hotel.
We’ll boycott that if it ever comes but for now the surf break still rolls in with its neat little A-frames, so it’s worth pulling in here, along with a few more spots up and down the coast.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in Morocco
What’s in this guide to Tifnit?
Where is Tifnit?
Tifnit is around 23km (13 miles) south of the city of Agadir. That’s if you follow the coast, which you can’t because the rolling dunes and argan trees of the Souss-Massa National Park are in the way.
That’s not a prob, though – you can drive on the wide, well-laid N1 highway for 35 minutes to get from the city (or the city’s large international airport) to the beach town.
We would recommend a car here. The driving south of Agadir isn’t busy at all and the roads are relatively new and user-friendly. Having your wheels means you can visit not just TIfnit but also nearby breaks like Mirleft and the ones even further south, where crowds thin out even more.
We recommend renting from CarRentals.com in Morocco, but also in Europe and Asia as we think they are generally very good and have a nice interface to boot…
Tifnit surf spots
iStock.com / Salvador-AznarTifnit is a fantastic little surf spot. It’s got reefs on the outside of the bay that work in pretty much any NW swells but also a protected beach break that’s a top place to retreat to when the massive winter pulses push through and the rest of Morocco is only good for kamikazes.
Here’s a look at all the spots in the town itself and any of note going north and south…
Agadir
Agadir is the gateway to both Tifnit and the much-more-famous surf beaches to the north of the city. It’s got breaks of its own, too and you can even do surf camps here these days.
The best spots are on the north side of town as you travel up to Tamraght. It’s a mix of reefs and beaches that’s good for all levels. We used to worry about the water quality closer to town but it’s really not that bad these days.
We have a full guide to surfing in Agadir that you can read right here
Tifnit Reefs
We like to think of Tifnit as two separate spots. There’s the main beach break, which is where you get the more sheltered waves and then there’s the little shelves of reef that string along the sand to the north of the town.
You can walk to the edge of those and jump right off into the take-off zone for some nice dredgy right handers that only work at low tide.
It’s quite sucky and then down the line sorta stuff but is also a quality wave with 5-8 foot NW in the forecast. Usually where the local guys will be out if it’s working.
Tifnit Beach
Tifnit Beach actually laces the whole of the town (or, at least, what was the town – it’s now mainly rubble and earth) but the bit with the proper beach break shapes is just south of the finger of rock that pokes out in the middle of the village.
It forms a sort of conch shaped bay that means those larger NW swells need to turn in on themselves and refract around before breaking towards the inside of the bay. There can be some seriously fun sessions here on the lefts that break back towards where the village was.
They’re a bit soft and slow but you can ride top to bottom or even crack out the log or mal for some cruising.
Sidi R’bat
There are multiple mellow beach peaks of varying quality stretching down the long golden sands of Sidi R’bat about 50 mins’ drive to the south of Tifnit.
It’s the place to surf completely alone and though it lacks the iconic regional right hander points, the beach breaks are an all-level fun fest.
Will max out in winter and get too windy in summer. Look out for prime conditions: 3-5 foot and E offshores.
Mirleft
Mirleft is a really cracking spot. It’s not been bulldozed into nothing like Tifnit proper and it marks the start of what we’d consider to be the most fantastic run of Moroccan surf shore waiting to be discovered.
The main beach – known as the Grande Plage – has peaks all along, but Rasta Point is the money location. When the tide pushes up that starts firing off beefy rights that are big and sometimes barreling. Lovely hotels and surf camps studding the cliffs above.
(The one downside? It’s hardly close to Tifnit – this is another 1.5 hours in the car at least!).
Read our complete surf and travel guide to Mirleft
Where to stay when surfing in Tifnit?
There’s nowhere to stay in Tifnit itself any more. Pretty much all the good hotels went down with the unceremonious bulldozing of 2024.
Your best bet is to stay in one of the few campsites or villas that line the road on the way into the beach. They’re 5-10 minutes’ drive from the beach but are the only options in the vicinity these days.
- Riad Sahara Sunset Beach Douira Agadir – A bit to the south of Tifnit, this coastal riad has serious vibes and charm. We’d definitely hire a car so you can drive to the surf, which will take 30 mins to an hour but then you’ll return to a gorgeous white-painted stay with cozy rooms and one of the best onsite restaurants we’ve seen.
- Camping la palmeraie Tifnit – This is a pretty good campsite that reminds us of something in Fracne or Spain. It’s well setup for families and couples, offering nice grassy gardens and 2x swimming pools. It’s six mins from the surf and they do cabin rentals, not just tent pitches.
When to visit Tifnit?
The best time to visit TIfnit is during the winter months – that’s between November and March.
That’s when the temperatures are most bearable and the winds are at their weakest, which means the surf tends to be cleaner.
Talking of surf, the winter also brings the most regular, long-fetch groundswell out of the Atlantic down into the Moroccan coast. That’s what works best on the beaches and reefs around Tifnit, making winter also by far the top time to surf here.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
