Best Surf Towns

Taghazout, Morocco, is a surfing oasis in the middle of a long, rugged coastline that is inundated with waves. This ancient Berber encampment became an outpost for European adventurers trekking into southern Morocco in the 1960s. And throughout that same period, surfers “discovered” the region and set up shop in Taghazout. Today, there are a lot of French and Spanish surfers mingling with the native Moroccans and Berbers in what still feels like a frontier town on the edge of the desert. The waves are almost always long-period ground swells—which means great shape and plenty of power—and the winds consistently blow offshore.

Beginners should start at beaches like Panoramas or Crocodiles and work their way up to the point breaks, which are considered among the best in the world. To sample the crème de la crème, go for a surf at Anchor Point or Killer Point and learn why surfers often describe the waves there as “freight trains.”