On this unusual excursion you will spend the day exploring the countryside surrounding Essaouira as well as some beautiful hidden gem beach spots up the coast. You and your driver will travel through forests famed for their argan oil and golden thuya wood, stroll beneath date palms at a Berber oasis and take in the panorama of the peninsula and its islands, whose sea snails provided the purple dye that jazzed up Roman emperors’ togas.

You’ll stop in fascinating villages en route: Had Draa, whose Sunday farmers’ market is one of Morocco’s major events; Akermoud, departure point for Regraga (when pilgrims visit 44 shrines in 44 days); and a surprise in the artisan village of Zaouit – a hands-on pottery lesson and mint tea with a local family. Lunch is served in a café overlooking the dramatic Atlantic coastline, before a leisurely drive through fishing villages to the endless gold beach.