NomadTrails
I found myself in Taghazout on something of a lark. As I’ve traveled the world for nearly the past decade, I meet people, read blogs, or see an interesting video that mentions some far-off place that you “really must visit.” Sometimes, they rise to the level wherein I actually bookmark them, pin them on Google Maps, or jot down a note in my ever-growing pile of travel tangents.
Taghazout is one of those places for me. I first remember seeing a post on an advertisement for a new hotel that was opening that was perched on the shoreline of an endless beach fading to the horizon. As Hyatt was the owner of this new location, and I, being a collector of their points to redeem for cheap or free stays, threw a little pin on my Google Maps for another day, then promptly forgot about this little wayward town.
So when I started to map out where I wanted to visit for 2023 and decided on spending a month in Morocco, I fired up Maps to see if I had anything marked that I should loop into an itinerary. Of course, there were the standards like Marrakech, Fes, and Chefchaoun – the blue city. But then I noticed the little gold star far to the south, nearly to the edge of the expansive red desert sands, crashing into the Atlantic.
My trip was going to coincide with my birthday, and what better time to splash out on that unique hotel than marking my 39th trip around the sun? Even luckier still, the hotel is downright affordable compared to anything in Europe or North America and much more luxe than my usual fare of hostels and inns. I chose to book a few nights in town at a chill backpacker hostel, Amayour Surf, ease into my first few days in Morocco and then stay three nights at the Hyatt Regency Taghazout Bay.
The Berber village of Taghazout is sleepy on most days but has steadily grown as a tourist stop with its arrival in the 1960s as a surf culture destination. This brings me, in winding fashion, back to the point of this story – my daily running route during my stay.
From Taghazout village at the far north end of the beach, the hard pack sand runs nearly 5km south-southeast to a smaller rocky headland before the start of the next beach, Tamraght Beach. You can run on the shore, but I preferred running along the well-maintained multi-use path that snakes between the sand and the resorts south of the village.
My hotel was just about perfectly centered in the middle of the beach, making for a nice 10km loop to run every day or two. If you decide to run on the beach, check the tide tables, as the best firm sand is only reachable at low tide! I would not suggest running onto Tamraght Beach as the paved path is in rough condition before it ends in a pedestrian-unfriendly area, and the beach sand is very soft and filled with large stones. Due to the climate, I highly suggest sun protection and running with a hydration pack or water bottle.
