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Guelmim – Springs, Oasis and Beach

There are good little trips out from Goulimine to the hot springs of Abbainou, 15km northeast, and to the oasis of Alt Bekkou, 17km southeast; both offer a pleasant alternative accommodation to a night in Goulimine. So, too, does the auberge-campsite at Fort Bou-Jerif, an old French Foreign Legion post, inland from Plage Blanche – the “White Beach” that stretches for sixty or so kilometers along the coast southwest of Guelmim.

Abbainou

ABBAINOU is a tiny oasis, with a koubba and hot springs, channeled into two bath enclosures – divided according to sex – where you can soak the afternoon away. The womens enclosure (28°C) is very welcoming, though the mens is 10°C hotter! There is mixed bathing in the evenings.

Located 15km northeast of Goulimine, the oasis is an easy excursion if you have transport; if you don’t, you could negotiate a grand taxi (from the main rank by the souk). The French-run Auberge Abainou at the oasis (cv048 87 28 92, 048 77 04 24) has rooms round a courtyard, a restaurant, a bar, and also camping facilities. Guelmim Springs, Oasis and Beach

Ait Bekkou

The largest and most spectacular oasis in the Goulimim area is AIT BEKKOU (or Ait Boukka), 10km southeast along the road to Asrir, then a further 7km on piste. It can be reached by grand taxi from Guelmim (station on
the Asrir road). Alongside there is a hotel built with Kasbah style and decorated, like the hotels Bahieh and Salam in Goulilline, with paintings by Hamid Kahlaoui.

Ait Bekkou is a thriving agricultural community, with an especially lush strip of cultivation along a canal, irrigated from the old riverbed and emerging from a flat expanse of sand.You might even see the odd herd of camels being grazed out here. To reach the canal, head for the thicket of palms about 2km behind the oasis (or pick up a guide on the way).

Fort Bou-Jerif and Plage Blanche

Fort Bou-Jerif is a truly romantic spot, set beside the Oued Assaka, 13km from the sea. It is marked on the Michelin map by a little fort symbol just by the oued. The auberge-campsite here is run by a French couple, Guy and Evy Dreumont. If the attractions of staying at an old French Foreign Legion camp in the middle of nowhere are not enough to entice you, consider that there is also excellent food (camel tajine, no less), and that the Dreumonts offer some superb four-wheel-drive excursions in the area, including, of course, trips to the Plage Blanche. They offer rooms in a “motel” and a “hotel” as well as camping (20dh per person), or a nomadic tent to sleep in if you don’t have your own (30dh per person), plus power points for caravans, and rows of very clean showers (hot water) and toilets. To book ahead, write to them at: Fort Bou ]erif, BP 504,81000 Goulimine, Morocco 04R 87 30 39.

The easiest route to the fort from Guelmim is via the new paved road Lo Assaka (grands taxis do the run from a station on the new Sidi Ifni road), then 6km of piste, which you could probably persuade your grand taxi driver to take you along for a small fee. The fort can, also be approached by car or camper van over 18km of easy piste from Tisseguemane or by Land Rover along the coast from Sidi Ifni. Failing that, you might be able to get a lift from Guy, who comes into town twice a week to pick up groceries from a store at the end of Avenue Hassan II (over the oued from the town, it’s the next grocery store on the left), or rent a Land Rover taxi from the station at the junction of Avenue Hassan II with Avenue el Moukaouama, north of the Hotel Salam.