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From Imi Ouaddar, 5 hours
- On the dunes
- 2.5 hours
- Rating
- 4.61
- Price
- from $18
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Guide · Timlalin dunes
Sandboarding in Agadir: the Timlalin dunes by the ocean
Sandboarding in Agadir mostly means a drive north to the Timlalin dunes, where pale sand drops toward the Atlantic. Here is where they are, how the trips run and which one fits you.
Check availabilityfrom $18 · cancellation is free
Editorial team, sandboardingmorocco.comUpdated October 26, 20267 min read21 sources
The short version
- 01Where
- North of Tamri, about 50 km from Agadir in a straight line.1
- 02Getting there
- Trips list 70 minutes by van from the pickup towns.
- 03Time on the sand
- From 100 minutes to 4 hours, by listing.
- 04Price
- The cheapest Timlalin trip here starts from $18.
- 05Not the same as
- Sidi Toual Beach, where the quad outings go south of Agadir.
Where the Timlalin dunes are
Ask for sandboarding in Agadir and the answer is usually a place you cannot see from the city: the Timlalin dunes, a field of pale sand that sits right above the ocean on the coast north of Tamri. By our own calculation from the coordinates in a trip listing and the Agadir weather station, the dunes lie about 50 km north of Agadir in a straight line.1 From the surf village of Taghazout the same calculation gives about 27 km.2
Nothing official describes them. We found no page from the Moroccan tourist office or the regional authorities that names the Timlalin dunes, gives their height or sets rules for riding them, and we will not invent those numbers for you. What we can show is what the trip listings record: the stop is called the Timlalin Dunes, or Timlaline, and its pin in one listing sits at 30.764 N, 9.825 W.
The setting explains the appeal. Agadir lies on a plain 10 km north of the mouth of the Sous valley, between the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas, inside a UNESCO biosphere reserve that opens onto the Atlantic.34 Drive north past the surf beaches and the coast turns into cliffs, coves and then sand, with the sea on one side and dry hills on the other. You ride a dune and look straight out at the waves.
One afternoon
A Timlalin trip with lunch, stop by stop
-
Pickup
Agadir to Taghazout
Four pickup towns, then 40 minutes by car.
-
First stop
Plage Aghroud
15 minutes on the beach before the dunes.
-
Afternoon
The Timlalin dunes
2 hours of sandboarding, a guided walk and the sunset.
-
Evening
Tea in Tamri
40 minutes for tea and lunch in the village.
-
Return
Back to your hotel
70 minutes by car to the drop-off.
How a half-day trip to Timlalin runs
Almost every Timlalin trip follows the same pattern. A van collects you in Agadir, Taghazout, Tamraght, Anza or Imi Ouaddar, drives north along the coast road, and spends the core of the afternoon on the sand before bringing you back after sunset. The most reviewed trip here lists 70 minutes by van out, 2.5 hours at the dunes with sandboarding, free time and the sunset, and 1 hour back to Imi Ouaddar.
Some trips break the drive. Three 5-hour listings stop 15 minutes at Plage Aghroud after 40 minutes in the car, then drive 25 minutes more to the dunes. One of them adds 40 minutes in Tamri for tea and lunch after 2 hours on the sand, and gives 70 minutes for the ride home.
The sunset is part of the plan. Almost all of these listings name it among the activities, which also means you return in the dark. Ask your driver for the pickup time the day before, keep your phone charged for the call from the lobby, and if you are staying in Agadir rather than Taghazout, accept that you will spend real time in the van for a few hours on the dunes.
Time on the sand
Hours at the Timlalin dunes, by listing
hours
Side by side
Six Timlalin trips compared
| Trip | Pickup | Extra | Reviews | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert & canyon trip | Imi Ouaddar | Sunset | 1,090 | from $18 |
| Guided board & canyon | 4 towns | Canyon | 734 | from $30 |
| Half day from Taghazout | Taghazout | Canyon | 503 | from $24 |
| Board with lunch | 4 towns | Tamri lunch | 99 | from $41 |
| Camel & barbecue | 4 towns | Camel ride | 92 | from $61 |
| Quad & board | 5 towns | Quad, dinner | 53 | from $18 |
Pickup towns, extras and review counts as each GetYourGuide listing gives them; prices are from-prices only.
Three ways to ride Timlalin
Budget, guided or with lunch
Most reviewed
Wide pickup
Top ratedDecision helper
Which Timlalin trip suits you?
Pick the line that sounds most like you
Imi Ouaddar trip
It starts from $18 and has the most reviews here.
Half day from Taghazout
It picks up in Taghazout and lists 100 minutes on the dunes.
Board with lunch
Up to 15 people, with 40 minutes in Tamri for tea and lunch.
Camel & barbecue
It lists a camel ride and 3 hours at the dunes.
Sidi Toual outing
The site tour combines a quad ride and sandboarding south of Agadir.
When this depositional slope is steepened to the angle of repose of dry sand (about 32°), this angle is maintained and the added sand slips down the slope or slip face.
What sandboarding on a dune feels like
A sandboard looks like a snowboard, but the sand never lets you forget the difference. You walk up the soft slope with the board under your arm, take a breath on the crest, and drop onto the steep face where the wind has piled sand on the downwind side. That face is the slip face, and Britannica gives its steepness as the angle of repose of dry sand, about 32 degrees.5 It is steep enough to feel fast and soft enough to forgive a fall.
Most first rides are made sitting or lying down, which takes no skill at all and is still a rush. Standing up takes a few tries: weight back, knees bent, arms out, and a gentle lean to turn. The US National Park Service, which manages a famous dune park, warns that sliding head first raises the risk of injury, and the same advice holds in Morocco: lie with your feet downhill.6
The climb is the price you pay. There is no lift on a dune, and each run means walking back up in loose sand. Pace yourself, take fewer and better runs, and keep some energy for the last light. Ask for wax if the board feels sticky: the Park Service notes that boards made for sand rely on a slick base and special wax.7
Map
Where the sandboarding dunes are in Morocco
First the whole country from the Atlantic to Erg Chebbi, then the coast north and south of Agadir, then the shore below Essaouira.
1Marrakech2Agadir3Essaouira4Timlalin dunes5Erg Chebbi
2Agadir6Inezgane7Taghazout8Tamraght9Imi Ouaddar10Aghroud11Tamri4Timlalin dunes12Sidi Toual13Tifnit
3Essaouira14Diabat15El Ghazoua16Sidi Kaouki
- 1Marrakech
The red city on the Haouz Plain, about 200 km from Agadir in a straight line; its medina is a World Heritage site since 1985.89
In Google Maps ↗ - 2Agadir
The Atlantic port 10 km north of the mouth of the Sous valley, rebuilt after the earthquakes of 1960.310
In Google Maps ↗ - 3Essaouira
A port founded in 1765, with sand dunes on its land side and an ocean breeze that brings windsurfers.111213
In Google Maps ↗ - 4Timlalin dunes
The dunes by the ocean north of Tamri, about 50 km from Agadir in a straight line; several half-day sandboarding trips stop here.1
In Google Maps ↗ - 5Erg Chebbi
The sand sea near Merzouga, with star dunes over 100 m high, about 385 km from Marrakech as the crow flies.1415
In Google Maps ↗ - 6Inezgane
Where the Agadir Inezgane weather station stands, 23 m above sea level; our climate tables are its normals.16
In Google Maps ↗ - 7Taghazout
The surf village about 27 km by straight line from the Timlalin dunes; one canyon and sandboarding trip picks up here.2
In Google Maps ↗ - 8Tamraght
One of four pickup points of the guided sandboarding trip with a canyon visit.
In Google Maps ↗ - 9Imi Ouaddar
The pickup point of the 5-hour trip to the Timlalin dunes, 70 minutes away by van.
In Google Maps ↗ - 10Aghroud
Several Timlalin trips stop 15 minutes at Plage Aghroud on the way north.
In Google Maps ↗ - 11Tamri
The village where one trip stops 40 minutes for tea and lunch after the dunes.
In Google Maps ↗ - 12Sidi Toual
The beach where the site's quad and sandboarding outing spends its 2 hours, 45 minutes by van from Agadir.
In Google Maps ↗ - 13Tifnit
One quad outing from Agadir and Taghazout rides here, 45 minutes from Agadir by van.
In Google Maps ↗ - 14Diabat
A village on the shore just south of Essaouira, on the side of town where the sand dunes begin.12
In Google Maps ↗ - 15El Ghazoua
A village inland from the Essaouira dunes, among the dunes and argan country behind the coast.12
In Google Maps ↗ - 16Sidi Kaouki
One of two pickup points of the Essaouira sandboarding outing with a sunset picnic.
In Google Maps ↗
Checklist
For an afternoon on the dunes
01
Wear
- Sunglasses or goggles against blowing sand
- Closed shoes, or bare feet on warm sand
- A light layer for the drive back after sunset
02
Bring
- Water for the climbs
- Sunscreen and a hat or scarf
- A zipped pocket for your phone
03
Before you book
- Check your pickup town and time
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
- Read the latest reviews before you pay
Cost calculator
Price a Timlalin afternoon for your group
Enter your group size to compare four trips to the dunes.
People
Total from$35
per person from $18
Check availabilityfree cancellationYour group size multiplied by each GetYourGuide from-price, then converted with the ECB rate of the day; checkout has the exact total.
Video
Riding camels, sandboarding and exploring the Timlalin sand dunes in Morocco
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Wind, sand and the time of day
Wind shapes everything here. The World Meteorological Organization station at Agadir Inezgane counts 174.6 days a year with wind of 10 m/s or more, with the most in May at 20.5 and the fewest in December at 9.7.17 Strong wind lifts sand into your eyes on the crest and fills your clothes, which is why goggles or sunglasses earn their place in your bag.
Wind also moves the dunes. Britannica gives an example of how fast sand starts to travel as wind picks up: 13 grams per hour at 10 km/h, 274 grams at 20 km/h and 1,179 grams at 30 km/h.18 On a breezy afternoon you will see that happening at the crest, a thin stream of sand blowing off the edge, and the slope you rode an hour ago may already look smoother.
Dry sand is your friend. Rain hardens the surface, and the Park Service counts more injuries on sand made firm by rain or snowmelt; loose, dry sand cushions a tumble.19 Agadir sees little rain from May to September, with 0.2 mm in July on the long-term average, and its wettest month is December with 49.0 mm.20 After a rare shower, ride the gentler slopes first.
Canyons, camels and other add-ons
Many Timlalin trips pair the dunes with something else. Several listings are sold as a canyon visit plus sandboarding, and the guided trip from Tamraght, Taghazout, Anza and Agadir names a canyon visit in its title while its itinerary lists 100 minutes at the dunes. Another canyon trip lists the Sinec canyon with sandboarding as an option and a visit to Akgroud village among its highlights.
Camels come next. One trip of 5 hours adds a camel ride and a barbecue, with 3 hours at the dunes and a sunset, and it is rated 4.91 from 92 reviews. A cheaper listing pairs a sunset camel ride with sandboarding and names the Timlaline dunes among its highlights; it carries 279 reviews and a 4.28 rating. The difference in rating is a reason to read the recent reviews before you choose.
Quads are the third option. A 4-hour listing from Taghazout combines a quad ride, sandboarding, tea, dinner and the sunset at the Timlaline sand dunes, with 4 hours on site. It is the longest time on the sand of the trips we compared, but also the lowest rated of the six in our table, at 4.44 from 53 reviews. If quads are your main interest, the beach rides south of Agadir are a separate world, covered on our quad page.
Timlalin or Sidi Toual: two different places
Do not confuse the two dune areas sold from Agadir. The site's own tour, a 4-hour quad and sandboarding outing, drives 45 minutes south to Sidi Toual Beach and spends 2 hours there with a safety briefing, the quad ride, sandboarding and tea. That beach lies about 15 km from the Agadir station in a straight line, south-west of the city, in the opposite direction from Timlalin.21
Which one suits you depends on what you want most. Sidi Toual outings are built around the quad, with sandboarding on the dunes behind the beach as part of the same session. Timlalin trips are built around the board and the view, with more time standing on a crest and a sunset over the water, but they involve a longer drive from Agadir and usually no driving of your own.
If you are based in Agadir with children, the short transfer to Sidi Toual is easier on a family. Children under 16 ride as passengers with an adult on the quad there, and children under 3 are not allowed. If you are staying in Taghazout or Tamraght and care most about the board, Timlalin is the natural pick.
Choosing your Timlalin trip
Start with your pickup point. The 5-hour trip that leaves from Imi Ouaddar is the most reviewed here, with 1,090 reviews and a 4.61 rating, from $18. The guided trip with four pickup towns has 734 reviews, a 4.63 rating and starts from $30. Both run with live guides in English and French.
Then decide how much you want around the dunes. The trip with lunch in Tamri is a small group of up to 15, rated 4.92 from 99 reviews and starting from $41. It needs good weather and a minimum number of travelers; if either fails, you can switch to a new date or take your money back. The camel and barbecue trip is the priciest of the group, from $61.
Whichever you book, free cancellation up to 24 hours before is listed on all of these trips, which lets you book ahead and still pull out when a windy or wet forecast comes in. Bring water, a scarf for the wind, sunglasses and closed shoes or bare feet you do not mind filling with warm sand.
Your dune outing
Quad, board and tea in 4 hours.
Pick a date, get collected at your Agadir hotel, and cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
You ask,we answer.
Where do you go sandboarding near Agadir?
Mostly the Timlalin dunes. They lie north of Tamri, about 50 km from Agadir in a straight line by our calculation.1
How long is the drive from Agadir to Timlalin?
About 70 minutes by van. Trips list 70 minutes out; one lists 1 hour back to Imi Ouaddar.
How much time do you get on the dunes?
From 100 minutes to 4 hours. The guided trip lists 100 minutes, the Taghazout quad trip 4 hours at the dunes.
Is sandboarding at Timlalin good for beginners?
Yes, if you start sitting down. Riding seated or lying feet first is easy; the Park Service warns against going head first.6
Is the site tour at Sidi Toual the same as Timlalin?
No, it is south of Agadir. The quad and sandboarding outing spends 2 hours at Sidi Toual Beach, about 15 km from the Agadir station in a straight line.21
Which month is windiest for the dunes?
May, on long-term averages. In May, Agadir Inezgane logs 20.5 days on which the wind reaches 10 m/s or more.17
Can I cancel a Timlalin trip if the weather turns?
Yes, up to 24 hours before. The trips compared here list free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Sources
The sources for this guide
- 1World Meteorological Organization (Climate Normals 1991-2020, archived by the US National Centers for Environmental Information)Single station data sheet: AGADIR INEZGANNE, WMO 60250↩
- 2World Meteorological Organization (Climate Normals 1991-2020, archived by the US National Centers for Environmental Information)Single station data sheet: AGADIR INEZGANNE, WMO 60250↩
- 3Encyclopaedia BritannicaAgadir↩
- 4UNESCO Man and the Biosphere ProgrammeArganeraie Biosphere Reserve↩
- 5Encyclopaedia BritannicaSand dune↩
- 6US National Park ServiceWhite Sands National Park: Sledding↩
- 7US National Park ServiceGreat Sand Dunes: Sandboarding and Sand Sledding↩
- 8World Meteorological Organization (Climate Normals 1991-2020, archived by the US National Centers for Environmental Information)Single station data sheet: MARRAKECH, WMO 60230↩
- 9Encyclopaedia BritannicaMarrakech↩
- 10Encyclopaedia BritannicaAgadir↩
- 11Encyclopaedia BritannicaEssaouira↩
- 12Encyclopaedia BritannicaEssaouira↩
- 13Encyclopaedia BritannicaEssaouira↩
- 14NASA Photojournal (NASA/JPL, Terra ASTER)Star Dunes, Morocco (PIA26287)↩
- 15World Meteorological Organization (Climate Normals 1991-2020, archived by the US National Centers for Environmental Information)Single station data sheet: MARRAKECH, WMO 60230↩
- 16World Meteorological Organization (Climate Normals 1991-2020, archived by the US National Centers for Environmental Information)Single station data sheet: AGADIR INEZGANNE, WMO 60250↩
- 17World Meteorological Organization (Climate Normals 1991-2020, archived by the US National Centers for Environmental Information)Single station data sheet: AGADIR INEZGANNE, WMO 60250↩
- 18Encyclopaedia BritannicaSand dune↩
- 19US National Park ServiceGreat Sand Dunes: Sandboarding and Sand Sledding↩
- 20World Meteorological Organization (Climate Normals 1991-2020, archived by the US National Centers for Environmental Information)Single station data sheet: AGADIR INEZGANNE, WMO 60250↩
- 21World Meteorological Organization (Climate Normals 1991-2020, archived by the US National Centers for Environmental Information)Single station data sheet: AGADIR INEZGANNE, WMO 60250↩
