One of the most unlikely towns in Morocco, Sidi Ifni was, until 1969, Spainish territory and known principally to stamp collectors. Today, for much of the year, it is a quiet port town with a distinctive Iberian feel, and some unusual buildings in the art deco/neo-kasbah vein, many of them beginning to crumble. Surfers have a number of spots nearby, while camper vans line the town beach in winter, escaping the cold weather further north. In July and August, Sidi Ifni fills up with returning migrant workers and occasional sea mist. Though it can feel like more of a ghost town than its upwardly mobile neighbour Mirleft, there are early signs of European money also arriving in Sidi Ifni and there is an increasing choice of good places to stay and eat.
Sidi Ifni was occupied by the Spanish from 1476 to 1524, and again from 1860, as a consequence of the Treaty of Tetouan. The towns was always an enclave, surrounded by Morocco from 1860 to 1912 and from 1956 to 1969, and between 1912 and 1956 by the French Protectorate. The town had a port and an airstrip, and a role as a duty free zone. The economic survival of the town was based on the fact that the border was open to trade. In the 1960s Morocco grew tired of the continuing Spanish presence, and forced Spain into negotiations from 1966. The enclave was returned in 1969.
There are no direct buses south – head to Tiznit, from where there are more options. There’s a daily bus to Marrakech which leaves from halfway down Av Mohammed V in the early hours of the morning. You can buy your tickets from a man who sets up on the pavement the evening before.
Taxi
Regular grands taxis between Sidi Ifni and either Tiznit (18dh) or Goulimine (16dh), as well as daily buses which leave from opposite Banque Populaire, to Agadir and Tiznit (16dh, 2½ hrs). From Sidi Ifni there is a rough piste southwards to Foum Assaka. This crosses 2 large oueds, neither of which can be forded after heavy rain.
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