Banana Village Souk: our very own 'souk-er market'.

Just south of Tamraght, on the road back to Agadir (Agadir is the name of the airport you fly into when you’re coming to Tamraght) is the vibrant village of Aourir.
Fondly known as Banana Village because of the colourful, sweet-to-the-taste and locally-sourced bananas that are sold on roadside stands, Aourir is a go-to destination for locals and tourists alike to pick up every day bits and bobs, fresh fish, meat, veggies and to use the ATMs (for neighbouring villages Tamraght and Taghazout, Banana Village is the closest place to get out cash).

On most days you’ll see people catching up on the mural heavy streets, push bikes weaving betweens cars and of course, lots of street animals, so it’s safe to say on a day-to-day basis Aourir is brimming with life and on Wednesdays, something a little extra comes to town with the arrival of the weekly Souk.

Souk is Arabic for market and from dawn till dusk people from all over the area travel,  sometimes for hours, to come and buy everything they need for the week. Unlike souks in Marrakech and Agadir, the Banana Village souk is not designed for tourists. Yes, you’ll get a spattering of visitors coming to have a look around and make the most of the brilliant bargains on fresh food, rugs and traditional Moroccan silver jewellery, but mostly this market is run by and for local people and man… is it cheap!

Laugh in the face of supermarket prices and dine out on 2 kgs of avocados for €2, tubs of fresh olives for under €1 and all the dates, figs, legumes and veggies you could shake a stick at. Marvel at the mountains of fresh spices and get your second hand clothing fix with piles and piles of thriftshop-esque clothes for sale where you can get high street bargains for just a couple of Moroccan Dirham (€1- €3). If it’s souvenirs you want, then it’s souvenirs you’ll get… check out the beautiful traditional Moroccan textile, basket, shoe and craft stands, which are, to be honest, a little pricier catering more towards tourist budgets.

Banana Village’s souk is vast and if you’re spending some serious time in the area, you might want to stock up on a full week’s worth of food and with the help of the local ‘trolly guys’ who, for just 6 dirham (60c), cart around your shopping as well as packing it all into the car. You can also buy cheap, reusable bags and as Morocco has recently banned ALL plastic bags [2017] hooray! They’re really useful, even just for everyday use and exploring.

​Every Wednesday you’ll find Sophie and the team at the Banana Village souk, buying all the ingredients they need to cook up the delicious and healthy storms our guests chow down on. Everything in the souk is organic and locally-sourced and whether we’re on the hunt for tasty breakfast treats or ‘tagine-y’ goodness you can be sure, it’s fresh and straight from there.

As a part of our ‘Moroccan Cooking Experience’, we take you to the souk with us to learn from the best - our brilliant chef Fatima, to watch serious haggling in action, the selection of the best produce and the gathering of traditional Moroccan ingredients to take home with you and learn how to cook your very own tagine recipe.

Moroccan cooking experience

Where: Banana Village/Aourir - just off the main roundabout (just follow the crowds)
When: Every Wednesday from 8am until late in the afternoon (when the veggies run out)
What: Fruit, veggies, spices, legumes, textiles, jewellery, clothes, shoes, toiletries and cleaning products.
Top tip: Head to the souk after your morning surf/yoga session and grab afternoon bargains at the end of the day. Sellers would have had a whole day of trading and will be far more flexible on prices - so get your haggling skills READY!