-	All photographs of By boat

If your planning on travelling around Morocco before visiting Essaouira, this may be the best option for you. There are numerous boats crossing the straits between Spain and Africa every day. They operate from the Andalucian ports of Algeciras, Malaga, Almeria and Tarifa, crossing over to Tangiers, Nador, Ceuta and Melilla. From here, you can hire a car and go sightseeing before arriving at Essaouira.

Our favourite route is via Essaouira's "sister" city, Tarifa. The two are very similar in terms of the wind n wave culture and their beautiful Andalusian streets.

From Tarifa, there are spectauclar views out over the African continent. Tangiers is actually the closest city to the "wind capital". It's just 14 kilometres away.

From Tarifa to Tangiers takes only 35 minuetes on the fast ferry. There are eight daily departures from Tarifa. From Algeciras, there are only two sailings and it takes longer; about 70 minuetes.

The tickets cost around 27 euros, but if you want to take your car, it will cost between 75 and 125 euros depending on the size. A bike will cost you 16 euros and a moped costs 25.

You won't have to reserve tickets in advance. The sailings are very frequent and there are always plenty of seats.