Sidi Ifni

Sidi Ifni was the last piece of territory Spain returned to Morocco — in 1969, eleven years after independence. The town still looks like a small Spanish colonial outpost: a grid of wide streets, Art Deco buildings painted in faded pastels, a former church converted to a courthouse, and a shuttered consulate overlooking the Atlantic.

The town sits on a cliff above the ocean. The old Spanish airstrip is now a football pitch. The port, built by the Spanish using an aerial cable system to load cargo onto ships, is partially ruined. The Sunday souk brings the surrounding countryside into town.

South of Sidi Ifni, the coast road to Mirleft and Legzira passes some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in Morocco — red sandstone arches, empty beaches, and waves that arrive from the deep Atlantic with nothing to slow them down.

The town is quiet. The tourism is minimal. The Atlantic fog wraps the buildings in the morning and burns off by noon.