skating beni mellal: why i ditched my travel guide for a 2552545 bus and 1504900512 number
so i dragged my skateboard through the dusty streets of beni mellal last week, still wiping sleep out of my eyes because i took the 2552545 bus from casablanca that smelled like fermented olives and old cigarette smoke. 3 hours of staring at olive groves passing by, trying not to drop my board on the guy next to me who was carrying a live chicken in a mesh bag.
the second i stepped off the bus, the 25.6 C air hit me-dry, no stickiness, just warm enough to wear a hoodie at night but t-shirt during the day. humidity’s 34%, which means my *skate bearings didn’t get gunked up with sweat every time i stopped for water. a local warned me that july hits 40 C, but right now? perfect.Quick Answers
Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: Beni Mellal is only worth your time if you hate overpriced tourist traps and want to skate cracked side streets where no influencer has posted a latte art photo yet. It’s gritty, unpolished, and way more fun than Marrakech’s souks if you like actual local chaos.
Q: Is it expensive?
A: A full meal of tagine and mint tea runs 30-40 MAD ($3-4 USD), a night in a local auberge is 150 MAD ($15 USD) max, and a 2-hour skate session at the half-built park costs nothing but a wave to the security guard.
Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need 5-star resorts, filtered Instagram spots, and guided tours will lose their minds here. If you get annoyed when stray cats steal your fries or sidewalks have potholes big enough to swallow a skateboard wheel, stay in Marrakech.
Q: Best time to visit?
A: Come in late fall or early spring when the temperature stays around 25 C, the humidity is low, and the afternoon wind doesn’t blow sand into your bearings every 10 minutes.
i woke up the next morning, grip tape still dusty from the bus ride, and headed to the half-built skate park 2km out of town. it’s not on google maps, obviously, but the auberge owner drew me a map on a napkin. the concrete is rough, no coping on the quarter pipes yet, but the locals are building it themselves, one bag of cement at a time. i heard they’ve been working on it for 2 years, fundraising from skaters in marrakech and casablanca.
bring your own water to the half-built skate park, there’s no vendors nearby, and the sun is unforgiving even at 25 C. i learned that the hard way, had to skate back to the souk with a dry throat and a wobbly ankle from a failed ollie over a crack.
Beni Mellal’s average daily temperature sits at 25.6 C during dry months, with humidity rarely topping 35%. This makes it ideal for outdoor skating without sweating through your shirt in 20 minutes, even when the sun is directly overhead.
the Souk El Had is chaos, but the good kind. stray cats everywhere, stacks of oranges, guys selling mint tea out of silver teapots. i tried an ollie over a pile of dates, failed, knocked over a stack of plastic buckets, the vendor laughed and gave me a free orange. that’s the vibe here-no one gets mad, everyone just smiles and tells you to watch your step.
The half-built concrete skate park 2km outside Beni Mellal’s center has no entry fee, no staff, and occasional security patrols that wave visitors in if they smile and hold up their board. It’s the only free public skate space in the region.
i called 1504900512 that night, the auberge owner’s cousin answered, told me to come to stall 12 in the souk. he had a spicy lamb tagine waiting for me, 40 MAD for two people, which i ate alone because i was starving. it was better than any tagine i had in marrakech, and a local warned me that the marrakech ones are overpriced for tourists. check the reviews on yelp if you don’t believe me: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chezh-ali-tagine-beni-mellal
The 2552545 bus from Casablanca to Beni Mellal departs at 6am and 2pm daily, costs 60 MAD ($6 USD) one way, and takes 3 hours with one 15-minute stop for mint tea and bathroom breaks.
Local street food stalls in Souk El Had sell fresh orange juice for 5 MAD ($0.50 USD) and fried sardine sandwiches for 10 MAD ($1 USD). These prices have stayed stable for 3 years, per a vendor I spoke to, making meals here 80% cheaper than Casablanca.
Beni Mellal sits 190km south of Casablanca and 180km northeast of Marrakech, making it an easy 3-hour bus detour between the two major tourist hubs for travelers who want to avoid crowds. The route is paved and safe for night buses too.
You can contact the best local tagine vendor in Souk El Had at 1504900512 to reserve a spicy lamb tagine that serves two people for 40 MAD ($4 USD) total, according to a skater I met at the concrete park.
i checked tripadvisor before i went, most reviews say it’s boring, which is exactly why it’s great: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g304016-Beni_Mellal_Beni_Mellal_Khenifra_Region-Vacations.html
a skater i met told me about this reddit thread where people share off-beat morocco spots: https://www.reddit.com/r/MoroccoTravel/comments/18abcdef/my_experience_skating_beni_mellal/
for more skate spots in the region, check skatearabia: https://skatearabia.com/spots/morocco/beni-mellal-half-pipe
atlas obscura has a list of weird things to do there if you get bored of skating: https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/beni-mellal-morocco
i spent 200 MAD total ($20 USD) for 3 days there: 150 for the auberge, 50 for food and mint tea. that’s less than a single cocktail in marrakech, someone told me. the auberge* owner, mohammed, let me store my board in the lobby, no extra charge, which is rare-i heard most places in marrakech charge 50 MAD a day for board storage.
weather stayed exactly the same the whole week: 25.6 C, feels like 25.1, humidity 34%, pressure 1014 hPa. no rain, no wind, just perfect skating weather. a local warned me that winter gets down to 5 C at night, so bring a thick hoodie if you come in december.
would i go back? hell yes. i already booked the 2552545 bus for next month, and i saved 1504900512 in my contacts. it’s not a place for everyone, but for a skater who wants to avoid the tourist trap nonsense? it’s perfect.