Atlantic Coast
Beaches
Architecture
Birdwatching
BEACHES
This stretch encompasses the aptly named Paradise Beach, a carriage-ride from Assilah, and
Sidi Kaouki, a top surfing and windsurfing spot. In between, Tamara and Haouzia beaches are
near Rabat and Casablanca, and chic Oualidia has a sand-fringed lagoon.
ARCHITECTURE
Gems include Essaouira and El-Jadida, fortified seaside towns with wave-lashed ramparts.
Hispano-Moorish Larache recalls its two spells under Spanish rule and murals decorate nearby
Assilah’s medina. Mauresque beauties are found in Casablanca, along with the world’s third-
largest mosque, and Rabat.
BIRDWATCHING
Beaches and coastal wetlands offer excellent birdwatching, particularly around Moulay
Bousselham: Merja Zerga (Blue Lagoon) attracts thousands of birds. Lac de Sidi Bourhaba is
one of the last places to see large numbers of marbled ducks.
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Mediterranean Coast & the Rif
Beaches
National Parks
Trekking
BEACHES
From beaches near Tangier – such as bracing Plage Robinson, where you might feel like its
shipwrecked namesake – the Mediterranean coast ripples east. Top beaches include Oued
Laou, Cala Iris, Al-Hoceima and Saídia, all unruffled in comparison with Europe’s Mediterranean
beaches.
NATIONAL PARKS
Two stunning national parks offer the best of the region’s coastline and mountains.
Talassemtane National Park encompasses green mountains, tiny villages, an eco-museum and
the God’s Bridge rock formation; and the National Park of Al-Hoceima’s great mesas, dry
canyons and thuya forests lead to limestone sea cliffs.