BEACHBEACHBEACHNATURE RESERVEHassan in Rabat or from the main gate of the Salé medina.
Temara Plage
There are beautiful beaches close to Rabat, such as the wild and sandy Temara Plage, 13km
southwest of the city, popular with surfers and sunbathers alike. It can be reached on bus 17
from Bab al-Had in Rabat.
Plage des Nations
The clean, sandy strip of beach at Plage des Nations, 17km north of Rabat, is a popular spot
with Rabat locals. It gets some serious wave action, good for surfers, but the currents can be
dangerous for swimming.
Above the beach, the Hôtel Firdaous ( 0537 82 21 31; www.hotelfird.com; r Dh600; )
is remarkable for its original ’70s decor. The peeling paint, rusty radiators and threadbare
carpets are only just mitigated by rooms with ocean views and new bathrooms. Book in
advance to have any chance of a room in summer.
To get to the beach, drive north as far as the Musée Belghazi and turn left down a road
known as Sidi Bouknadel. Bus 9 or 48 from Rabat or Salé will drop you at the turn off, from
where it’s a 2km walk to the beach past huge developments of holiday apartments.
Mehdiya Plage
Further north along the coast, 50km from Rabat, is another strip of beach lined with holiday
homes and beach bars, but here again the currents are dangerous for swimmers. It gets busy
with day trippers in summer but is deserted for the rest of the year. There are regular trains
from Rabat to Kenitra, from where you take bus 9 or 15 to Mehdiya. Both of these buses (Dh6)
and grands taxis (Dh10) leave from the corner of Rue du Souk el-Baladia and Ave Mohammed
Diouri in Kenitra.
Lac de Sidi Bourhaba
Inland from Mehdiya is the beautiful freshwater Lac de Sidi Bourhaba, part of a larger
protected wetland reserve. As a refuelling stop for thousands of birds migrating between
Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, the lake provides some of the best birdwatching in the country,
especially between October and March. It’s also a great place for gentle hiking, with well-
appointed walking trails in the forested hills around the lake.
More than 200 species of birds have been spotted here and many choose to winter or nest
here – among them a number of rare or endangered species. This is one of the last places on
earth where you can still see large numbers of marbled ducks, distinguished by the dark patch
around their eyes. Other birds to look out for include the beautiful marsh owl (seen most often
at dusk), the crested coot, black-shouldered kite and greater flamingo.
The information centre ( 0537 74 72 09; noon-4pm Sat & Sun) on the northern side of
the lake is useful but has limited opening hours.
To get to the lake follow the signposts from the beach road to Mehdiya Plage, 300m past the
Cafe Restaurant Belle Vue. If you’re on foot, the lake is a 3.3km walk from the turn-off.