If you’re going for a dip, be aware that
the Atlantic rollers can hide some
fearsome riptides, and once you’re in
the waters there’s nothing between
you and the Americas (or at best, the
Canary Islands).Natural Wonders
MOROCCO’S DRAMATIC CHANGES OF SCENERY
Many people picture Morocco as one big oasis surrounded by sand, so the geographical
variety of the country comes as a surprise. A day’s journey can take you from breezy, silken-
sand Atlantic beaches through a patchwork of rich farmland in the plains, past the snowy crags
of the High Atlas Mountains, and into a barren, rocky stretch of desert. Everywhere, you’ll spot
people tending to this extraordinary land, harvesting barley on tiny stone-walled terraces hewn
from cliffsides, tending to ancient argan trees and olive groves, or leading their flocks of sheep
to faraway mountain pastures to avoid valley deforestation. Half of all Moroccans still live in
rural areas, and their careful management of local resources brings life even to desolate
stretches of terrain, making the scenery all the more remarkable.
Coastline
When the Umayyads arrived in Morocco, they rode their horses onto Atlantic beaches and
dubbed the country Al-Maghreb (where the sun sets), knowing that the sea marked the
westernmost limit of their conquests. The coast has played a central role in Moroccan history,
from the Barbary pirates to the Allied landings of WWII, but it’s learning to relax: King
Mohammed VI’s Azur Plan is currently developing stretches of Moroccan coastline into shiny
new tourist hubs, complete with holiday villas, beach resorts and golf courses. Luckily for
nature lovers, there’s still pristine coastline in between, with rare shorebirds and cliff’s-edge
vistas.
Fishing and international trade have defined the Atlantic
coastal economy ever since the Phoenicians and Romans
established their port at Lixus. But the Atlantic also has its wild
side, with raw, rocky beaches around whitewashed Assilah,
and wetland habitats, like the lagoon of Merja Zerga National
Park, attracting flamingos and rare African wildfowl. South of
Casablanca are the ports of Oualidia and Essaouira, former
pirate’s coves where rare wildlife still flourishes and Morocco’s
best seafood is served at the port. South of the commercialised boardwalks of Agadir, resort
beaches empty into great sandy expanses stretching through Western Sahara to Mauritania.
Morocco’s southern Atlantic Coast has recently reprised its notorious pirate ways, smuggling
sub-Saharan African immigrants to the Canary Islands.
IMPROVING YOUR GOLF GAME IN MOROCCO
Golf courses have become a royal nuisance in Morocco, and not just because of the killer sand traps. Given how much water
and chemical fertiliser it takes to keep a fairway green in the desert, courses built by Pasha Glaoui and King Hassan II are a
strain on Morocco’s environment – not to mention private golf courses recently built outside Marrakesh, and others in theTop of section