Migrating birds
Ducks, geese, flamingos.
Jalou111 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ahmed Krid — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ahmed Krid — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ahmed Krid — CC BY-SA 4.0
A wide lake and marshes beneath the lone mountain of Jebel Ichkeul in northern Tunisia near Bizerte. It is one of the Mediterranean's key stopovers for migrating birds, and every winter hundreds of thousands of ducks, geese, storks and pink flamingos rest here. The lake was a hunting reserve under the Hafsids from the thirteenth century, and UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1980. Dams on its feeder rivers have changed its ecological balance and made its water saltier, and the authorities are working to restore that balance. You can drive up to the foot of the mountain, where a small eco-museum explains the life of the lake, then walk trails overlooking the water and marshes. Water buffalo also live in the area. The best time for birdwatching is November to February. Bring binoculars if you can, and pair the visit with Bizerte's old port in a day from Tunis.
Ducks, geese, flamingos.
On the mountainside.
Above the lake.
About 20 km south-west of Bizerte
November to February, when migrating birds gather in large numbers.