The standing arch
Red rock you can walk beneath at low tide.
Hasna Abounaim — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Roy Egloff — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cesar.mx22 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cesar.mx22 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Roy Egloff — CC BY-SA 4.0
Legzira Beach, also spelled Lagzira, is a wild stretch of Atlantic sand in Sidi Ifni Province, south-western Morocco, about 10 km by road north of Sidi Ifni. Tall red cliffs back it, cut by the waves into sea arches. Of the two arches that made Legzira famous, one still stands, some 30 m high by visitors' estimates. In 2014 the Moroccan weekly La Nouvelle Tribune named it one of the country's twelve most beautiful beaches. Currents and tides wearing at the cliff shaped the arches. Local press reported that a block fell from one of them in March 2016 and a large crack opened on the south side of the rock; on 23 September 2016 the arch collapsed, blamed on natural erosion. Its twin, nearer the beach restaurants, survived and is now the beach's emblem. From the small restaurants by the car park, walk about 1 km south along the sand to the standing arch. Around low tide you can pass beneath it and carry on roughly 500 m to the rubble of the fallen arch, which blocks the beach beyond. Surfers, paragliders and anglers use the beach, morning mist is common, and sunset is the favourite hour for photographing the cliffs. Legzira lies about 150 km south of Agadir by road, a long day trip best paired with Sidi Ifni or Mirleft. Tiznit Old Town is 47 km north-east and the Massa estuary in Souss-Massa National Park 83 km, both in a straight line. Check a tide table first and keep clear of the eroding cliff foot.
Red rock you can walk beneath at low tide.
Rubble of the twin that collapsed in 2016.
The favourite hour for photographing the red rock.
Atlantic coast between Mirleft and Sidi Ifni, about 10 km by road north of Sidi Ifni
Only with great care: the water is shallow, strong currents run along this coast and the waves break well offshore. Swim only on calm days and close to shore, and stay out when the sea is rough.
Driving is easiest: head south towards Tiznit, then take the coast road through Aglou and Mirleft towards Sidi Ifni, about 150 km and two and a half to three hours each way. Long-distance buses serve Sidi Ifni, local buses and shared grand taxis link Tiznit, Mirleft and Sidi Ifni, and a taxi from Sidi Ifni covers the last 10 km.