Calm lagoon
Swimming away from the surf.
Soufiane absri — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sharon Hahn Darlin — CC BY 2.0 · Sharon Hahn Darlin — CC BY 2.0 · Sharon Hahn Darlin — CC BY 2.0 · Carlos ZGZ from Paris, France — CC0 · Hugues — CC BY-SA 2.0 · AbdellahMJ93 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sharon Hahn Darlin — CC BY 2.0
A quiet coastal village between El Jadida and Safi, wrapped around a blue lagoon sheltered from the Atlantic swell by natural rock barriers, so its water is usually calmer than the open beach. It is one of the loveliest stops on the Atlantic coast and is known as Morocco's oyster capital. It takes its name from the Saadian sultan al-Walid ibn Zidan, who built a kasbah here in 1634 to guard the entrance to the lagoon; its remains still stand in the upper part of the village. On the shore stands an abandoned palace built around 1940 for Sultan Mohammed ben Youssef, later King Mohammed V, as a summer residence for his family; it still belongs to the royal family and is not open to visitors. Oyster farming was introduced here in 1956, and the restaurants on the lagoon serve oysters, fresh fish and seafood. Fishermen offer trips around the lagoon in small boats, birdwatchers come for its shores, and north of the village lie salt pans that are worked in summer. The beach and lagoon are free. Summer is crowded with holidaymakers, while spring and autumn are calmer. It makes a day trip from El Jadida or an overnight stay in one of the small guesthouses overlooking the lagoon.
Swimming away from the surf.
Fresh from the lagoon.
Around the lagoon.
On the Atlantic coast between El Jadida and Safi, about eighty kilometres south-west of El Jadida
The lagoon is usually calmer than the open ocean, but watch the tides and the currents near its mouth, and always keep an eye on children.