Souss-Massa National Park

The Last Substantial Wild Population Of The Northern Bald Ibis Anywhere In The World Nests On These Cliffs, And The Park'S Fenced Reserve Holds Reintroduced Scimitar Horned Oryx, Addax And Dorcas Gazelle Behind It · Massa, Souss-Massa

The northern bald ibis is one of the rarest birds in the world, and almost all the wild ones left are here, on the cliffs and estuary flats south of Agadir. That single fact is why a low-key, patchily signed coastal park of about 33,000 hectares belongs on any serious list for Morocco. It protects the mouths of the Oued Souss and the Oued Massa, where fresh water, reed bed, dune and Atlantic meet and flamingos, spoonbills, marbled teal and Audouin's gulls work the shallows, and behind a fence it also holds reintroduction herds of scimitar-horned oryx, addax, dorcas gazelle and North African ostrich - animals that are extinct or nearly so in the wild Sahara. The experience is quiet and requires effort: no boardwalks, no cafe, limited staffing, and a local guide who knows where the ibis are feeding that week is the difference between a good morning and an empty one. Come at dawn, bring binoculars, and treat it as birdwatching rather than sightseeing.

Oued Massa estuary and the Sidi Rbat shore, on the Atlantic about 60 km south of Agadir off the N1, Massa, Souss-Massa, Morocco

The estuary tracks and the shore are open country and free to walk in daylight. The park office at Massa and the fenced reserve enclosures keep working hours on weekdays and are the part to telephone about before travelling, because staffing is thin and the enclosure visits are not always running - confirm rather than assume. Birding is a first-light and last-light activity here and nobody will stop you being on the estuary at dawn. There is no public transport: a grand taxi from Inezgane or Agadir to Massa or Sidi Rbat, arranged to wait, is the usual answer, and a hired car with an early start is better. Guides are arranged in Massa village or through hotels in Agadir and want booking a day ahead in the winter birding season.

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