Lake Burullus

Burullus is the second largest of the Delta lagoons, a shallow brackish sheet separated from the Mediterranean by a sand bar and fed by drainage from the surrounding farmland, and it is a protected area and a Ramsar wetland. Its importance is ornithological: very large numbers of ducks, coots, grebes, herons and waders winter here or pass through on the Eastern Mediterranean flyway, and it carries internationally significant counts of several species. Reed beds and small islands break the water up, and the fishery that works it is entirely traditional, with flat wooden boats, fixed traps and hand nets. Pressure on the lake is heavy: reclamation has shrunk it, and agricultural and industrial drainage affect water quality year on year.

History

In the early Islamic period the port of Burullus stood near the lake's opening to the sea and served as one of the defended frontier settlements of the Delta coast, and an island settlement in the lake called Nastaru gave its name to the whole lake. Canals linked it to the Rosetta branch of the Nile, and at that time the lake was growing southwards as river deposits shifted and the ground subsided. Its name comes from the town of Burullus, from a Greek word for the seashore (Wikipedia, Lake Burullus).

What you'll find

• Wintering waterbird flocks - ducks and waders in internationally important numbers.
• Reed beds and low islands - the structure of a shallow Delta lagoon.
• Traditional fishing boats - flat wooden craft and fixed trap lines.
• The sand bar coast - the strip separating lagoon from open sea.

When to go

November to March for the birds and the cool weather; numbers peak in midwinter. Dawn is the hour. A full day including travel from Cairo or Alexandria. Boats are hired informally at village landings.

Things to know

There is no visitor infrastructure at all: no hides, no centre, no marked access. You need a boat, a local contact and ideally an Arabic speaker. Pollution and litter are visible in places. Birdwatching from a small boat in wind is uncomfortable. Do not expect signage of any kind.

Nearby

Baltim beach is on the coast above the lake; Rosetta lies west at the river mouth.

Key facts