Dayet Aoua

Dayet Aoua is one of a group of karst lakes on the Middle Atlas plateau between Immouzzer Kandar and Ifrane, sitting in a shallow basin with cedar and oak on the ridges and grazing land around the shore. When it is full it is a proper lake, blue against the trees, with coots, grebes, herons and wintering ducks on the water and horses grazing at the edge; when the rains fail it shrinks badly, and in some years it has dried out completely and left a grassy pan. That variability is part of what it is. There are no facilities beyond a couple of roadside cafés, so the visit is a stop on a drive rather than a day out.

The landscape

• The lake and its birds - grebes, coots, herons and wintering ducks when the water is there.
• The cedar ridges - Atlas cedar and oak on the slopes above the basin.
• The lakeside grazing - horses and flocks along the open shore.
• The plateau road - the loop past neighbouring pools and woods.

When to go

Spring, after the winter rains, is when the lake is fullest and the birdlife best; autumn is calm and clear. Late summer is the worst time, with low water or none at all. Winter can bring snow to the plateau and a cold wind off the water. Early morning is the quietest for birdwatching.

What to expect

Water levels are the whole problem: in drought years there is no lake, only a dry basin, and photographs online rarely say when they were taken. Even when full it is a modest lake, worth a half hour stop rather than a detour. There is no path all the way round, some shore is fenced or muddy, and rubbish accumulates by the parking spots.

Nearby

Ifrane and the cedar forests around Azrou are just south, and Fes is about an hour and a half north.

Key facts