The Exotic Gardens of Bouknadel

The exotic gardens at Bouknadel were the work of the French horticulturist Marcel François, who began planting them in the early 1950s on sandy ground north of Salé and arranged them as a walk through imagined regions: a Polynesian section with a lagoon and bamboo bridges, a Japanese garden, a Chinese one, areas of tropical planting, and glasshouses. The gardens were left to decay and were reopened after restoration in the 2000s. The route is a fixed circuit over bridges and stepping stones, past ponds with turtles and fish, under dense planting that stays cool in summer. Children treat it as an adventure, which is largely how it was designed.

What you actually see

• The Polynesian section - lagoons, bamboo bridges and dense planting.
• The Japanese and Chinese gardens - formal sections with ponds and pavilions.
• The glasshouses - tropical species grown under cover.
• The bridges and stepping stones - the fixed circuit that leads through the gardens.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant; in summer the planting gives shade but the humidity is high. Weekday mornings are quiet, while weekends bring school groups and families. Allow an hour and a half for the full circuit at a walking pace. Wear shoes with grip, since the stepping stones and wooden bridges get slippery.

Honest expectations

Restoration has not reached everything, and some sections are tired, with murky ponds, peeling paint and closed paths. The design is dated in a way that will charm some visitors and not others. It is a fair drive from Rabat for what it is, and public transport is awkward. Mosquitoes near the water are a nuisance towards evening.

Nearby

The beach at Bouknadel is on the coast beside it, and the old town of Salé and Rabat are a short drive south.