Lalla Fatna Beach

The coast north of Safi runs as a line of cliffs a hundred metres and more high, and Lalla Fatna is one of the gaps in them - a beach of coarse golden sand between headlands, reached by a road that switchbacks steeply down from the clifftop, with a marabout tomb on the slope that gives the beach its name. It is generally reckoned the best beach in the Safi region and it is a genuine one: wide at low tide, with rock pools at the ends and caves in the cliff base that can be walked into when the water is out. At high tide the sand narrows considerably and some sections are cut off, so the tide table matters more here than at most Moroccan beaches. The Atlantic is cold and the swell is heavy; there is a surf break and no lifeguard outside high summer. Facilities are a couple of seasonal cafes. Safi's phosphate and sardine industry is south and visible.

What you actually see

• A gap in the cliffs - golden sand between headlands below a hundred-metre wall.
• Low-tide caves - openings in the cliff base walkable when the water is out.
• A steep switchback road - the only access, down from the clifftop.
• The marabout - the tomb on the slope that names the beach.

When to go

May to September, at low tide. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The tide matters - sections are cut off at high water and people have been caught out. There are no lifeguards outside high summer and the swell is heavy. Facilities are two seasonal cafes. The access road is steep and narrow.

Nearby

Cap Beddouza is north; Safi and its potteries are south.