Marchica Lagoon

Marchica, also called Sebkha Bou Areq, is a lagoon of about 115 square kilometres separated from the Mediterranean by a sand bar some twenty-five kilometres long, with a single opening to the sea - one of the largest coastal lagoons in the western Mediterranean. It is shallow, brackish, and rich enough to support greater flamingo in numbers along with terns, waders, grebes and gulls; it is a Ramsar site and part of it is a designated biological reserve. Nador sits on the western shore and the lagoon was for decades heavily polluted by the city's untreated discharge; a large state-backed programme from around 2008 built treatment works, dredged and reopened the sea inlet to improve water exchange, and has been developing marinas, a corniche and resort projects around the shore. Water quality has improved measurably. The bird interest is on the quieter eastern and southern shores rather than in the city.

What you actually see

• A 115-square-kilometre lagoon - behind a twenty-five-kilometre sand bar.
• Flamingos and terns - on the quieter southern and eastern shores.
• A reopened sea inlet - dredged to improve water exchange with the Mediterranean.
• A long redevelopment - treatment works, marinas and a corniche around the city shore.

When to go

October to April for birds. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The city shore is developed and busy; the birds are on the far side and need a car. Construction around the lagoon is ongoing in places. There are no hides. Nador is a long way from the main tourist routes.

Nearby

Cap des Trois Fourches is north; Melilla is on the coast beyond it.