Naila Lagoon

Khnifiss is the only substantial coastal wetland on this stretch of desert coast: a lagoon of about sixty-five square kilometres connected to the Atlantic by a narrow channel, so it is tidal, with mudflats exposed twice a day and dunes running right down to the water on the landward side. That combination - Saharan sand meeting a tidal lagoon - is what makes it unusual to look at, and the productivity of the flats is what brings the birds. Greater flamingo are the constant, with thousands present at times, along with spoonbill, Audouin's gull, slender-billed gull, terns, and large numbers of waders on passage down the Atlantic flyway. It is a Ramsar site and a national park. Facilities are essentially nil - a track to the water and the fishing settlement at Foum Agoutir. The N1 through here is long, straight and empty, and fuel should be taken where it is available.

What you actually see

• Dunes at a tidal lagoon - Saharan sand running down to water that rises and falls.
• Thousands of flamingos - the lagoon's constant, with spoonbill and gulls alongside.
• A Ramsar national park - sixty-five square kilometres with a narrow sea channel.
• Almost no infrastructure - a track, a fishing settlement, and nothing else.

When to go

October to April; low tide for the flats. A day.

Honest expectations

There are no hides, facilities or shade. The N1 through this region is long and empty - carry fuel and water. Wind is constant and blows sand. Summer heat is severe and the birds are fewer.

Nearby

Tarfaya is south; Tan-Tan and its coast are north.