Oualidia Oyster Farms

Oualidia's lagoon is a shallow tidal basin about seven kilometres long, separated from the Atlantic by a sand bar with two openings, so the water exchanges with the ocean twice a day while staying calm inside - which is the condition oysters need, and the farms here produce the great majority of Morocco's crop, with the beds laid out on trestles across the flats and worked at low tide. Oysters are sold at the farms, at stalls and in the restaurants along the lagoon, opened in front of you with lemon and eaten within sight of where they grew, which is the reason to come. The lagoon is also a bird site with flamingos, waders and terns, part of a protected area, and it has a beach in the sheltered water that is safe for swimming in a country where most Atlantic beaches are not. It is a weekend destination for Casablanca and books out in summer.

What you actually see

• A double-mouthed lagoon - tidal exchange with the ocean while staying calm inside.
• Trestle beds - oyster frames laid across the flats and worked at low tide.
• Eaten where they grow - opened in front of you at the farms and stalls.
• Flamingos on the flats - the lagoon protected and used by waders and terns.

When to go

October to April for oysters. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Raw shellfish carries risk if the chain is broken - buy at the farms and restaurants rather than informal stalls. Summer weekends are crowded and prices rise. The lagoon has had pollution episodes. Accommodation is limited.

Nearby

El Jadida and Mazagan are north; Safi is south along the coast.