Oued Tahadart Estuary

The Tahadart reaches the Atlantic between Tangier and Asilah through a broad estuary of mudflats, sandbanks and salt marsh, and it matters because of where it sits: on the Atlantic flyway immediately south of the strait, so birds crossing from Europe come down here to feed. Counts through autumn and winter run to thousands of waders - dunlin, grey plover, black-tailed godwit, curlew, redshank, greater flamingo - along with terns, gulls, spoonbills and osprey working the channel. Marbled duck and slender-billed gull have been recorded. The site is a Ramsar wetland. It is not developed for visitors: there are no hides, no marked paths and no signage, and the way to see it is to park on a track and walk to the marsh edge with binoculars at low tide, when the birds are on the exposed flats.

What you actually see

• Thousands of waders - dunlin, godwit, curlew and plover on the flats in winter.
• A Ramsar wetland - salt marsh and mudflats at the estuary mouth.
• Terns and osprey - working the channel through the season.
• No infrastructure - no hides or paths, just the marsh edge and binoculars.

When to go

September to April; low tide, when the flats are exposed. Half a day.

Honest expectations

There is nothing built here - no hides, no signs, no facilities. Tracks to the edge are rough and impassable after rain. A car and binoculars are both necessary. The site is used for grazing and shellfish gathering and is not a reserve in practice.

Nearby

Asilah's medina is south; Tangier is north.