Cintra Bay

Cintra Bay is a wide shallow inlet on the Atlantic coast well south of Dakhla, where the desert comes down to the water and dunes stand directly on the shore. The bay is important for birds: flamingos, waders and terns use the flats in numbers, and the whole stretch of coast here is one of the significant wintering areas on this side of the Atlantic. Almost nobody goes.

What you actually see

• The dunes at the water - desert sand standing directly on the shore.
• The tidal flats - the ground the shallow bay uncovers.
• The flamingos and waders - the birds wintering on the flats.
• The emptiness - a coast with essentially nothing built on it.

When to go

November to March is cooler and the wintering birds are present. Fog off the cold current is common in any month. Summer heat inland is severe.

Honest expectations

This is a long drive on poor tracks with no facilities at any point and no phone coverage for stretches. A local guide and a properly equipped vehicle are needed. There is nowhere to stay anywhere near.

Nearby

Dakhla is north, and the coast runs south toward the border.