My Escapades: September 2017

Exploring Oualidia: The oyster capital of Morocco

Oualidia is an appealing little coastal village situated between El Jadida and Safi, about 45 minutes drive from Safi. I had spent my Eid holidays (Eid al Adha) last September 2 & 3, 2017 in Oualidia and witnessed the fascinating view and was amazed of the different sea foods.

The small town of Oualidia is spread around the southern shores of almost 11km inland lagoon designed by the natural coastal rocks in which the Atlantic waters fill the lagoon. In the south part, small sandy coves and rocky cliffs are naturally captivating that gives the beautiful scenic view of the lagoon. The place is an eye-catching natural seawater lagoon that has a backdrop of divergences between its shorelines of fine sand and splendid cliffs.

There’s a lot of water activities abound, such as surfing, canoes, kayaks, fishing boats and pedal boats and are available for hire. The lagoon gives a tranquil and serene view to the holidaymakers and is the best place for relaxing and taking off of the city life. . .

I and my colleagues hired a pedal boat which is not costly for a 100 MAD an hour. We enjoyed pedaling and swimming in the lagoon taking the heat of summer while the waters are cold. . .

I stayed one night at L’ Initiale Restaurant and Hotel. It’s a nice and cozy place just near the beachfront. The foods are fascinating as we tried to order the best sea foods in town, and my favorite Spanish Paella. I can tell you, all of it are so yummy. . .

Oualidia is known as the Oyster capital of Morocco. The place has a lot more to offer when it comes to fresh oyster and other sea shells. If you need to fill up your tummy, there are a lot of good restaurants offering in freshly caught seafood, including oyster, calamari, lobster, shrimp and sea shells.

At any point, you can snap some panoramic views of the lagoon, cliffs and beaches. So, you have to get ready of the snap and clicks of your camera to capture the mesmerizing looks of every corner of the place.

Bird watching is one of the best pastime in Oualidia specially in the afternoon and twilight time. The place is the center of one of the richest bird life habitats in Morocco and an important resting area for migrating birds during Spring and Autumn periods. The coastal area is known as the resting place of the different species such as pink flamingos, godwits, stilts, waders, storks, avocets, warblers, egrets, terns and many others. The ideal time to catch the bird migrations is during the spring or autumn season.

In the early morning walk along the shore, the sounds of the smashing water to the rock cliffs was very relaxing, while birds are flying around. Green boats are all aligned on the other side while other folks are preparing the tables, chairs and beach umbrellas and their grill paraphernalia as they offer different grilled sea foods.

I also explored the park area, and I noticed on the hi-way side, the piled layers of white houses seem to look like the Santorini in Greece. Really amazing, it is just a small town, but has a lot to offer to the visitors and tourists.