Souss Massa National Park, 100% Nature outing
Journey from Agadir: 1 hour by car
Souss-Massa National Park is located in the territory of Chtouka Ait Baha – Littoral. It is a reserve intended to reconstitute the Great Fauna of the Sahara and to protect the last colony of the Bald Ibis remaining in the world.
It is, to this day, one of the most interesting animal reserves in the Maghreb, where rare and endangered animal species develop, in semi-captivity, as part of a national conservation program.
This protected area also offers the possibility of discovering a preserved coastline with breathtaking landscapes: cliffs and coastal tracks, dunes, wetlands and steppes.
In terms of flora, the Park includes more than 300 plant species (argan trees, thuja, eucalyptus, euphorbias, etc.), 13 of which are endemic to this area.
In terms of fauna, the park provides protection for several species:
- The Oryx, the largest of the antelopes of the semi-desert regions of the Sahara, disappeared from Morocco in 1973.
- Addax, an antelope that disappeared from Morocco in 1956.
- the Gazelle Dorcas, the smallest gazelle still present in the Souss Massa and the Moroccan Sahara.
- the North African Ostrich (an important colony present in the Park), which disappeared from Morocco in 1945.
- the Bald Ibis, among the rarest species in the world.
- As well as 250 species of birds and 26 species of amphibians and reptiles.
A visit to the Rokein and Arrouais reserves will allow you to discover the 4 species of antelope as well as the North African Ostrich. The protection provided by the Souss Massa National Park is essential because all the species present in these reserves are now threatened with extinction.
Only the Massa Reserve , an internationally renowned ornithological site (Ramsar) is open to the public at the mouth of the Oued Massa. It is a place of passage, wintering and nesting for more than 275 species of birds including the colony of bald ibis. The Souss Massa National Park is also at the heart of the argan grove biosphere reserve and also actively participates in the fight against desertification of the territory.
