Grottes de Oualidia


Useful Information

Location: Oualidia, Morocco
(32.727550951232836, -9.054232753928323)
Open: no restrictions.
[2024]
Fee: free.
[2024]
Classification: SpeleologySea Cave
Light: bring torch
Dimension:  
Guided tours: self guided
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:  
Address: Les grottes de Oualidia, Oualidia, Morocco, Tel: +212-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History

5th century BC Carthaginian admiral Hanno stays in one of the six caves.
1634 Saadian sultan Al Walid Ibn Zidane builds a kasbah in the town.

Description

The Grottes de Oualidia (Caves of Oualidia) are caves located in the vertical coast near the village Oualidia. They are not a tourist site and hard to find, but they are guided by local tour guides on day trips. Local fishermen offer boat trips to the caves.

According to legend, the Carthaginian admiral Hanno once stayed in one of the caves in the 5th century BC. This cave is named Ghar Hammou El Ghazi. He stopped at the bay because elephants lived here.

There are six caves, some of them are only accessible at low tide. Quite spectacular is a large sea cave at the beach, which is named La Grande. Another sea cave has collapsed, forming a huge circular shaft with seawater at the bottom, which is connected to the sea through a natural bridge, the remains of the cave. The most popular of the caves are called Grottes des Portugais (Portuguese caves). The entrance is located on the plain above the cliff, a narrow tunnel leads down. The caves are rather low and have strange rounded walls. They offer a great view on the sea.

The caves at the beach are obviously sea caves, but other caves higher up on the cliff have speleothems like stalactites and stalagmites, and are actually quite narrow and long for sea caves. They look like karst caves. Other caves look artificial, with flat walls and rounded corners, probably the cave was widened, or rock was mined underground.

The village was named Oualidia during the reign of the Saadian sultan Al Walid Ibn Zidane (1631-1636). The name is actually the first name Al Walid just differently written. He built a kasbah to protect the harbour, but only a few ruins remain today. The village Oualidia is a seaside resort with 3 km of beach, protected from the winds by a barrier of small islands. Season is from April to October, there are numerous hotels in the village.