Morocco's Best-Kept Natural Secret
Unknown to most international visitors, Bin El Ouidane is a revelation: a vast turquoise lake that belongs on any nature lover's itinerary.
Bin El Ouidane (sometimes written Bine el Ouidane) is a massive reservoir lake located in the foothills of the Middle Atlas Mountains, roughly 200 km northeast of Marrakech in the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region. Created by the construction of one of Africa's largest concrete arch dams on the El Abid River in the early 1950s, the lake has matured over seven decades into a stunning natural feature that many visitors compare favorably to the famous lakes of Switzerland or the Italian Dolomites.
The lake's most striking characteristic is its color. Depending on the season, the angle of the sun, and the depth of the water, Bin El Ouidane shimmers through an astonishing palette of turquoise, teal, emerald, and deep sapphire blue. The color is produced by the combination of dissolved limestone minerals from the surrounding hills and the extreme clarity of the mountain spring water that feeds the lake. At full capacity, the lake covers approximately 3,740 hectares and reaches depths of over 130 meters, with a complex shoreline of inlets, peninsulas, and cliff-backed coves that rewards extended exploration by boat or kayak.
Despite its extraordinary beauty, Bin El Ouidane remains almost unknown to international tourists. It receives a steady flow of Moroccan visitors, particularly from Beni Mellal and Casablanca, who come for weekend fishing and picnics, but the lake is virtually absent from English-language guidebooks and travel blogs. For travelers seeking an experience of Morocco that has nothing to do with medinas, souks, or desert camps — a place of genuine natural serenity where the loudest sound is birdsong and a gentle lapping of water — Bin El Ouidane is a destination of quiet magnificence.
