1. What to do in town and nearby
**The medina and the Sebou riverside.** Start with Kenitra's medina, its shopping streets and souks, then the walk along the Sebou, the river that crosses the town before reaching the Atlantic. The riverside suits walking and photography, especially late in the day.
**The river port.** Kenitra's port, on the Sebou, is presented as Morocco's first and only river port. It is watched from the banks: it is a working port, not a promenade laid out for passengers, and no visitor boat departure is given here.
**Mehdia beach.** West of Kenitra, at the mouth of the Sebou, Mehdia beach, in the neighbouring commune, is the town's beach: fine sand, Atlantic waves, swimming, and surfing. The sources also name it for kitesurfing. The Atlantic swell there is strong: take care in the water, and ask locally about the day's conditions.
**The Mehdia kasbah.** Above the mouth of the Sebou, the Mehdia kasbah, also written Mahdiyya, overlooks the beach and the river. Its foundations go back to a harbour building from the 10th century; in the 12th century, the Almohad sultan Abd al-Mu'min built a dock and a fort there. The Portuguese seized it in 1515, the Spanish built a fort in 1614, and the Alaouite sultan Moulay Ismail rebuilt it in 1681 and gave it its current name. The walls, the gates, and the view over the river mouth are what remains to see today.
**Lake Sidi Boughaba and its reserve.** East of Mehdia, Lake Sidi Boughaba is a coastal freshwater lagoon at the heart of a protected reserve. The site has been listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention since 1980, and more than 200 bird species are recorded there, including greater flamingos, herons, and the marbled teal, a threatened species. Trails run along the lake between dunes and red juniper woodland, rare vegetation on this coast. This is Kenitra's place for birdwatching and quiet walking.
**The Maamora forest.** Between Kenitra and Rabat stretches the Maamora forest, described as Morocco's largest cork oak forest. It is walked on foot, for a walk or a picnic, and families head there in numbers from the first days of spring. Stay on the trails: it is a working forest, not a city park.
**Thamusida, the ancient site.** On the left bank of the Sebou, near Kenitra, the Thamusida site preserves the remains of a Punic port that became a Carthaginian trading post, then a Roman town in the province of Mauretania Tingitana, with a military camp, walls, houses, temples, baths, and workshops. It is the most notable archaeological site in the area, for visitors interested in ancient history rather than beaches.