Anza, ~30 minutes north of Agadir, holds one of Morocco's most important dinosaur trackways — 323 footprints from roughly 99 individual dinosaurs preserved across calcareous sandstone layers along the shore. Released by an exceptional Atlantic swell in 2013 and extended in 2015, the prints date from the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian, ~85 million years ago).
Why visit
Anza is one of the world's most significant Cretaceous trackways — 323 footprints from ~99 dinosaurs preserved in coastal sandstone, including the first African Macropodosaurus track and only the second confirmed African pterosaur footprint site, all dated to ~85 million years ago.
What to expect
An open coastal site, not a museum. The trackway runs ~300 m along a sandstone shelf below low cliffs; some prints are obvious tridactyl shapes, others need a geologist's eye. Several have been cast and described by Ibn Zohr University.
Best time
At low tide, ideally with a guide who knows the layers. Mornings tend to be calmer; check Agadir tide tables before driving up.
Price range
Free: the dinosaur trackway lies on the open shore at Anza, which is maritime public domain. There is no gate, no ticket and no admission fee to see the footprints.
A site keeper is often on hand to point out the theropod and pterosaur tracks. A small tip for that is customary in Morocco and is a courtesy, not a charge you owe.
Timing matters more than money here: the tracks are underwater at high tide and can be buried by shifted sand, so check a tide table and go at the lowest tide.
Practical tips
Wear shoes with grip — the rock platform is wet and slippery. Do not walk on or chalk over the prints; the site is calling for protective barriers and is fragile.
Around 85 million years — Upper Cretaceous (Santonian). The trackway was first exposed by a strong Atlantic swell in 2013 and identified by Ibn Zohr University researchers.
Mostly bipedal theropods leaving three-toed (tridactyl) prints, plus probable ornithopods and at least one Macropodosaurus trackway — the first confirmed in Africa. Pterosaur prints have also been identified, only the second site of its kind on the continent.
At low tide. The exposed slabs run along about 300 m of shoreline; check Agadir tide tables and aim for the lowest low of the day.
Not strictly, but a local geology guide makes the difference between seeing scattered marks and recognising the actual trackways. Ibn Zohr University and several Agadir tour operators run guided trips.