Mehdia sits at the mouth of the Sebou river, 40 km north of Rabat and a 10-minute drive from Kénitra. The beach is long, open, and less developed than Temara or Skhirat, with reliable summer swell and a few beach clubs clustered at the south end. On the cliff above the river mouth stands the ruined kasbah of Mehdia, a Portuguese fort from the 17th century later held by the Spanish and the Moroccans. Inland, the Sidi Boughaba Ramsar lagoon is a top birding spot — flamingos, ibises, and marbled ducks.