Étang de Palo, Coastal lagoon in Serra-di-Fiumorbo, France

The Étang de Palo is a coastal lagoon on the east coast of Corsica, between the mouths of the Travo and Abatesco rivers. It covers 212 hectares, making it the fourth largest lagoon on the island, with an average depth of 1 metre. A sandbar 2.5 kilometres long separates it from the Tyrrhenian Sea, and a narrow channel is opened periodically to prevent eutrophication.

The lagoon formed about 6,000 years ago during post-glacial warming, when a coastal depression was cut off from the sea by a sandy cordon of detrital material. It was designated a Natura 2000 site in 1998 and a Ramsar site in September 2008.

A professional fisherman still works the lagoon using traditional Corsican and Italian lagoon aquaculture methods, mainly harvesting eel and mullet. He also produces bottarga, the salted, cured fish roe. A cattle breeder uses the wet meadows to the north, and visitors swim and fish from the lido.

Visit during clear weather since the open landscape offers little shelter from sun and wind. Wear sturdy footwear to navigate the soft sand and wet ground safely.

The wetland attracts numerous bird species that stop here during migration and breeding seasons. This makes it an important destination for anyone interested in observing wild birds in their natural setting.