AdventureWild Abu Dhabi
Far from the steel and glass of the bustling metropolis is Abu Dhabi's incredible wilderness
Far from the steel and glass of the bustling metropolis is Abu Dhabi's incredible wilderness
Over 10,000 free-roaming animals make Sir Bani Yas Island their home, at the Arabian Wildlife Park. Three miles off the coast in one of Abu Dhabi remoter regions, this small island was deserted until the 1970s when UAE founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan transformed the desolate space into a sanctuary for endangered animals. After years of careful conservation, today, its savannah-like terrain is inhabited by prowling cheetahs, hyenas and jackals. Abundant gum trees and acacia offer shade, while a complex irrigation system keeps the park green and fertile.
Reachable by water taxi, Arabian Wildlife Park is best explored in an open-top 4x4 safari. Grab your binoculars and watch out for Arabian oryxes locking their elongated horns, giraffes playing and ostriches sprinting across the sands. To feel even closer to nature, we recommend a leisurely mountain bike ride around Sir Bani Yas Island.
Head south from Abu Dhabi and as steel skyscrapers shimmer mirage-like in the distance, the waters of Al Wathba come into view. Comprising natural and manmade wetlands, sabkhas (salt flats) and dunes, the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is famed for its incredible flocks of flamingoes, nourished by the brine shrimp that occupy the wetland’s waters. From autumn through to spring, swirls of pink birds flutter around the water before migrating to Central Asia in their thousands for summer.
Flamingoes aside, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve has plenty more to explore either on foot along the reserve’s many trails or via dune buggy ride. Amid its reed marshes and carpets of yellow tetraena qatarensis, eagle-eyed nature lovers can spot a black-headed yellow wagtail bobbing along or spiny tailed lizard slithering across hot dunes. Look out for shimmering metallic dragon- and damselflies flitting above the lakes. Open to visitors on Thursdays and Saturdays during winter, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve makes the perfect nature escape from the commerciality of Abu Dhabi.