Wild Abu Dhabi: Flamingos, Mangroves, Turtles and Oryx

Abu Dhabi is a city of sea, mangrove and desert, and its wildlife lives close to the towers. Flamingos gather on a protected wetland half an hour from the centre, herons fish in the mangroves of the eastern shore, hawksbill turtles nest on Saadiyat’s beach, and the oryx roam an island in the Gulf.

The emirate’s landscape reaches well beyond the dunes: mountains, rocky wadis, wetlands, mangrove coasts and islands, protected by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (Visit Abu Dhabi; ead.gov.ae).

This is the wild side of Abu Dhabi: the flamingos of Al Wathba, the mangroves of the eastern shore and Jubail, the turtles of Saadiyat, the falcons, and the oryx and gazelles of Sir Bani Yas and Al Ain, and how to see them without disturbing them.

The flamingos of Al Wathba

Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, about 30 minutes’ drive from the city, was the first area in Abu Dhabi protected by law. Up to 4,000 greater flamingos gather here in autumn and spring, among more than 250 species of birds (Visit Abu Dhabi).

Check the visiting days with the Environment Agency before you go, keep to the paths and bring binoculars rather than trying to get close.

Into the mangroves

Mangrove National Park, on the eastern shore, holds almost three-quarters of the emirate’s mangrove forest, with more than 60 bird species, from greater flamingos to western reef herons; crabs, turtles and fish live among the roots, with dugongs and dolphins further out (Visit Abu Dhabi).

Go in by kayak, paddleboard or on a boat tour with a licensed operator, at high tide. Further north, Jubail Mangrove Park lays a 2 km boardwalk just above the water, where herons, turtles and gazelles can be seen.

Turtles on Saadiyat

Hawksbill turtles, critically endangered, nest on Saadiyat’s beach; a conservation programme, the only one of its kind in the Arabian Gulf, has protected them since 2010 (Visit Abu Dhabi).

On the beach, keep away from marked nests and never use lights on the sand at night.

Four thousand flamingos, half an hour from the city.

Falcons

The falcon is the UAE’s national bird. The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, near the airport, opened in 1999 as the world’s first and largest hospital for falcons, and about 6,000 birds pass through it each year; visitors come on booked guided tours (Visit Abu Dhabi).

Oryx and gazelles

More than half of Sir Bani Yas Island is the Arabian Wildlife Park, home to more than 17,000 free-roaming animals: Arabian oryx, gazelles and giraffes, with hyenas and cheetahs. Day visits are booked a month ahead through the Anantara activities team, and November to March is the best season (Visit Abu Dhabi).

Closer to home, Al Ain Zoo keeps Arabian oryx and runs the Al Ain Safari.

Feature: the turtles’ beach

Saadiyat’s hawksbill programme began in early 2010 and is, in Visit Abu Dhabi’s words, the only one of its kind in the Arabian Gulf; the beach clubs and resorts along the shore border the protected habitat.

Did you know? Did you know? Up to 4,000 greater flamingos can gather at Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in autumn and spring (Visit Abu Dhabi).

Our advice

Our advice: visit Al Wathba in autumn or spring for the flamingos, kayak the mangroves at high tide with a licensed operator, keep your distance from turtle nests on Saadiyat, and book Sir Bani Yas a month ahead; never feed wildlife.