Ra's al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary

Ra's al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary

25°11'27''N + 055°18'39''E

Ra's al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is a tidal estuary with saline lagoons in the center of Dubai.

It is called Khor Dubai Wildlife Sanctuary on page 15 in the Shell Birdwatching Guide.

The area is now completely fenced in with no direct access. This is a welcome move from the municipality, as it keeps unwanted pressure from visitors away.

Dubai Municipality constructed 3 hides in 2005 which 2 are now open for visitors Saturday - Thursday from 09:00 to 16:00:

1. Mangrove Hide;

Mostafa is the full-time guard here and he is keen to learn more about bird-identification and appreciates help from visitors.

He notes species and numbers on a weekly basis and submits these to the UAE Bird Recorder.

This is a good hide for waders, esp. Broad-billed Sandpipers and Pacific Golden Plovers right in front of the hide.

It is not permitted to walk from the Mangrove Hide to the Flamingo Hide.

2. Flamingo Hide;

Always has Greater Flamingo present, and these are fed every afternoon by the rangers.

Looking towards the now inaccessible Zabeel fish ponds during the winter months will reward you with Great Spotted Eagles soaring overhead, and quite possibly other raptors as well.

3. Lagoon Hide - closed since June 2006;

A very productive hide with a restricted access. There is a lot of construction now on the surrounding saltflats.

In the UAE Database, we have pr. 18.06.2006 records of 131 species recorded at Ra's al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, downloadable here.

Each hide has a guard from 09:00 - 16:00 as well as a Leica telescope and Leica binoculars for visitor use.

The hides have no electricity nor aircondition, but the guard may offer you drinking water.

Each hide has a guestbook, and it is mandatory for visitors to sign these.

Birdwatching with telescopes from outside the hides (e.g. from the parking lot) is not encouraged.

There is massive construction planned for the Khor Dubai area, with big residential areas and skyscrapers underway, up by 2008 and 2009.

Plans to keep this separated from the mangroves and birdlife are being drawn up, with high fences and water-barriers to avoid boats entering the area (see picture at the bottom of this page)

A new, large, air-conditioned Ra's al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary Visitors Center next to the Mangrove Hide will be built in 2007.

Satellite-map from ca 2005: