Zakher Pools

24°05'22''N + 55°38'00''E

Zakher Pools is a site consisting of spillwater pools in sandy desert, 12 kilometers west of the base of Jebel Hafeet. As with so many wetland sites in the UAE it might be short-lived, all depending on the continuing flow of wastewater.

Dave Clark discovered it as recently as May 5th 2006

It is not mentioned in the Shell Birdwatching Guide.

How to get there:

Start from the new 'Neima Pool Roundabout' (which is the one before the Compost Plant Roundabout coming from Al Ain).

Go northwest from the 'Neima Pool Roundabout' (that is, away from Jebel Hafit) about 2.7 kilometers until you come to yet another roundabout, surrounded by red sand hills.

Go left at this roundabout (by way of driving over a steep road shoulder, there is no actual exit from this roundabout to the sandy track to Zakher).

Getting off the roundabout and onto the right-hand track is tricky, so be alert! You may have to backtrack a little at the start and stay to the right, if you come to a fence across the road you need to backtrack and stay to the north (easy to get sandbogged here). 

Be careful here as there are two gravel tracks going left separated by about 40 metres, take the one on your RightHandSide, the one on your LHS leads to a farm and a dead end, from which you will have to backtrack, or get sand-bogged trying to cross from the left track to the right.

It is best to get out of the 4x4 jeep at the roundabout and see for yourself. (Jen says: "when you get to the round-about DO NOT drive off the dead end of the road since the shoulder is high but slightly drive up the wrong side of the road on the right of this dead end and the direct gravel road is in front."

Proceed about 4.4 kilometers along the RightHandSide gravel track to the lake. Do not try this in a normal car as there are some unavoidable soft-sand patches.

A map is presented below with approximate drawing of the tracks, as well as photos from the Baileys.

September 2007

May 2006

This is an oasis in the desert, attracting birds from miles around.

A Lesser White-fronted Goose kept company with Greater White-fronted Geese during November-December 2007.

The area is also good for eagles, Long-legged Buzzard and waders.