Unspecified/General

In the central desert south-east of Dubai about 40 minutes by road from the central downtown business district, the Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve is the largest unfenced wildlife conservation reserve in the United Arab Emirates and one of the largest desert conservation areas in the broader Arabian Peninsula. The 10 percent of the total area of the Emirate of Dubai (approximately 1,000 square miles) was formally designated as a conservation reserve on 1 April 2018 by the Emirate's Supreme Council of Energy and the Dubai Municipality, fulfilling the long-standing vision of the Emirate's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for the comprehensive preservation of the inland desert habitats. The reserve preserves a representative sample of the broader Arabian inland desert ecosystem, with the rolling sand dunes, gravel plains, sparse acacia woodland and small salt-flat areas that historically characterised most of the inland southern Arabian Peninsula. The reserve is home to more than 500 individual species of native and migratory wildlife, including the rare Arabian oryx (a magnificent white desert antelope that was hunted to local extinction during the early twentieth century and successfully reintroduced through the reserve), the celebrated Arabian gazelle, the smaller sand gazelle, the cape hare, several species of desert fox, the rare desert monitor lizard, the celebrated Arabian leopard (occasionally sighted in the more remote sections of the reserve) and more than 200 individual species of migratory birds. The reserve is operated as an open conservation area accessible to the public, with several established visitor experiences arranged across the principal northern section. The popular Al Qudra Lakes complex (a series of artificial freshwater lakes maintained through treated grey water from the broader Dubai water-management system) provides one of the principal birdwatching destinations in the broader Emirate, with seasonal populations of flamingos, herons, ducks, geese and several species of migratory songbird. The reserve's 86-kilometre Al Qudra Cycling Track (one of the longest dedicated cycling tracks in the broader Middle East) circumnavigates the principal lake complex through stretches of preserved desert habitat. The reserve also offers several popular guided experiences including dawn and dusk wildlife-watching drives, the celebrated annual Al Marmoom Heritage Festival each March (with traditional camel racing, falconry demonstrations and small heritage markets), small Bedouin-style overnight desert camps and several mountain-biking and trail-running events throughout the cooler winter months.

Type: Outdoors

Address: Al Marmoom Heritage Festival Site, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Telephone: 800-900

Website: visitdubai.com/en/places-to-visit/al-marmoom-desert-conservation-reserve

Opening Date: 01/04/2018