Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary – Information, Timing, Entry Fees, Location
If you love watching bird then Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is the place to visit in Dubai. Located near sea beach of Dubai, you can see varieties of bird in this sanctuary. The mid-PalearcticEcozone is a breeding ground in Asia. Waterbirds migrate every year between this breeding ground and the non-breeding places in southern and eastern Africa. They make a stop at the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary on the Dubai Creek. This wetland is very close to the Dubai city and looks different from a standard sanctuary. It is a mix of mudflats, salt flats, lagoons, and mangroves covering some 6.2 square kilometres. Highways run beside it.
How the Ras Al Khor Sanctuary Started?
The sanctuary was set up in the year 1985. The Dubai government declared it as a protected region on the 1st of March of 1998.
What does the place have for visitors?
This wetland is a breeding place and habitat for mammals, crustaceans, and fish. The pink flamingos are the main attraction here in winter. Other birds seen here in winter include the great egrets, grey herons, cormorants, reef herons, and black-winged stilts, amongst others.
Two bird hides on the border of the sanctuary stay open to the public between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Both are equipped with really sharp binoculars. Visitors can watch birds as they feed and fly.
Flamingos that include the elusive Greater Flamingo rest near the western hide. Visitors can watch the flamingos feed greedily as park rangers feed them between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
They will be surprised to see how flamingos share their reserve with different bird species. Some of them are:
- Eagles
- Ringed Plovers
- Pintails
- Kingfishers
- Teal
- Snipe
These species throng the hide fora taste of the queen-fish and the milk-fish in the waters.
They get to see great Spotted Eagles and different raptors soaring above the Zabeel fish ponds.
The southern hide overlooks the lush mangrove woodland on the southern border of the sanctuary.
Visitors get to see the birds perched on the mangrove paddle into the water for catching their fish, straight underneath the mangroves.
There are sights of wading birds that include the Broad-billed Sandpipers and Pacific Golden Plovers. Broad-billed Sandpipers make a stop at the Mangrove Hide from the month of April to July.
Over 403 birds are visible in the mangrove Hide when its peak summer. Raptors wander above this Hide while Greater Spotted Eagles can be spotted between October to April. Visitors can spot many rare birds here. Some of them are the Demoiselle Crane, Red-crested Pochard, Lesser Spotted Eagle, the Pied Kingfisher, and Great Crested Grebe.
How to Reach and Best time for visiting?
Several buses pass the sanctuary. Some of them are 55, 63E, 61, 64, and X23. Visitors can do a Car rental. Several private bus services take visitors to this sanctuary in bulk.
Visitors will enjoy the Mangrove Hide the most when it is low tide and the mangroves stay above the water. Visitors can go from the Mangrove Hide to the Flamingo Hide on foot or by car.
Timings and Entry Fees
There is no such entry fees, thus entering fees for Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is free.
However timing do change based on the season. From October to March, timing will be 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM.
Whereas from April to September, the Sanctuary will open by 6:00 AM Morning till 6:00 PM evening.
Solo travellers or groups of less than 5 individuals don’t require a permit for visiting the sanctuary. Group tours, media members, academic institutions, and organizations must get a permit from www.dm.gov.ae. They should apply a minimum of three days ahead as the organizers need two working days for processing the permits.
Conclusion
The sanctuary is a charming and surprising area of wilderness in the centre of the city rush and extensive urban infrastructure. Even the not so passionate bird watchers should visit the place for its amazing ecosystem.