The UAE, with its desert charm, attracts tourists and enthusiasts of wild adventures and sustainable hunting. The country, represented by cultural and tourism bodies, has shown special interest in the treasures of the desert, especially since it occupies an area of approximately three-quarters of the area of the Emirates, and has been keen to draw attention to it, invest in its natural charm, and establish reserves and care for them. Organizing sporting and heritage events and activities and building luxury resorts that have imposed their presence on the global tourism map.
Among the most important of these destinations on the desert tourism map is the Al Dhafra region in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which attracts local visitors and tourists from outside the country throughout the year.
The rate of demand for the Al Dhafra region increases throughout the winter, coinciding with the fourth edition of the “The Most Beautiful Winter in the World” campaign, which constitutes the largest campaign of its kind to highlight the diverse domestic tourism options in various parts of the Emirates, and also introduces local visitors and tourists from outside the country to the mild Emirates winter. And the attractions that the country provides to its visitors.
This year’s “The Most Beautiful Winter in the World” campaign is of special importance based on its slogan “Unforgettable Stories” and the implications it carries about the richness of tourism in the UAE, which provides unique experiences that are entrenched in the memories of visitors and tourists for a long time.
A global destination
The Al Dhafra region has formed a unique attraction in terms of tourism, attracting lovers of pristine nature and the expansive desert, thanks to the natural reserves, cultural heritage festivals it contains, and upscale resorts that appeal to lovers of relaxation in the embrace of the desert.
One of the most prominent destinations in the region is Al Marzoum Hunting Reserve, which is considered the first in the world in the field of sustainable hunting that combines the preservation of environmental balance and endangered species on the one hand, and the joy of desert tourism, traditional falconry and saluki hunting, desert physiognomy, and all aspects of heritage on the other hand.
Al Marzoum Reserve opened its doors in 2015 as it is the first and largest reserve in the UAE to practice hunting using traditional methods using falcons and salukis. The reserve offers a unique cultural and tourism experience for traditional hunting, and enhances awareness of falconry and the preservation of the environment and heritage.
The area of Al-Marzoum Reserve reaches 923 square kilometers, and the reserve receives falconers, traditional hunting enthusiasts, and visitors on a daily basis (7 days a week), and within two hunting periods per day (morning and evening), as it provides its visitors with the experience of enjoying nature and the picturesque environment that characterizes the reserve, to In addition to practicing the traditional fishing hobby.
Since its inauguration, the reserve has attracted more than 10,000 visitors, including falconers and Arab and foreign tourists, especially lovers of falconry, traditional hunting, and desert tourism.
Al Marzoum Reserve provides the opportunity for falconers to practice this authentic hobby within the country within the framework of sustainable hunting while preserving the natural environments contained in the protected area, in conjunction with ensuring the protection of its biological and geological elements, enhancing programs for the resettlement of endangered wild species, and allocating the reserve as a habitat for falconry in the traditional style. The reserve also provides the opportunity for scientists and researchers to conduct field studies.
In order to preserve the environmental diversity in the region, the reserve requires all its visitors to adhere to the hunting law in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi within the framework of sustainable hunting, and to adhere to some necessary conditions that have been approved to ensure the success of the hunting experience for all and not to cause any harm to the reserve and the natural treasures it contains, and not to cause any harm. Disturbing or harming wildlife, trees or plants.
Nature reserves
The Al Dhafra region, next to Al Marzoum Reserve, hosts many attractive natural reserves, each of which is characterized by its own nature and the wild creatures it hosts, competing in the size of the green spaces that cast shadows on the reserve’s visitors.
Among these destinations is the Ramla Reserve in the Al Dhafra region, which is one of the largest natural reserves, extending over a total area of 544 square kilometers, while the Qasr al-Sarab Reserve is one of the most important reserves for eco-tourism, and it is also one of the most important reserves in which the Arabian Oryx roams freely, in the area. The Empty Quarter, with an area of 308 kilometers of natural sand dunes and salt flats, is home to more than 30 species of birds, 13 species of reptiles and 10 species of mammals, including the Arabian oryx, which Abu Dhabi brought back from the brink of extinction and was successfully reintroduced into the wild.
The U Al-Dabsa Reserve represents the ideal destination for local plants in the Al Dhafra region and extends over a total area of 212 square kilometers, while the Houbara Houbara Reserve hosts the largest Houbara reintroduction programs in the region. It is also the only reserve in which the sand cat was seen after a long period of time during which no recordings of it were recorded. Watch, as well as the Bida Hazza Reserve, which covers more than 75% of its area with forests and extends over an area of 77 square kilometers. The Barqa Falcons Reserve is also considered one of the most important bustard breeding sites and is covered with distinctive vegetation, while the Al-Tawi Reserve is one of the important areas for bustard breeding with a total area. Its area is 46 square kilometers.
Cultural festivals
The cultural events and festivals hosted by the Al Dhafra region have enhanced its tourism status and constituted an opportunity to learn about the essence of local culture and stimulate economic activity in the region.
The Al Dhafra Festival, which is held in Madinat Zayed, “the gateway to the Empty Quarter,” has contributed to strengthening the region’s position regionally and globally as a heritage tourist destination, and is considered one of the most important tourism events that attract heritage and desert tourism enthusiasts from the region and various countries of the world.
The Al Dhafra Festival, with its various activities, aims to preserve purebred camel breeds by supporting camel owners with rewarding annual prizes and providing them with the opportunity to market their camels to the largest number of interested people, making it the first regional and global forum for camel enthusiasts and owners, as well as contributing to the development of cultural tourism and stimulating economic activity in the Al Dhafra region. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE in general, promoting the gateway to the Empty Quarter, and attracting lovers of eco- and desert tourism and heritage competitions such as falconry, purebred Arabian horses, the Arabian Saluki, and archery.
Al Dhafra Festival will continue this year with its 17th session, which began on October 21, 2023, until February 8, 2024. This session is considered the largest since its launch in 2008.
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