The Mangroves of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi holds 85 percent of the UAE’s mangrove forests, and the country is planting 100 million more trees by 2030. Here is why these forests matter, and how to see them from the water.
A forest in the sea
Mangroves are trees that grow in salt water, and Abu Dhabi’s coastline is lined with them. Their tangled prop roots trap sediment, shelter juvenile fish and crabs, and protect the shore from erosion. A healthy mangrove forest is a nursery: much of the hamour, sheri and other reef fish anglers chase here spent their youth hiding in these roots.
For visitors, the surprise is how green it all is. Channels wind between walls of foliage, herons stalk the shallows, and the water turns glassy and emerald. It feels a world away from the skyline, and in places it is only minutes from it.
The UAE’s mangrove story
The country’s relationship with mangroves goes back to the 1970s, when the late Sheikh Zayed launched the first restoration projects. That legacy became national policy: under the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative, the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi has planted 44 million mangrove trees since 2020, and mangrove cover in the emirate is up 92 percent since 1987.
The national pledge is 100 million mangrove trees by 2030, taking the UAE’s total mangrove forest to 483 square kilometres. Drones now drop germinated seeds into areas no crew could reach on foot, and the forests are monitored as carbon sinks on the road to net zero by 2050.
Where to see them
The main forests sit along the coast between the city, Saadiyat and Yas islands. Mangrove National Park and the Eastern Mangrove area hold the densest stands, and Jubail Mangrove Park has a boardwalk for seeing them on foot. From the water you get the better view: the channels are too shallow for big boats, which is exactly why a jet ski is the right machine.
Go early or late in the day. Wildlife is most active in the first and last hours of light, the water is calmest, and the low sun turns the channels gold.
Ride the mangrove channels
Our 3-hour guided Mangroves Tour runs the quiet backwaters at the best light, with a captain who knows every channel.
See the Mangroves Tour