The Mangroves and the Beach

Abu Dhabi has a forest, and it grows in the sea. Along the northern shore of the city, close to Reem Island, Mangrove National Park holds almost three-quarters of all the mangroves in the country. It is protected, and the way in is by kayak, paddleboard or a boat run by a licensed operator.

Go at high tide, which is when the paddling is best, and if you can, in the last hour or two of the afternoon. The channels fill, the water comes up among the trees, and the light turns low and gold through the leaves. The guide leads and the group strings out behind. After a few minutes you hear paddles, birds and not much else.

More than 60 kinds of bird use the park: western reef herons standing in the shallows, and greater flamingos in the months they are here. Crabs, fish and turtles live in the water around the roots. Nothing is guaranteed, which is part of the pleasure of it.

Jubail Mangrove Park, on Jubail Island between Yas and Saadiyat, is the gentler version. A two-kilometre boardwalk runs just above the water, so grandparents and small children can walk in among the trees without getting wet, and the kayak trips there run at different times of day, a night tour among them. Look out for herons, turtles and gazelles.

Then the beach. Saadiyat’s sand is white and the shore is long, and you reach it over a wooden boardwalk because the dunes behind it are protected: critically endangered hawksbill turtles come ashore there to nest, and the hatching sites are patrolled. If you would rather stay in town, the Corniche beach has a Blue Flag, family sections and a lifeguard until sunset.

The Louvre is on the same island as Saadiyat’s beach, and its own kayak tours go around and under the dome, so the Louvre and the Saadiyat museums can take the other half of the day.

Good to know

• The paddling follows the tide. We time the booking to high water, which decides the start.
• Sun cream, a hat, water, and clothes you do not mind getting wet.
• Birds come and go with the seasons, so no species is promised.
• Swimwear is for the beach. Cover up to walk into a café or a mall.
• Keep to the boardwalk at Saadiyat. The dunes behind the beach are a protected nesting ground.
• Operators set their own minimum ages for kayaks and paddleboards. We confirm yours in writing.