A WALK IN JUBAIL PARK
Exploring the new boardwalk at the mangroves
After months of anticipation, Jubail Mangrove Park is finally open. A huge new boardwalk through Abu Dhabi’s National Mangrove park offers visitors a new free-to-see opportunity to get a little closer to nature in our capital city. What’s On explores…
NEED TO NODES
The Qurum boardwalk over the mangroves is completely free to tread, and allows you to get right into the botanical maze of salt-tolerant trees. Along the way there are several viewpoints and resting nodes for a paused applause of the natural beauty. We were big fans of the floating platform, where a cotch-friendly cargo net was strung over the glassy blue water below, the viewing tower and the salt collectors.
GET TO THE KAYAK
You can get a much more intimate look (and a pretty tidy workout for your guns) by jumping into one of the rentable kayaks on site. Secure an hour’s tour for Dhs150 (adults) or Dhs100 (for kids), including the guide. If you book two hours, you can even squeeze in a bit of island hopping to the shores of a neighbouring private island.
TWEET DEETS
One of the main reasons for visiting the site is the chance to get up close to the UAE’s native wildlife. Make like Attenborough and creep up on an impressively diverse list of animals, including fish, crabs and 88 species of bird. We spotted a couple of herons, and a modest flock of flamingos whilst we were there. We’ve also been reliably informed that the mangroves provide a vital protected habitat to the greater spotted eagle, which sadly is classified as ‘vulnerable to extinction’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
EASY SEEING GREEN
Hands up if every time you travel back home you say “oh, I forgot how green it is here.” The reality is, of course, that there are plenty of green spaces in the UAE, but few natural ones that are as entrancing as the mangroves. It’s a landscape that evokes imagery of America’s Deep South bayous, immersed in soulful pale blue waters that look as though they’ve been pulled straight out of the Maldives brochure palette. The trees here are all ‘grey mangroves’ (after the colour of their branches and roots). The little upward pointing woody stalactites you’ll see are called ‘ breathing roots’ – enabling the plants to store oxygen during high tide.
REFRESH AND RECHARGE
If you’ve spent an hour or so exploring this island idyll, you’ll have earned the right to snack. There’s a café on site and, currently, two food trucks. Abu Dhabi-based coffee brand Crane caters for those in need of a caffeine hit, with specialty brews from Dhs16. There are gourmet milkshakes from Dhs35 (including lotus biscuit flavour – swoon) and sandwiches from Dhs25.