Sir Bani Yas Island - Greening the Desert

 

Bani Yas Island has always been on my UAE To Do List. The island is about a 3,5 hour drive and 30min boat ride from Dubai and lies off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the western region. It’s the largest natural island in the UAE. Its rich history, incredible flora and fauna and the story of how it evolved into a major conservation project truly makes it a globally unique destination.

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Peacock Central

One of the more common animals on the island are peacocks - in fact, a ranger told us they are considering to introduce some desert foxes to control the population, as culling is not allowed by law.

Bird Life

Some might say this one could be straight out of Angry Birds.

Gazelle

Probably the second most common animal on the island, after the Peacocks.

Turkey

I guess this is a female turkey, who didn't end up on a Christmas plate.

Desert Rose

With only a few days of rainfall per year, a huge irrigation system taking desalinated water from the shore was implemented over the last decades.

Peacock

Both green and blue types can be found.

Hyraxes

Believe it or not, these animals are closely related to Elephants.

Horns

Of an Arabian Oryx, if I recall correctly. Having seen them in the wild in the desert, these have become some of my favourite animals.

Show Off

Proud of its horns.

Ostrich

A male ostrich, with its pink legs signalling the mating season.

Battles

Two Barbary Sheep (if I am not wrong) measuring their strength.

Resting Deer

Several kind of deer can also be spotted on the island, although we heard they are Cheetah favourites...

Tribute

Workers are said to have planted the UAE's national tree, the Ghaf tree, on top of the mountain in honor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who started the initiative on the island in 1977.

Hungry

There are only 8500 of the Somali Giraffe in the wild. The island is home to about 30.

Encounters

They are free roaming in the reserve.

Nom Nom

The cheetah had just made a kill before we spotted them.

Rest time

So of course it was time to rest after the meal.

Leftovers

This was what was left of the Gazelle after they were done.

Morning Walk

A guided walking tour through the nature park is the best way to truly get a feeling for the animals.

Conservation

The island is home to many critically endangered or vulnerable species, such as Barbary sheep, and Arabian tahr.

Sunrise Views

Many thousands of animals have been released back into the wild to help local and international conservation efforts.

Giraffe Family

After the last young has been born, male and female giraffes have been seperated on the island to avoid further population growth, as giraffes eat a lot...

Wildlife

More than half the island is made up of the Arabian Wildlife Park, which is home to more than 10,000 free roaming animals.

Under Observation

As we came closer during the walking tour, we were monitored quite intensely...

Car Tracks?

Actually - these are tracks from gazelles walking towards one of the feeding stations, they like to keep in line...

Greenery

Over 3 million trees have been planted on the island over the last 40 years.

Full Moon

Staying during full moon meant nights were bright.

Desert Islands Hotel

The first hotel on the island opened in 2008 and used to be Sheikh Zayed's guest house.

Dinner Time

It's getting cold in the Winter out in the sea, but a fire on the beach and some arabic food makes it more than bearable.

Wadi

The rugged mountain area features some beautiful Wadis which fill with water during (rare) rainy times.

Cemetary

Many animals are said to come here for their last hours.

Oxidized Iron

Haematite I believe?

Colourful

Gypsum mixed with iron turn into brown and red colour shades across the rocks.

Barren

The central part of the island has not been planted much, and shows the barren yet beautiful mountainous landscapes.

Nature & Culture

Aside from beautiful nature, the island is also home to the UAE's only discovered Christian monastery from around 600 AD - it is currently being renovated and can't be visited though.

The First Rays

Salt and sediments squeezed their way to the surface, creating the patterns in the rock.

Shadow Selfie

Sunrise always makes for the best light.

Green Dot.

Even in this landscape, some plants survive, although very few are naturally occuring.

Exploring

You can explore the island with a 4x4 or also by foot - although at 87sqm it was a lot bigger than I had thought.

Beach Life

The natural variety of the island is amazing.

Hotel Views

The island now has three hotels run by Anantara, with a total of less than 150 rooms. Al Yamm is located on the eastern shores in the mangrove area.

Fattie

Unsure of what kind.

Terrace Viewpoints

The Al Sahel hotel is located towards the centre of the island surrounded by greenery, with gazelles and other animals regularly passing by.