I Do It Cause I Can

Kayaking at the heart of Abu Dhabi hidden mangrove is an incredible experience. I love Abu Dhabi, I believe it has this social element to it that attracts me to its city space. And another reason to love Abu Dhabi is its beautiful mangrove plantations. I have kayaked in Abu Dhabi’s mangrove twice already, and despite the fact the weather did not favor my plans, I left with a great experience.

What is kayaking:

Skip this section if you know what kayaking is.

Kayaking has different forms for different purposes and different types of water.

• Sit-on-top kayaks are usually used for leisure trips (fishing, camping…) on calm water.
• Sit-inside kayaks are like sit-on-top kayaks but with the option to stay dry thanks to the outer skirt.
• Whitewater kayaks are used for racing in rivers.
• Sea kayaks are used for ocean/sea racing.
• Hybrid (canoe) kayaks are slow and used for fishing, family, camping on calm water.

Kayaking at Abu Dhabi’s Mangrove 

It has been a while since I last kayaked at Abu Dhabi’s mangrove, but my memory of my previous experiences are full of joy. I remember driving back home with a great satisfaction feeling just because I was able to zone out in nature in the middle of the city.
Abu Dhabi is a city like no other, and if you are like me, you probably find any excuse to leave the city and head to nature. Well, if you like in the UAE, and in particular in Abu Dhabi, you can simply rent some kayaks, and kayak at Abu Dhabi’s mangrove.

Please remember, the mangrove is a sensitive and protected area, therefore respect the plantations and the wildlife. I have booked a guiding service by Noukhada company, and I enjoyed the fact the guide was very well informed of the ecosystem and was able to channel much information I had no clue about.

While kayaking and depending on the time of the day and weather, you get the chance to see larger birds nesting, migrating and just being around. And depends on the tide, you can hop-on and off a few islands/crescents.

Extra stuff:

• You can rent out kayaks from a few shops around the UAE. But you have to pre-arrange the pickups and availability. My choice of renting kayaks always goes to Global Climbing (and no they do not pay me to advertise their shop).
• For this one, in particular, I suggest to check out Noukhada tours as they offer very nice packages (no I am not paid to endorse them)
• If you are a couple, I recommend going for a double seater kayak, it is fun.
• Feel free to take whatever games/toys you want, make it fun as long as you leave no trace behind.
• For more Kayaking adventures, you probably should try kayaking between UAE’s remote islands and Kayaking at Hatta.

Red Tape:

• Hydrate well and have some sun protection.
• I have heard there are oil refineries (or some sort) which you should not come close to. So if you see a fenced area, stay away and do NOT take photos.
• Some of the islands around are privately owned, so stay away from them unless you were invited.
• If you get sea sick, or have problems with motion sickness, make sure you have some meds.
• Do not litter the sea. Take all your garbage with you. If you find plastic in the water, please pick it up.
• Respect the mangroves, and don’t do any harm to the plantations.
• Keep the life jacket on you if you do not know how to swim.
• Make sure you have all your belongings in waterproof bags or drum barrels.
• Watch out from driving on soft sand and mud. Getting your car stuck there could be painful.

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