Hajar mountains, north-west Fujairah · Fujairah

Wadi Wurayah

A protected mountain wadi holding the country's only year-round freshwater waterfall and pools, declared the UAE's first mountain protected area in 2009 and a Ramsar site in 2013. Access is controlled and permits are required, which is exactly why there is still anything left to see.

Still water at the base of steep mountain rock

Why go

The UAE's only year-round mountain waterfall
First mountain protected area in the country, and a Ramsar site
Endemic species including Arabian tahr and the wadi racer
Permit or guided access — check before travelling

Why it is restricted

Wadi Wurayah holds the only permanent freshwater in the Emirates outside the aflaj, and with it species found nowhere else in the country — including the Arabian tahr, the wadi racer snake and endemic dragonflies and toads. Unrestricted visiting through the 2000s did severe damage: litter, off-road driving through the pools and swimming in the drinking water of the species that live there.

Access is now managed by the Fujairah authorities and generally requires a permit or an organised visit. Arrangements change; check before driving out rather than after.

What you see

A waterfall running into a plunge pool, a chain of smaller pools up the wadi, sheer mountain walls and, if you are lucky and quiet, mountain gazelle or tahr on the slopes. Guided hikes run from Fujairah and are the simplest legitimate way in.

Wadi Wurayah, answered

Can you visit Wadi Wurayah?

Yes, but access is managed — it is a protected area and a Ramsar site, and a permit or an organised guided hike is normally required. Turning up unannounced is how the place got damaged in the first place.

Can you swim in the Wadi Wurayah waterfall?

No. It is the only permanent freshwater in the mountains and the species that depend on it cannot cope with swimmers, sunscreen or soap. Look, photograph, and stay out of the water.