Out in the desert east of Abu Dhabi, the sand has turned to stone. Ridges, ledges and towers stand frozen in odd shapes, their layered sides catching the low afternoon sun.

The dunes

The Al Wathba Fossil Dunes lie about 45 km east of Abu Dhabi city, just south of the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve. More than 1,700 fossil dunes are packed into about 7 square kilometres, one of the largest groups in the emirate.

How they formed

Fossil dunes are lightly cemented, cross-bedded dune sands. During the glacial period, calcium carbonate and other salts came out of the groundwater and hardened the sand, and the interplay of wind and sand supply then carved the strange sculpted ridges and towers you see today. Estimates of their age differ widely: Visit Abu Dhabi quotes geologists at more than four million years for the formations, and elsewhere gives 120,000 to 150,000 years for the dunes.

A protected reserve

The site is now a protected reserve, opened to visitors in 2022 through the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi. Well-lit walking trails run about 3 km in each direction, with benches along the way, so visitors can walk among the formations without damaging them. The rock is extremely fragile, and the agency patrols the site.

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  Stay on the trail The formations are fragile.
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  Don't climb Climbing the dunes is not allowed.
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  No graffiti Drawing or writing on the rock is prohibited.
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  Take your waste Leave nothing behind.
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  Bring water There is little shade.

Visiting

Entry is free. November to March is the most comfortable season. Wahat Al Karama and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque are both about 29 km away, and Yas Marina Circuit about 34 km, so the dunes make an easy half-day trip from the city.