Wildlife & Safaris in the Middle East

Jordan’s flagship reserve, created to bring the Arabian oryx back from extinction and now home to oryx, gazelle, and ostrich. Guided drives track the herds across the eastern desert.

Beyond its scenery, this desert shelters ibex, sand cats, red foxes, and desert larks amid the sandstone. Bedouin guides read tracks and point out wildlife on jeep and camel safaris.

A protected Omani beach where thousands of green turtles come ashore each year to nest. Guided night and dawn visits let visitors watch the ancient nesting ritual up close.

Jordan’s richest reserve for biodiversity, spanning four zones and sheltering ibex, wolves, and over two hundred bird species. A network of trails brings hikers close to desert and mountain wildlife.

A Yemeni island so isolated it evolved a third of its plants nowhere else, including the alien-looking dragon’s blood tree. Endemic birds and reptiles make it a UNESCO natural wonder.

Ancient Caspian forests that shelter Persian leopard, brown bear, wild boar, and rare woodland birds. Misty green slopes offer some of Iran’s best wildlife watching.

A desert reserve nicknamed Little Africa, protecting gazelle, wild sheep, and the last Asiatic cheetahs. Vast salt flats and steppe make sightings a patient reward.

A biosphere reserve where Caucasian forest supports leopard, lynx, brown bear, and abundant birdlife. Rolling wooded hills form a rare green refuge in the northwest.

A Saudi Red Sea archipelago protected for its dugong, sea turtles, and migrating birds. Mangroves and coral fringe a quiet, little-visited marine reserve.

Part of the emirate’s wildlife programme, linked to breeding centres working to save the Arabian leopard and other native desert species. A green pocket amid the arid landscape.

A desert oasis and wetland reserve that draws migrating birds crossing between continents. Restored pools revive a once-vast marsh in Jordan’s eastern desert.

Oman’s southern range, transformed each summer monsoon into a misty green landscape grazed by camels and rich in birdlife. A seasonally lush contrast to the surrounding desert.