The Al Maha Desert Resort is the ultimate destination for fun-lovers who want to be close to nature without giving up life's luxuries
There are not many holiday spots where you might bump into an endangered species of animal foraging for food or water early in the morning or in the evening. At the Al Maha Desert Resort, that is exactly what guests can expect.
Opened in 1999, Al Maha, which means Arabian oryx in Arabic, was conceived as an Emirates Group venture, and the resort is set in a conservation reserve that breeds a number of indigenous species.
With an eye to the importance of conservation, which entails the careful reintroduction into the wild of endangered indigenous animals, the size of the reserve has recently been expanded from 25 sq km to 225 sq km.
This area is equivalent to almost 5 per cent of the emirate's total land mass, but the resort takes up less than 2 per cent of the area of the reserve.
'At Al Maha, the emphasis is on conservation and providing a tranquil nature experience,' says Arne Silvis, facilities manager. The refuge is intended to protect indigenous wildlife and flora unique to the region while promoting sustainable ecotourism, he adds.
