Moon Lake in the Dubai Desert is one of a few places in the United Arab Emirates, where you have wildlife at your fingertips. Arabian oryxes and Arabian gazelles were recently re-introduced into the desert as part of the UAE’s conservation efforts. Moon Lake, which is actually an artificial lake, serves as a watering pond for wild animals. There is no doubt that the UAE is making every effort to create a favorable environment for wildlife to live and reproduce, and we humans can only appreciate that we can stand aside, accompany and simply be observers. However, remember to keep your distance and not scare the animals away. After all, we are the visitors in their natural habitat.
HOW TO REACH MOON LAKE?
To reach Moon Lake you need a 4WD car. Google Maps might show you the way that would take you through private areas, and you will learn about it from the sign right before the entrance. So, do not follow Google Maps! Instead, as the first GPS coordinate, you will head to is this point: 24.800484, 55.370616.
Here, next to the road, you will see a bicycle path. It is forbidden to drive on it, but the surface next to the track is hard paved sand, so you can go through even without switching to a 4-wheel drive. At some point, there might be sand accumulated on the track but it is overall a beginner’s drive and can be done with any 4×4 or SUV car. The off-road ride takes approximately 20 minutes.
At this point: 24.781141, 55.306578 you will already be able to see a small oasis on the side of the road. Swerve off the road and drive down to enjoy the beautiful Moon Lake and the desert landscape. Further behind Moon Lake, there is a vast desert with quite old and lonely trees appearing on the horizon.
The phenomenon of Moon Lake is that it is an oasis in the middle of the desert and the only landscape variety among the sands, as far as the eye can see.
TO THE MEETING WITH ORYXES AND GHAZALS
If you’re lucky, you’ll encounter oryxes and ghazals on your way that come to drink water from Moon Lake. I have seen them every time I came here in the late afternoon or early morning. However, if you fail to spot them near the pond, you can drive a little further to the feeding point, which is here: 24.789724, 55.290006. It is a little fenced area, where they often wander around.
Moon Lake is definitely one of Dubai’s coolest new attractions. After you are done with your trip at Moon Lake, you may also want to visit the nearby Al Qudra Lakes (24.836687, 55.369687) for observing a variety of birds or pitch your tent at Expo Lake (24.853116, 55.251935) in the cooler months of the year. For an amazing picnic location head to Love Lake (24.837201, 55.407295).
REMEMBER:
- Do not leave any garbage behind, including food. Even organic waste can take months to biodegrade and meanwhile it will attract animals. It may make them stop eating their natural food and rely on what humans leave behind and make them sick.
- Have always a bag ready to collect trash left behind by other inconsiderate people – in the end, you are saving nature.
- Hike or camp over gravel and rocks. In some areas, the vegetation can take years to grow back.
- Leave natural and historical items where you find them.
- Minimize cooking over a campfire, use the stove instead – it is less impact on the wilderness.
UAE OFF-ROADER GUIDE
If you are looking for more off-road trails to discover around the United Arab Emirates, I can recommend this ultimate guide that is packed with many routes, giving very detailed information and answering all questions you could have about off-roading in the UAE.
You can get it from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eQMBbr
FIELD GUIDE TO EMIRATES
To learn more about UAE’s natural & archaeological treasures, check: https://www.fieldguidetoemirates.com
I hope you found this article about Moon Lake in the Dubai Desert helpful and it gave you an idea of where to head to next weekend. If you are looking for more interesting places nearby, I recommend you to check: Desert Mirage or Oasis? Al Qudra Forest or Wandering Dunes Of Half Desert Road in Dubai.
And if you would like to get to know more about the wild animals in the UAE, check this article: 10 Potentially Dangerous Wild Animals in the UAE: Mountains & Desert
