Wadi Wurayah is a mountain wadi in the Hajar range in Fujairah, on the UAE's east coast. It is a protected area known for its springs and a waterfall that The National and Khaleej Times describe as the country's only permanent natural waterfall. Khaleej Times puts the fall at about 13 metres high, fed by more than 60 springs along a channel of over 6km, and says geologists have found it has flowed without interruption for at least 10,000 years.
On 25 July 2026 the World Heritage Committee, at its 48th session in Busan, South Korea, inscribed Wadi Wurayah on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The National and What's On both report it as the UAE's third World Heritage site and the first listed for natural value. UNESCO's entry lists it under criterion (ix) and gives the property as 22,000 hectares with a 4,500-hectare buffer zone, describing well-preserved exposures of ophiolite formed in the Late Cretaceous and 1,099 recorded species (883 fauna and 216 flora), including at least ten globally threatened species.
The protection is older than the listing. Wikipedia records that on 16 March 2009 Wadi Wurayah became the UAE's first protected mountain area, and that it was designated a Ramsar wetland on 10 July 2010; The National says it became the country's first national park in 2013. Khaleej Times (January 2025) described it as closed to the general public, with access through programmes such as the Emirates Nature-WWF Leaders of Change volunteering scheme.
Since January 2026 visits have been allowed again, but only in controlled groups. What's On (August 2026) and Khaleej Times (27 July and 1 August 2026) name Fujairah Holidays as the operator for the guided tours, which are booked through its "Explore Wadi Wurayah" package. The sections below set out the operator's current terms, what the sources say about the day, and what they do not.
