Life in the Wild Camera Trails 2026 in Fujairah

Life in the Wild: Camera Trails is a guided volunteering hike in Wadi Wurayah National Park, Fujairah, on the morning of Saturday 7 November 2026, run by Emirates Nature-WWF through its Leaders of Change programme. Over about three hours in the mountains, volunteers learn how camera traps work, review what they have captured and help record the species living in one of the UAE’s most important protected areas.

It is a rare chance to see the side of the Hajar Mountains that only appears when nobody is watching: shy, nocturnal and endangered animals caught on motion-sensor cameras.

Camera Trails in Wadi Wurayah, Fujairah

Leaders of Change is Emirates Nature-WWF’s volunteering and community action programme, giving residents a hands-on role in conservation through field activities across the country. Camera Trails takes that idea into the mountains. The Emirates Nature-WWF team guides participants along the wadi, explains how camera traps are chosen, positioned and installed, and shows footage of rare and endangered wildlife recorded in the park.

The morning has clear goals: understanding which species live in Wadi Wurayah and when they are active, monitoring threats to the park and its recovery, and learning practical wildlife tracking methods across different mountain habitats. Participants also use the iNaturalist app to log the species they spot, so their sightings become real observations in a global biodiversity database.

The activity is sponsored by the Fujairah Environment Authority and Mashreq.

Why Camera Traps Matter Here

Camera traps have been part of Wadi Wurayah’s story for years. Fujairah Municipality began using them in 2006 to monitor wildlife, poachers and intruders, and a 2018 study in the Journal of Threatened Taxa described 89 cameras covering the core zone of the park on a two-kilometre grid. Their main targets include the Arabian tahr, caracal, red fox, Blanford’s fox and Gordon’s wildcat, all animals that are hard to see in person.

The results have been striking. Emirates Nature-WWF credits camera traps with helping to identify more than 1,100 species in the area, including a porcupine never previously recorded in the wadi. In October 2025, motion-sensor trail cameras installed by Emirates Nature-WWF citizen scientists with the Fujairah Environment Authority photographed an Arabian caracal in the park. The caracal is classed as Critically Endangered on the UAE National Red List, with likely fewer than 250 mature individuals left in the wild, and the sighting came through the Notice Nature initiative supported by Mashreq. Before that, the species had been logged elsewhere in the country only rarely, at Jebel Hafeet in 2019 and near Wadi Shees in March 2023. Camera Trails puts volunteers in the same landscape, using the same tools, as that work.

What the Morning Involves

A guided mountain walk

The session starts at 8am and runs for around three hours on foot through the Wadi Wurayah mountains, led throughout by the Emirates Nature-WWF team. Sturdy closed shoes suited to rocky ground will make the walk more comfortable.

Camera trap know-how

You see how traps are set up and why placement matters. They record animals that are shy, nocturnal or simply very difficult to encounter, and understanding how they work explains much of what we now know about the park’s wildlife.

Reviewing the footage

For many participants the highlight is the footage itself: a glimpse of rare creatures going about their lives undisturbed in the mountains.

Citizen science with iNaturalist

Every species you record in the app adds to the picture of what lives in the wadi. Setting up the app and an account before you leave home helps, as you will want it ready on the trail.

About Wadi Wurayah National Park

Wadi Wurayah is a protected mountain area in Fujairah, established as a protected area in 2009 after years of joint work by Emirates Nature-WWF and the local authorities. In October 2010 it joined the list of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, and it is also recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Its freshwater streams and pools, the reason for its wetland listing, support a wide range of species. Because it is a protected area, following the guides’ instructions and leaving no trace are part of taking part. Exact meeting details are shared through the Leaders of Change platform after registration.

Who Can Join

The activity is open to participants aged 12 and above, so it suits nature-loving teenagers and their families as well as adults who want to contribute to conservation. No science background is needed; curiosity and a willingness to hike over uneven ground are the main requirements. It is open to Leaders of Change members, and non-members can register through the programme.

To plan the rest of your trip to the east coast, see our guide to things to do in Fujairah, browse more outdoor attractions in the UAE and our round-up of things to do in November.