10 January 2026

Saudi Arabia – Mammals -> cetaceans on the Farasan Isl.

Dear all

Some friends and I are planning a trip to SA end of March – beginning of April and are looking for some tips regarding mammalwatching, and especially regarding the situation around the Farasan Islands for cetaceans. Supposedly it could be good for (baleen) whales, (humpback) dolphins and even orca. There is a Marine Mammal Protected Area but much information can’t really be found, it seems. Anyone who’s visited the Farasan Islands or has information about doing so, specifically for marine mammals? We know you can go to the islands for birdwatching (which is what we’ll be doing), but are specifically interested in info on mammals.  Dugong should be possible, perhaps?
Any help welcome!

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Diedert Koppenol
Dutch birder and slowly-more mammalwatcher, based in Amsterdam, NL.
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6 Comments

  • 10 January 2026
    JanEbr

    I am not sure how that would go. A lot of the coast has rather shallow water and there aren’t high cliffs. We did not really watch the sea with much purpose but didn’t stumble upon anything. Maybe you’d want to get on a boat, but there isn’t much on the island, probably you’d need to organize something beforehand.

    I’ll be likely on Farasans again in three weeks, so maybe we’ll learn more.

    1
  • 14 January 2026
    Diedert Koppenol

    Hi Jan,

    OK! Let me know what you find out (and any other mammals you come across, of course! 🙂 )
    Cheers, Diedert

    • 14 January 2026
      JanEbr

      If you interested in other mammals, there are two reports – mine and Carlos’s to check already (which you probably know :))

      1
    • 4 February 2026
      JanEbr

      We spent 4 days in Farasans, saw no marine mammals but admittedly we spent most of the time in the water looking down. Swimming around makes it clear that the water is quite shallow in most places not sure how much cetaceans would like that. The cliffs are indeed really low except for some viewpoints on the southern coast of the main island.

      We did see one Arabian Gazelle crossing the road though.

      1
  • 10 February 2026
    JanEbr

    If you or someone decides to go, note that the Farasan ferry comes with … excitement. 3 years ago, everything was super smooth, but this time, we got stuck on the islands for an extra night and had endless problems with reservations for the cars. At one point the office staff asked why don’t we simply leave the cars on the islands and travel on foot, I really wonder how far did they think it though … They also told us that we can try every day if we fit on the ferry and if we stay like two months, it’s still not a problem, we are cordially welcome on Farasan after all!

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