Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital Tour: Booking, Times and What You See

Five ways to build an Abu Dhabi day around the falcon tour

#1

Al Shamkha, about 6 km from Abu Dhabi airport Falcon fans, families and visitors who want to learn how the birds are treated

The falcon hospital tour itself

The 2-hour tour has a live English-speaking guide and covers the falconry museum, the examination room where falcons receive feather repair and pedicures, and the free-flight aviary. The highlight is a falcon on your arm for a souvenir photo. Booking is online and in advance, and tours do not run on Saturdays or public holidays.

#2

Abu Dhabi, on the mainland side before the island An afternoon after a 10 AM falcon slot

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Entry to the mosque is free with online registration, the dress code is strict and the mosque closes to visitors around midday on Fridays, according to our guides. The falcon tour ends around noon, so on a Sunday or Monday to Thursday the mosque fits the afternoon, but check the drive time between the two in your map app.

#3

Abu Dhabi, off the Dubai highway Visitors who want a second free-entry sight on the way back to Dubai

BAPS Hindu Mandir

The first traditional stone Hindu temple in the region has free entry and its own dress code, and it is closed on Mondays, per our Dubai to Abu Dhabi guide. It sits back towards the Dubai highway, so it works as the last stop before the drive home, outside the Monday closure.

#4

Abu Dhabi city A relaxed second half of the day with air conditioning

Qasr Al Watan

The presidential palace has tickets from AED 65 for adults and a visit of 2-3 hours, according to our guide, and the ticket covers the Great Hall, the gardens and, on some evenings, a light show. Check its closing time in our guide before you plan it after the 2 PM falcon slot from Monday to Thursday.

#5

Abu Dhabi island, Corniche A sunset finish to a long day

Emirates Palace and the Corniche

Emirates Palace and the Corniche are the classic end of an Abu Dhabi day, and they are on the standard route of our city tour. Our guide explains how non-guests visit the palace and what to wear. They fit after the 2 PM falcon slot, though the drive back to Dubai then starts in the evening traffic.

Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital tour: the short answer

The tour lasts 2 hours and starts at 10:00 AM on Sunday and Friday, and at 10:00 AM or 2:00 PM from Monday to Thursday. There is no tour on Saturdays or public holidays, and you must book online beforehand. These details are from the hospital's own website, falconhospital.com. The hospital describes itself as the first public institution in the UAE that gives veterinary care only to falcons, and as the largest falcon hospital in the world, with more than 170,000 patients since it opened in 1999. Visit Abu Dhabi says it sees about 6,000 birds a year.

It is a working hospital with a visitor tour, not a show or a theme park. If you want a bird on your arm for a minute at a desert camp, three of our tours include that, as our falconry guide explains. If you want to see how falcons are treated and why they matter in the UAE, the hospital is the right visit. It is in Abu Dhabi, so it costs you a long drive from Dubai.

Booking step by step

Tours must be booked ahead on the hospital's online booking page. Its site advises booking about 1 week ahead for groups and 2 days ahead for individual tourists. Only available dates are open for booking, and you pay through the online payment portal.

From the hospital's package pages. The comprehensive page carries an old update date, so confirm the details before you book.

For the tour language, the hospital's pages list English. Arabic, French and German can be arranged on request, and Spanish and Chinese for an additional charge. Russian is not on the list, so ask the hospital if you need it. The hospital's phone is +971 2 885 8100 and its email is info@adfh.ae, both listed on its website.

People of determination should email the hospital to arrange complimentary entry, according to the booking page. All online payments are non-refundable: the confirmation step says tour reservations are 100% non-refundable. So book only when your date is fixed.

Tour days and times

The tourism timings are the same on every page we read, with one exception in Ramadan.

From the hospital's website; one of its timing pages carries an older update date. Confirm by phone before you travel.

What you see on the tour

The hospital's own descriptions list four stops:

• The falconry museum: displays of traditional falconry tools and equipment, and falcon registration and passports.
• The examination room: you watch falcons receive treatments such as feather repair and what the hospital calls a pedicure.
• The free-flight aviary: a large aviary where falcons are kept and fly freely inside.
• A falcon on your arm: the hospital calls it the highlight, with a souvenir photo of a falcon on your arm.

Follow the guide's instructions with the birds, keep your voice low and do not use flash close to a falcon. Our falconry guide explains why falcons wear hoods and how to tell a well-run stop from a poor one. The hospital's pages do not list rules about photography or clothing, so ask when you book.

Price, tickets and refunds

We could not confirm the current price in dirhams. The hospital's booking page works out the total from the date and the ages of your party, and the amounts did not display on the pages we could read. What it does show is the age bands: adults are 10 years and above, children are 5 to 9 years and children below 5 are not charged.

Resellers also sell this visit, and their packages vary: some include transport from Dubai or a hotel, and prices differ. Compare like for like, and check the hospital's own booking page for the price on your date before you pay anyone else. Whatever you pay, remember that the reservation is 100% non-refundable.

Getting there from Dubai

The hospital is at Al Sha-i Street 1 in Al Shamkha, Abu Dhabi, about 6 km from Abu Dhabi International Airport, according to its tour pages, which add that taxis are available from the city and from hotels. We have not verified an exact drive time from Dubai. Our falconry guide says to allow about 1.5-2 hours each way, the same as Dubai to Abu Dhabi, so check the time in your map app for your departure hour.

A taxi, a rental car or a private driver can all reach it. The bus and train stop in the city or at MBZ City, so you would need a taxi for the last leg; our Dubai to Abu Dhabi guide compares the options. If you are flying through Abu Dhabi airport, the Abu Dhabi airport to Dubai guide covers the road back. The 10:00 AM slot means leaving Dubai around 7 AM or earlier, so a night in Abu Dhabi suits it better.

What to combine it with

A 10:00 AM tour ends around noon, which leaves the afternoon for one more sight, and the 2:00 PM slot on Monday to Thursday suits a late start. Our Abu Dhabi in one day guide shows the standard loop, and the cards above give the options. Check the mosque's dress code and rules, the BAPS Mandir guide and the Qasr Al Watan guide before you plan the order.

Be clear about our tour: the falcon hospital is not part of it. Our Abu Dhabi city tour is from $45 per person, 9 hours, with an 8:00 AM hotel pickup, and it covers the Grand Mosque, the BAPS Mandir, Heritage Village and the Corniche. It cannot be mixed with a 10:00 AM hospital slot, because the group moves on a fixed route. If the falcons matter most to you, book the hospital yourself, and message us on WhatsApp about the private car, $245 for up to 7 guests with a flexible schedule, to ask whether a stop at Al Shamkha is possible. We confirm what we can do before the day. Our tour or on your own guide helps you decide.

If you only want a falcon photo, you do not need the drive: the full-day desert safari, from $45 per person, and the sunrise balloon flight, from $275, both include one in their programme.

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