Hawar Islands

The Hawar Islands lie off Bahrain's southeastern coast close to the Qatari shore, a group of low desert islands surrounded by shallow water and seagrass, and they hold what is generally described as the world's largest breeding colony of Socotra cormorants, along with ospreys, flamingos and one of the region's more significant dugong populations in the water around them. The group is usually described as sixteen islands, thirty-six counting every small sand and shingle bank, and only the main one has any development on it at all.

The landscape

• The cormorant colony - the largest breeding concentration of Socotra cormorants anywhere.
• The seagrass beds - the shallow water feeding ground around the islands.
• The dugongs - one of the region's more significant populations.
• The desert islands - low bare ground with almost no vegetation.

When to go

November to March is the comfortable season. Cormorants breed from around October to March. Summer heat and humidity make the trip unpleasant.

Before you go

Access is controlled and permits are needed; independent visits are not straightforward. Facilities on the islands are minimal and the resort has been closed for periods. Boat crossings are cancelled in wind.

Nearby

Al Dur is northwest on the Bahrain coast.

Key facts