Learn Falconry in Abu Dhabi

Honest level: Beginner to advanced — ask the school exactly how far that goes in the time you have.

Intensive 6-Day Falconry and Bird of Prey Management Course

Forest Barn's intensive six-day (five-night) residential course runs Sunday to Sunday and is built for people serious about owning and flying a raptor, covering handling, training, equipment-making, aviary design, legislation, fitness management and first aid through hands-on tuition and classroom theory with resident falconer Mark Parker. All participants receive a handbook and a completion certificate, and an optional assessment toward the recognised Raptor Award qualification can be added. It replaces the Mohamed Bin Zayed Falconry School in Al Ain, whose structured courses are weekend-only and aimed at ages 7-17, making them a poor fit for an adult immersion.

A genuine week-long residential, hands-on adult falconry immersion leading to a recognised Raptor Award credential, where the UAE school's structured program is weekend-only and youth-aged.

Approximately GBP 940 for the 6-day course (tuition); accommodation about GBP 95 per person per night; Raptor Award assessment +GBP 350.

Schools in Abu Dhabi

Checked by hand against each school's own course pages. No school paid to be listed.

• Forest Barn Falconry School
  Intensive 6-Day Falconry and Bird of Prey Management Course
  Forest Barn's intensive six-day (five-night) residential course runs Sunday to Sunday and is built for people serious about owning and flying a raptor, covering handling, training, equipment-making, a
  https://www.forestbarnholidays.co.uk/activities/falconryschool
• Mohamed Bin Zayed Falconry & Desert Physiognomy School
  Falconry and Desert Physiognomy training courses (theory, falcon handling, training, breeding, and desert tracking) held at the Remah desert site near Al Ain
  A dedicated Abu Dhabi institution teaching traditional Arab falconry and desert physiognomy, with multi-stage hands-on courses in falcon handling, training and care run on a desert hunting reserve.
  https://mbzfalconryschool.com/
• Emirates Falconers' Club
  Falconry training delivered through its Mohamed Bin Zayed Falconry & Desert Physiognomy School initiative
  The Abu Dhabi-based national falconry body that founded and runs the Mohamed Bin Zayed Falconry School, through which it delivers structured hands-on courses in Arabian falconry.
  https://efcuae.com/
• Abu Dhabi Falconers Club
  Falconry workshops, competitions and educational lectures for members and enthusiasts
  An Abu Dhabi heritage club centred on falconry that runs competitions, workshops and educational lectures, though without a clearly published multi-day residential program for outside learners.
  https://www.efcad.ae/en/

The credential

Master Falconer (national licence) / Raptor Award qualification · Certifying body: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage practice; national permit/apprenticeship systems; UK Raptor Award (Raptor Awards-accredited)

A recognised qualification an outside body stands behind is not the same as a certificate a school prints itself. We name which it is — you should ask the school the same.

Also for Falconry

What I check before I send you anywhere

I'm Arnaud. I cook for a living, and I've spent fifteen years on the water — so I know the difference between a real school and a good-looking website. I built the Atlas because I got tired of the second kind. Here is what a place has to clear before it goes on here, and what I'll tell you straight when it doesn't.

• The craft is actually alive there. A working scene, with people who do this every day — not a demo put on for visitors.
• There's a real teacher behind it. Named, still practising, and certified where the craft has certificates.
• The credential is what it claims to be. A state diploma and a certificate a school prints itself are not the same thing. I check which, and I say which.
• I tell you how sure I am. Most pages here are verified by hand. A few say "still checking" — I'd rather admit that than pretend.
• Nobody pays to be here. No commission, no selling the trip. The order on this map is the strength of the community, never the size of the wallet.
• If I wouldn't send a friend, it isn't on the map.