Ghaf Woods by Majid Al Futtaim: Forest-Living Prices in 2026
- Ghaf Woods is Majid Al Futtaim's forest-living master community on a 738,000 sq m site in Wadi Al Safa 4, Dubailand, next to Global Village — launched 5 June 2024 with more than 7,000 planned homes.
- The masterplan is built around a forest ecosystem designed to outnumber residents: up to 30,000-plus trees and 350,000 shrubs at full build-out, delivering up to 20% cleaner air and temperatures up to 5°C cooler than elsewhere in the city, per Majid Al Futtaim.
- Entry apartments in the earliest clusters (Serra, Cilia) started from roughly AED 1.2–1.5 million for one-beds and around AED 2.5 million for two-beds; the standalone forest villa collection, Maravelle Residences, starts from AED 5.19 million.
- The community is not one project but a family of named clusters — Serra, Cilia, Lacina, Distrikt at Ghaf Woods, Capria East and West, and Maravelle Residences — each launched separately with its own price band, payment plan and handover date.
- Handover dates span a wide range: the first-phase clusters (Serra, Cilia) are guided for around Q3 2027, Lacina for Q4 2027, and the later releases (Distrikt, Capria, Maravelle) for 2029 — do not assume every unit in "Ghaf Woods" hands over at the same time.
- Most clusters use a 60/40 payment structure — roughly 10% on booking, 50% staged through construction, 40% on handover — though specific splits vary by release.
- It sits alongside Athlon by Aldar, The Acres by Meraas and Sobha Elwood as one of four "lifestyle-first" nature communities competing for the same Dubailand buyer in 2026.
Every off-plan launch in Dubai claims to be greener than the last one. Ghaf Woods is the project that made the developer put a number on it: up to 20% cleaner air, up to 5°C cooler streets, and a tree count designed to exceed the number of people living there. Majid Al Futtaim built its case for "forest living" around a literal forest — one it started planting in a dedicated nursery before the first apartment sold. This is a 2026 breakdown of what that actually costs, cluster by cluster, and why the handover date you get quoted depends entirely on which part of Ghaf Woods you are buying into. Every figure below is dated and sourced; where a number has not been published for a specific cluster, we say so rather than guess. Last updated: July 2026.
What Is Ghaf Woods? Dubai's First Forest-Living Community
Ghaf Woods is a master-planned residential community developed by Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), the Dubai-headquartered group better known for Mall of the Emirates, City Centre malls and the lagoon-anchored Tilal Al Ghaf. MAF launched Ghaf Woods on 5 June 2024, describing it as Dubai's first purpose-built "forest-living" community — a masterplan organised around a planted forest ecosystem rather than a golf course, marina or lagoon.
The site sits on 738,000 sq m in Wadi Al Safa 4, part of the wider Dubailand district, directly adjacent to Global Village and accessed off Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) and Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street. At full build-out the masterplan is designed to hold more than 7,000 residences — one, two and three-bedroom apartments, duplexes, penthouses and standalone forest villas — released in phases under a set of distinctly named clusters rather than as a single uniform product.
Ghaf Woods is a separate community from Tilal Al Ghaf, even though both are Majid Al Futtaim developments and some resale listings conflate the two because of the shared road access and developer branding. Tilal Al Ghaf is the older, lagoon-centred flagship community with apartments generally priced from around AED 1.8 million upward; Ghaf Woods is the newer, forest-themed community a short drive away, positioned as a more accessible entry point into MAF's Dubai portfolio. If you are comparing the two directly, our Tilal Al Ghaf community guide covers the lagoon side of the MAF portfolio.
Location and Connectivity: Where Ghaf Woods Actually Sits
Wadi Al Safa 4 puts Ghaf Woods in the middle of Dubailand's newest development belt rather than on the city's outer fringe. Per Property Finder's Distrikt listing, drive times from the community run to around 25 minutes to Dubai International Airport, 20 minutes to Downtown Dubai, 15 minutes to Dubai Academic City and 10 minutes to Dubai Silicon Oasis — a location that trades a short amount of extra commute time against direct access to two major arterial roads, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street. Global Village sits immediately next door, giving residents seasonal access to one of Dubai's most visited entertainment and retail destinations without a long drive, while the wider Dubailand belt around Ghaf Woods has become the densest cluster of large-scale master-planned launches in the emirate — the same district hosting Athlon by Aldar, The Acres by Meraas and Sobha Elwood, among others.
For a buyer weighing lifestyle against commute, the honest comparison point is Dubai Marina or Downtown itself: Ghaf Woods trades waterfront or CBD proximity for space, tree cover and a substantially lower entry price, in the same trade-off pattern that has driven demand into JVC, Dubai South and Arabian Ranches over the past decade. What is different here is the specific amenity being offered in exchange for that commute — not a golf fairway or a beach, but a planted forest designed around the community from day one.
The Forest-Living Concept: What Ghaf Woods Is Actually Building
The forest is not landscaping bolted onto a finished development — it is the first thing MAF built. Per a Zawya-carried press release from June 2025, Majid Al Futtaim confirmed it had already grown more than 10,000 trees in a dedicated nursery run by Mawarid Holding subsidiary Barari Natural Resources under an AED 49 million contract, with a target of 20,000 trees and 105,000 shrubs by May 2026, rising to a final planted capacity of roughly 30,000 trees and 350,000 shrubs across the community. Species include acacia, citrus, ficus, melia, phoenix, tecomella, ziziphus and the native Ghaf tree the community is named after. Some later marketing material cites a rounder figure of 35,000 trees at completion; treat any single tree count as a build-out target rather than a fixed, audited total until MAF publishes a completion figure.
MAF's stated environmental claims, repeated consistently across its own press materials, are that the forest ecosystem is designed to outnumber the number of residents living in the community, and that it will deliver up to 20% cleaner air and temperatures up to 5°C cooler than elsewhere in Dubai — a passive-cooling and air-quality effect from tree canopy density and shade rather than any mechanical system. The main construction contract for Phase 1 and 2, worth AED 1.7 billion, was awarded to Innovo Build; MAF Properties CEO Ahmed El Shamy has described the concept as "years in the making, with a vision for sustainable living at the core."
On the ground, the amenity list built around that forest includes roughly 8km of walking trails, a 3.5km mountain-biking loop, resort-style pools, a yoga pavilion, productive farming plots feeding a farm-to-table dining concept, and a forest wellness centre and spa. Ghaf Woods is also designed as a pedestrian-first community — internal circulation prioritises walking and cycling paths over car access, a layout choice more common in European eco-districts than in Dubai's typical villa-and-driveway master plans.
Prices and Unit Mix: What Ghaf Woods Costs in 2026
Ghaf Woods is not sold as a single price list — each cluster has launched separately, at different times, with its own starting price. The two earliest residential clusters, Serra and Cilia, opened sales in 2024 with one-bedroom apartments from roughly AED 1.2–1.5 million and two-bedroom units from around AED 2.5 million, depending on floor, view and release wave, per pricing compiled by Bayut's Ghaf Woods project hub. At the top of the range, the standalone forest villa collection — marketed as Maravelle Residences — starts from AED 5.19 million for a two-bedroom garden villa from roughly 2,250 sq ft, rising through larger three- and four-bedroom duplex layouts up to around 5,090–5,539 sq ft.
| Cluster | Unit types | Starting price (AED) | Guided handover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serra (Phase 1) | 1–3BR apartments, 10 buildings | from ~1.2M | ~Q3 2027 |
| Cilia | 1–3BR apartments | from ~1.2M | ~Q3 2027 |
| Lacina | 1–2BR apartments | from ~1.25M | ~Q4 2027 |
| Distrikt at Ghaf Woods | 1–3BR apartments + 3BR duplex, 4 towers | from 1.5M | Q3 2029 |
| Capria East / West | 1–2BR apartments | from ~1.2M | ~Q2 2029 |
| Maravelle Residences (forest villas) | 2–4BR garden villas / duplexes | from 5.19M | ~Q2 2029 |
Prices and handover guidance compiled from Bayut's Ghaf Woods project hub and Property Finder's Distrikt listing, current at the time of writing. Off-plan pricing moves with each new release wave — always confirm the live price list for the specific cluster and unit before reserving.
Distrikt at Ghaf Woods is the cluster with the most complete public pricing: per Property Finder's project page, its four residential towers offer one-bedroom apartments from AED 1.5 million (804–937 sq ft), two-bedrooms from AED 2.8 million (1,443–1,586 sq ft) and three-bedrooms from AED 4.8 million (2,933 sq ft), plus a 3,552 sq ft three-bedroom duplex option — all freehold, open to both UAE nationals and foreign buyers.
The Six Clusters Explained: How Ghaf Woods Is Actually Structured
Buyers researching "Ghaf Woods" often assume it is one project with one price and one handover date. It is closer to a family of six sub-communities sharing the same forest, road network and brand:
- Serra — the first phase to launch, spanning ten residential buildings with one- to three-bedroom apartments; the community's original entry point.
- Cilia — launched alongside Serra, offering forest-edge pools, open-air fitness areas and adventure trail access, close to the community's central retail and dining hub.
- Lacina — a later apartment release with its own phased launch, including a second phase that followed the first within the same masterplan cycle.
- Distrikt at Ghaf Woods — four towers built around a landscaped podium mixing retail, wellness and community space, positioned as the more urban, amenity-dense corner of the masterplan.
- Capria East and Capria West — two further apartment releases extending the community's affordable one- and two-bedroom stock.
- Maravelle Residences — the standalone forest villa collection, the only low-rise, larger-footprint product in the community and the closest thing Ghaf Woods has to a villa district.
The practical implication for buyers: two apartments both marketed as "Ghaf Woods" can carry handover dates two years apart and payment structures that are not identical. Always confirm which named cluster a listing belongs to before comparing it against another Ghaf Woods unit, and treat "Ghaf Woods" on a portal search filter as a masterplan, not a single building.
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Payment Plans: How Buyers Fund a Ghaf Woods Purchase
The dominant structure across Ghaf Woods clusters is a 60/40 split: roughly 10% due on booking, a further 50% staged through construction in instalments (commonly in 5–10% increments tied to milestones), and the final 40% due on handover. Some releases, including parts of Distrikt, offer an alternative construction-linked schedule spread across eight staged instalments rather than a small number of large milestone payments, giving buyers a smoother monthly cash-flow profile. A minority of clusters and later releases have used a 50/50 split instead — always confirm the exact schedule attached to the specific unit and release wave before reserving, since MAF has varied the structure between clusters and over time.
| Milestone | Typical 60/40 structure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| On booking | 10% | Reserves the unit at the launch price band |
| During construction | 50% | Staged in milestone or monthly instalments depending on cluster |
| On handover | 40% | Due on completion and title transfer |
For a broader explanation of how Dubai's off-plan milestone structures typically work, including what happens if a payment is missed and how post-handover plans differ, see our off-plan payment plans guide. If you are financing part of the purchase, run the full repayment schedule — including the 40% handover instalment — through our ROI calculator before committing to a booking amount.
Handover: Why the Date Depends Entirely on Which Cluster You Buy
This is the single most important distinction for anyone shopping Ghaf Woods in 2026. The earliest-launched clusters — Serra and Cilia — are guided for handover around Q3 2027, with Lacina close behind around Q4 2027. That original 2027 completion window is what much of the early marketing and secondary coverage of Ghaf Woods still references as "the" handover date. But the community has kept growing since 2024, and every subsequent release has landed a completion date roughly two years later: Distrikt at Ghaf Woods is guided for Q3 2029, and both Capria East/West and Maravelle Residences sit around Q2 2029.
The gap makes sense once you separate the phases by launch date rather than by brand name — later releases started construction later, so naturally hand over later. But it means a buyer cannot safely assume "Q4 2027" applies to any unit purchased today; that date increasingly describes only the original first-wave apartments, most of which are now further along in the resale market than the primary launch stage. Before reserving, request the developer's current construction milestone schedule for the specific cluster and building, not the community's original launch-era completion date.
Ghaf Woods vs Sibling Green Communities: How It Compares
Ghaf Woods is one of several Dubailand-area masterplans built explicitly around sustainability and greenery rather than a marina or golf course, and 2026 buyers are increasingly comparing all of them side by side.
| Community | Developer | Entry price (AED) | Green concept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghaf Woods | Majid Al Futtaim | from ~1.2M (apts) | 30,000+ planted trees, up to 5°C cooler / 20% cleaner air |
| Athlon by Aldar | Aldar / Dubai Holding | from 2.8M (villas), 1.4M (Rise apts) | LEED Platinum + Fitwel "active living" trail network |
| The Acres by Meraas | Meraas | from ~5.09M (villas) | Swimmable natural lagoons + green corridors |
| Sobha Elwood | Sobha Realty | from ~7.9M (villas) | 10,000+ trees, "seven grand forests" theme |
The distinction that matters most: Ghaf Woods and Athlon both offer an apartment entry point well under AED 2 million, while The Acres and Sobha Elwood are standalone-villa-only propositions starting several million higher. If your budget sits under AED 3 million and you specifically want a forest-branded concept rather than a lagoon or an active-living trail network, Ghaf Woods is currently the only project in this cluster offering that combination at apartment pricing — its own Maravelle villa collection from AED 5.19 million is the exception, competing more directly with The Acres and Sobha Elwood. We compare the whole cluster of Dubailand green launches, including which ones are still selling at original launch pricing, in our ranking of Dubai's greenest communities, and cover Aldar's community in full in our Athlon by Aldar breakdown. For the lagoon alternative at a similar villa price point to Maravelle, see our The Acres by Meraas guide, and for the other forest-branded villa project nearby, our Sobha Elwood breakdown.
An investor with AED 1.5 million to deploy is weighing a one-bedroom in Serra (2024 launch, ~AED 1.2–1.5 million entry, guided handover around Q3 2027) against a similarly sized one-bedroom in Distrikt (AED 1.5 million entry, guided handover Q3 2029). The Serra unit sits roughly two years closer to completion and rental income — a meaningful difference for anyone underwriting a return on invested capital before the 40% handover instalment is due. The Distrikt unit sits inside the community's more amenity-dense podium cluster with newer specification, but the buyer pays for that in a longer wait to rent or resell. He models both cash-flow timelines against his 60/40 instalment schedule using the ROI calculator before deciding — the concept sells the same forest either way; the numbers do not.
Who Ghaf Woods Suits — and What to Check Before Buying
Ghaf Woods is aimed squarely at buyers who want Dubailand's space and value without giving up green, walkable surroundings — a profile that includes young families relocating from denser communities, and investors backing the broader Dubailand growth story that has also drawn Aldar, Meraas and Sobha into the district. At apartment pricing from roughly AED 1.2–1.5 million, it competes directly with JVC, Dubai South and Arjan on ticket size while offering a materially different amenity pitch built around tree cover rather than gym count.
Three things are worth verifying directly with the developer or a broker before reserving: first, the exact cluster and its specific handover date, given the two-year spread documented above; second, the live payment plan attached to that specific release, since MAF has used both 60/40 and 50/50 structures across different launches; and third, the community's phased delivery sequence, since a 738,000 sq m masterplan built out over multiple years means early buyers may live adjacent to active construction for longer than in a smaller, single-phase project. None of these are red flags specific to Ghaf Woods — they are standard due diligence for any large, multi-phase Dubai masterplan — but they are the details that get glossed over in marketing that leads with tree counts and cooling percentages.
A relocating family is choosing between a three-bedroom apartment in Cilia at Ghaf Woods and a comparably priced townhouse further out in an established Dubailand villa community. The Ghaf Woods unit trades private outdoor space for shared forest amenities — 8km of trails, forest-edge pools and a wellness centre on the doorstep — plus a shorter commute toward Downtown via Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. They weigh this against the fact that the surrounding masterplan will still be under active construction in later phases while they live in an early one. For a family prioritising walkable green space and willing to accept a live construction site nearby for a few more years, Ghaf Woods wins the comparison; for a family wanting a fully finished, mature street today, an established ready community is the safer near-term choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ghaf Woods and who is building it?
Ghaf Woods is a forest-living master community developed by Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) on a 738,000 sq m site in Wadi Al Safa 4, Dubailand, next to Global Village. Launched on 5 June 2024, it is designed to hold more than 7,000 homes across a family of named clusters — Serra, Cilia, Lacina, Distrikt, Capria East and West, and the Maravelle forest villas — built around a planted forest ecosystem rather than a lagoon or golf course.
How much do apartments cost at Ghaf Woods in 2026?
Pricing varies by cluster. The earliest-launched clusters, Serra and Cilia, started from roughly AED 1.2–1.5 million for one-bedroom apartments and around AED 2.5 million for two-bedrooms. Distrikt at Ghaf Woods, a later release, lists one-beds from AED 1.5 million, two-beds from AED 2.8 million and three-beds from AED 4.8 million. Always confirm the live price list for the specific cluster, since off-plan pricing rises with each new release wave.
How much do forest villas cost at Ghaf Woods?
The standalone villa collection, Maravelle Residences, starts from AED 5.19 million for a two-bedroom garden villa from roughly 2,250 sq ft, with larger three- and four-bedroom duplex layouts extending up to around 5,090–5,539 sq ft.
When does Ghaf Woods hand over?
There is no single handover date for the whole community. The first-phase clusters, Serra and Cilia, are guided for around Q3 2027, with Lacina close behind around Q4 2027. Later releases hand over roughly two years after that: Distrikt at Ghaf Woods is guided for Q3 2029, and Capria East/West and Maravelle Residences for around Q2 2029. Confirm the guided date for the exact cluster and building before buying.
What does "forest living" actually mean at Ghaf Woods?
Majid Al Futtaim is planting a dedicated forest ecosystem across the community — a target of roughly 30,000 trees and 350,000 shrubs at full build-out, grown from a nursery already holding more than 10,000 trees as of mid-2025. The developer states this is designed to deliver up to 20% cleaner air and temperatures up to 5°C cooler than elsewhere in Dubai, with the forest ecosystem designed to outnumber the number of residents living in the community.
What is the payment plan for Ghaf Woods?
Most clusters use a 60/40 structure — roughly 10% on booking, 50% staged through construction, and 40% due on handover — though some releases have used a 50/50 split or a different instalment cadence. The exact schedule varies by cluster and release wave, so confirm it directly with the specific unit's sales documentation.
Is Ghaf Woods the same as Tilal Al Ghaf?
No. Both are Majid Al Futtaim communities in the same general area, but they are separate masterplans. Tilal Al Ghaf is the older, lagoon-centred flagship community with generally higher entry pricing from around AED 1.8 million. Ghaf Woods is the newer, forest-themed community, positioned as a more accessible entry point into MAF's Dubai portfolio.
How does Ghaf Woods compare to Athlon, The Acres and Sobha Elwood?
All four are Dubailand-area masterplans built around a sustainability or lifestyle concept rather than a marina or golf course. Ghaf Woods and Athlon by Aldar both offer apartment entry points under AED 2 million, while The Acres by Meraas and Sobha Elwood are standalone-villa-only propositions starting from roughly AED 5–8 million. Ghaf Woods and Sobha Elwood share a forest theme specifically, while The Acres centres on swimmable lagoons and Athlon on an active-living trail network.
Is Ghaf Woods a good investment in 2026?
It depends on which cluster and timeline suit your capital plan. Earlier-launched clusters like Serra sit closer to handover and rental income, while newer releases like Distrikt carry a longer wait but newer specification. As with any large multi-phase masterplan, weigh the phased construction timeline, the exact payment schedule for your specific release, and how the entry price compares to sibling green communities in Dubailand before committing.
Start with our Dubai investment pillar guide for the broader off-plan landscape, then run your specific cluster and payment schedule through the ROI calculator before reserving. Inside the REC community, members compare live Ghaf Woods price lists, cluster-by-cluster handover updates and broker quotes in real time — exactly the detail that separates a good forest-living purchase from an expensive one.
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