Dubai Safari Park to remain open in summer with limited passes

Dubai: For the first time, Dubai Safari Park will remain open during summer and limited number of guests will be able to visit the Park with a newly launched special summer pass.

Dubai Municipality, which owns and operates the emirate’s wildlife conservation centre, announced this on the opening day of Arabian Travel Market 2024 (ATM) on Monday.

Ahmed Ibrahim AlZarouni, head of Public Parks and Recreational Facilities Department at Dubai Municipality, said the super-exclusive Summer Pass will operate in the non-seasonal months from June to September, featuring three bespoke experiences: Summer Tours, Summer Safari Journey, and Walk in The Wild.

With limited daily batches of tickets available to small groups of up to 10 people, the Summer Pass has been specially designed around the animals’ summer feeding and sleeping patterns, in alignment with Dubai Safari Park’s commitment to animal welfare.

2-hour tours

The two-hour Summer Tours are private experiences hosted twice daily, with morning and evening options, the Summer Tours include the park’s much-loved Safari experiences as well as numerous different animal encounters.

The innovative Summer Safari Journey elevates the safari experience by providing two safari adventures in a private, air-conditioned vehicle accommodating up to 10 guests. For those seeking up-close encounters with wildlife, the all-new “Walk in The Wild” tour presents a 90-minute guided tour in the early morning. Visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature, observe animals in their natural habitats, capture memorable photos and more.

Ultimate Safari Tour

After achieving 755 per cent year-on-year growth in travel trade sales in 2023, Dubai Safari Park has also launched a new trade-exclusive package to accelerate industry partnerships and boost visitation.

Unveiled at ATM, the Ultimate Safari Tour represents a landmark industry collaboration milestone for Dubai Safari Park as its first-ever ATM exclusive package for travel trade professionals.

Conceived to leverage surging travel trade sales and accelerate new partnerships, the B2B product aims to familiarise travel sector representatives with the 3,000-plus community of animals occupying six themed zones across the 119-hectare site.

Available for reservations until May 15 this year, the Ultimate Safari Tour is redeemable through the end of May 2025. The product includes two Safari experiences with a private guide, exclusive use of a VIP electric vehicle for six hours, fast-track access, reserved seating at live presentations, five animal encounters, a souvenir photo, and more.

“Ahead of reconnecting with our local and international travel trade partners at Arabian Travel Market, we spent months canvassing industry stakeholders to create our first customised travel trade product. In celebrating our triple-digit year-on-year growth in travel trade sales milestone, we understand the importance of looking forward. Our goal is to strengthen existing travel trade partnerships and forge new collaborations that widen awareness of the Park’s core value propositions of entertainment, education, and animal welfare,” said AlZarouni.

Industry insights

Al Zarouni will participate in a panel discussion entitled ‘Experience, Culture and Communities: Creating Better Propositions for Experiential Travellers’ alongside other industry leaders on May 7. Taking place on ATM 2024’s Future Stage from 10-10.40am, the session will highlight how tourism businesses, attractions, and destinations must focus on authentic experiences, creative journeys, and cultural immersions to optimise returns.

At ATM, Dubai Safari Park’s immersive and interactive stand features augmented reality activities, a Safari Bus experience and virtual animal selfie spots featuring some of the park’s 3,000-plus animals, as well as educational presentations with live animals.

Home to over 3000 animals and 300 different species, Dubai Safari Park encompasses six zones: Al Wadi, African Village, Explorer Village, Arabian Desert Safari, Asian Village and Kids’ Farm. The 119-hectare park also hosts daily educational presentations at scheduled times throughout the day.

Dubai Safari Park also undertakes a wide range of welfare and conservation strategies to help animals and native fauna thrive, and regularly hosts educational and research projects as part of the park’s core values. The park also contributes to the conservation of endangered and vulnerable species through international breeding programmes and external rescue missions, while numerous innovative technologies are integrated into the Park’s physical infrastructure to ensure animals are comfortable throughout the year.

The full list of additional Dubai Safari Park packages including King of Safari, Behind the Scenes, Jungle Capture, and Dine in the Wild, can be found on the park’s website.