Dubai: 15 amazing outdoor experiences to try this winter

GO SKYDIVING: Skydive Dubai caters to anyone craving an adrenaline rush and welcomes skydiving enthusiasts to enjoy the spectacular views while flying high over the Palm Jumeirah. If you are skydiving for the first time, you can jump in tandem with a professional coach to enjoy a safe experience.

HATTA WADI: Hatta is the perfect getaway from the city lights, providing an opportunity to get back to nature as well as to experience a wide range of activities. You could go mountain biking or hiking in the Hajar Mountains – also known for its stunning views – or enjoy wadi-bashing in the riverbeds and even go kayaking in the Hatta Dam. The Hatta Wadi Hub offers visitors experiences such as a 10-metre high climbing wall that includes five lanes, a slingshot that propels those looking for adventure, fun and suspense to a height of up to 50 meters, and paragliding.

ZIP ACROSS THE X-LINE: Try the longest zipline in the world – the XLine – which is located in Dubai Marina Mall. The XLine is one of the steepest and fastest ziplines around the globe, and has multiple lines, which means that family and friends can delight in the fantastic views together.

GO ON A HOT AIR BALOON RIDE: A hot air balloon ride treats people to a magnificent bird’s eye view of Dubai. Amazing sights start to appear on every trip, such as the mountains, Bedouin villages, camels and dunes, making it the ultimate adventure.

HORSEBACK RIDING IN THE DESERT: Head down to the Al Jiyad Stables for a scenic ride through the Al Qoudra desert. Located in the Al Marmoom Conservation Area, the Marzooqi family has shared their passion for horse riding and endurance training by offering classes for beginners and experienced riders. Al Jiyad is home to over 120 horses. For a relaxed activity you can join a horse or camel safari through the desert, where you’ll spot gazelles, oryx, and other wildlife. During weekdays, you can ride horses for Dh150 per hour and on weekends it Dh200 per hour.

SHOPPING IN DUBAI’S OLD SOUKS: Forget about the modern malls, for a second shoppers can get some of the best bargains at the traditional souks, where visitors can shop for souvenirs and items like carpets, silk scarves, antiques, textiles, perfumes, spices, and much more. Visitors can visit the Dubai Spice Souk or shop at the Textile Souk in Bur Dubai or head over to Souk Murshid, Souk Naif and even the Gold Souk, featuring hundreds of stores selling jewellery.

DUBAI SAFARI PARK: Dubai Safari Park, a wildlife reserve, animal sanctuary and education centre opened its doors to visitors on 5 October following a comprehensive revamp of many of its facilities. As a unique tourism and edutainment destination, Dubai Safari Park will allow visitors to observe wildlife in their natural habitats, interact with animals in a safe and healthy environment, and discover fascinating facts about a diversity of species native to the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It will also help families and children gain a better understanding of the importance of wildlife conservation and environmental protection. A thermal camera has been installed and manual thermometers are used to screen visitors while social distancing of two metres between people will be strictly enforced. Spanning 119 hectares, the Dubai Safari Park is home to 3,000 mammals, birds, amphibians and invertebrates. The Park features a group of new animals including African elephants and giraffes while rare animals at the Park include the Komodo dragon, Spiral-horned antelope, Arabian Oryx, coloured African wild dog, gorilla, gibbon, bongo and lemur.

VISIT DUBAI MIRACLE GARDEN: Dubai Miracle Garden, the largest natural flower garden in the world, returns for its ninth season. The paradise-like attraction opened doors on Sunday, 1 November. Using over 150 million natural flowers and plants from more than 120 varieties, some of which have never been cultivated in the Gulf region that were arranged and shaped into dazzling and distinct designs, visitors to this popular attraction will see something really different. Record-breaking attractions include the Emirates A380 and an 18-metre floral structure of Mickey Mouse within the garden’s Disney Avenue.

SCUBA DIVING AT THE ATLANTIS TANK: The Ambassador Lagoon is an 11-million-litre marine habitat and one of the largest aquariums in the world. It is also the largest open-air aquarium in Africa and The Middle East at just over three million gallons. The manmade habitat houses marine life found in the local waters of the Arabian Gulf, including different types of sharks like the Zebra shark, Grey Reef shark, Bowmouth Guitar shark, White Tip Reef Shark, Black Tip Reef shark and the Arabian Carpet shark. It costs Dh1,100 per person for a 30 minute dive.

DUNE BUGGY WITH BIG RED: If you’re interested in a bit of a desert adventure, then check out Big Red DXB. They provide adventure enthusiasts with memorable buggy tours. These buggies come with a 4-wheel drive system and automatic gearboxes – making them super easy to operate. The best part is you don’t need a driver’s license to enjoy the activity.

SURFING AT THE BEACH: Now that the wind is picking up, it’s the perfect time to learn how to kite surf. The activity is a combination of flying a kite and surfing on a board and the result leaves you feeling like you are weightlessly levitating over the water. Check out Dukite, who offer the most comprehensive kite surfing lessons in Dubai. Kite surfing lessons typically run for one to two hours at a time.

DUBAI PARKS AND RESORTS: Dubai Parks and Resorts (DPR), the largest integrated theme park destination, comprising a triad of theme parks, has opened its Hollywood-inspired theme park, Motiongate Dubai, along with the Lapita Hotel, a one-of-a-kind Polynesian-inspired resort in the UAE. Featuring 27 thrilling rides and attractions, Motiongate Dubai has reopened with enhanced safety measures to ensure visitors can continue to enjoy fun-filled experiences within a safe environment. To celebrate its reopening DPR has a buy one get one free offer on tickets purchased before 31 October 2020.

DUBAI GARDEN GLOW: Dubai Garden Glow opened its doors for its 6th Season. This year’s theme is ‘Back to Nature’ and people of all ages are sure to find a spot where he/she can enjoy Dubai Garden Glow’s latest attractions. It is home to various thematic recreational areas, including the Alluring Glow Park, Biggest Dinosaurs Park, Spectacular Art Park and Miraculous Magic Park. Over at Glow Park, soft hues interlace with dominant colour palettes to create a bright world of artistic installations. Developed around the theme of Back to Nature, more than 500 light installations were impressively created to liven up the park.

THE PALM FOUNTAIN: Dubai’s newest tourist attraction is The Palm Fountain, the world’s largest fountain that will attempt to break a ‘Guinness World Record’ when it opens on 22 October at The Pointe, Dubai’s premier lifestyle and dining destination by Nakheel Malls located in the Palm Jumeirah. The attraction is the only multi-coloured fountain in Dubai and is spread over 14,000 sq ft of sea water. The fountain’s super shooter will stand tall at 105 metres and come alive with over 3,000 LED lights. Visitors to The Pointe are invited to the launch to enjoy an entire day of festivities, with all-day events and competitions from The Pointe’s restaurants and, starting at 4pm, an array of live entertainment including multiple DJ sets, dance shows, performers and a magical fireworks show.

GLOBAL VILLAGE: Global Village, the biggest outdoor family entertainment destination and cultural park in the Middle East, is all set to welcome visitors for their 25th season, while following enhanced hygiene and wide-ranging precautionary measures to help safeguard their visitors. A brand new website and mobile application are planned for the launch to ensure guests can quickly and easily purchase tickets, pay for parking and top-up the Wonder Pass for contactless entry to rides and other attractions and shows. Global Village promises its guests a unique season full of surprises within a family ambience full of fun and excitement and exceptional shopping experiences, in addition to the opportunity to explore different cultures and cuisines at the many country pavilions.