Dubai: The Dubai Safari Park witnessed a remarkable turnout after its reopening last October after the completion of a comprehensive renovation and development process aimed at expanding the park’s facilities and enriching the visitor experience further, while taking new measures to preserve the safety of visitors, Dubai Municipality said on Monday.
Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said in a statement: “Dubai Safari Park has received a remarkable turnout during the past three months, as the number of its visitors reached 290,000, amid the application of strict precautionary and preventive measures [against COVID-19] as the park extends over a large area of 119 hectares.”
Operation trials
He added: “We carried out 13 operation trials for three months before the opening, with the participation of 7,000 people, and the average satisfaction rate was 93 per cent. Not all animals were shown in those experiments, and we made improvements based on some of the observations recorded and during the opening, all animals were shown to the visitors.”
Al Hajri explained that some new services have been introduced, such as air-conditioned vehicles to transport visitors and the implementation of educational programmes for visitors and for student trips.
He pointed out that the observations received through the website and social media and the questionnaires distributed at the reception in the park were followed up.
Al Hajri said the visitors enjoyed experiencing a variety of options, destinations and locations, including the Arabian Desert Safari tour, the Asian Village, the African Village, the Wadi Area, the Explorer Village and the Kids’ Farm, plus a unique behind-the-scenes experience.
New animals
“New animals were added to Dubai Safari Park after its closure period. The Park is working to provide a wide range of animal welfare and conservation strategies to contribute to providing a better life for local animals, as well as hosting educational and research projects that support the goal of setting up the park. It also contributes to the preservation of wild animals and endangered species during breeding programmes and rescue missions around the world. Visitors can watch a number of the most amazing animals in the world and interact with them in one place,” he added.
Al Hajri continued: “A team of experts is working to provide a healthy environment and provide care and attention to all animals in the Dubai Safari Park. As for the species that do not belong to this region, they have closed habitats dedicated to maintaining climate control and to ensure the comfort of the animals.”
“There are about 3,000 animals of different types in Dubai Safari Park. The park provides opportunities to enjoy the best times, between the appearances of wildlife from various global environments, the interactive experiences it provides, and a wide range of entertainment and educational programmes, in addition to new activities, designed to suit different ages,” he pointed out.
Comprehensive development
Dubai Municipality had recently announced that Dubai Safari Park has completed preparations to receive its visitors, after completing the comprehensive development processes that many internal facilities have undergone in this excellent destination, which is considered one of the important tourist and entertainment attractions in Dubai, in terms of what it offers to the visitors.
Several additions were made with the aim of achieving comfort for visitors from entering the park until the end of their daily programme, including facilitating their access to the park’s various sites, and enjoying its services and attractions. The walking paths for visitors have also been developed inside the park so that they can explore all its areas easily.
Major villages
The Dubai Safari Park includes three main villages: the African Village, the Explorer Village, and the Asian Village, in addition to the Arabian Desert Safari Tour.
African Village
The area of the African Village is 12 hectares, and its facilities are characterised by the African style in all its buildings, with bright colours, so that visitors feel as if they are in the heart of the brown continent, and the village is divided into two main areas: the African Savannah and the rainforests of Africa. The African Village includes the main plaza area, which has a range of facilities and restaurants to serve visitors.
Asian Village
The Asian Village mimics the unique architectural styles of this continent, and the distinctive features of its architectural style in terms of decorations and special inscriptions, as the village embodies the great cultural diversity of the Asian continent. It includes a group of diverse wild animals in an area of five hectares, which gives the visitor the opportunity to enjoy watching animals on a special ride. The village also includes exhibitions of the various animals that live in this area, in addition to displaying the world’s amazing creatures in the ‘Asian Theatre.’
Explorer Village
Guests can tour the Explorer Village to learn about additional types of animals and colourful birds from all over the world, through a unique Safari Trip that stimulates visitors to discover animals from Africa and Asia. Through a Safari Bus, accompanied by a specialised guide, who provides an explanation about the animals, and answers visitors’ questions and inquiries.
Arabian Desert Safari tour
The Arabian Desert Safari tour extends over an area of eight hectares, in which the animals are distributed on the basis of the geographical topography in the Arab region, within three different environments, starting from the desert lands, followed by the rocky mountains, where different animals are displayed, each according to its environment. Visitors can experience different exhibits, travelling in electric vehicles, in a typical Arab environment, with different types of plants, carefully chosen to suit the nature of this region.
Educational Interface
The Kids’ Farm area is one of the main educational and entertainment destinations in the park, as it reflects the traditional features of small farms, and includes stables for horses, barns for cows, sheep, goats and chickens, where families can enjoy the activities of the farm, with their children of all ages.
