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Water water everywhere
If you’re a water baby you’d be a fool not to visit Atlantis on The Palm. Not solely a hotel complex, here you’ll
find the ever-popular Aqua venture Waterpark and Aqua venture Beach, 1.4 kilometers of pristine sand
and two immaculate swimming pools. There are numerous waterslides, a 1.6 kilometers river ride, wave
generator and family friendly snorkeling.
For water experiences that don’t require your togs, experience the jaw dropping Dubai Fountain on the
30 acre Burj Lake, it’s the world’s tallest performing fountain. Or you could take a plane over ‘The World’
– a manmade archipelago comprising 300 islands in the shape of the earth’s continents. Still a work in
progress, it’s best to view this one from the air.
To escape the desert heat, head to Yas Waterworld. Enjoy hair-raising waterslides, or simply wade in the
cooling pools.
Some like it hot
For as much as there’s water in Dubai, there’s also sand.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi roll into the seemingly never-ending Arabian Desert where dusty and windblown
sand makes mile upon mile of unbounded vistas. You’ll see vast plains of beauty; deep red and fiery.
Experience an unforgettable desert night safari and travel by 4WD into a secret desert location, bumping
and rolling through towering dunes on what feels like a desert roller coaster. Partake in camel rides and
sand boarding (and a few downhill rolls
if you’d like) before a BBQ and
shisha under a starlit night sky.
Take your camera for the
impressive sunset, and equally impressive belly dancers.
And for something even more unique, stay until morning on a memorable overnight safari. Take extra thick
blankets and your camera for the startling desert sunrise.

Big, bigger, biggest!
The rule of thumb in the UAE is that when something’s first built, it’s big, then someone else comes along
and builds an even bigger masterpiece. Such levels of competition result in mega structures and daring
skyscrapers. Buildings such as the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Al Arab have been defining Dubai’s world
famous skyline for decades; a spectacle whether you’re seeing it for the first time or the fiftieth.
From Dubai, you’re only an hour and forty minutes drive from Abu Dhabi, and they’re not short on
incredulous architecture either. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque accommodates 41,000 worshippers, boasts
80 marble domes, over 1000 pillars and four 107 metre-high minarets, and if that doesn’t bedazzle you,
Capital Gate definitely will. Dubai may have the world’s tallest, but this skyscraper leans semi unnervingly
18° to the west.
Mark the calendar
Barely a week goes by in the Emirates without some sort of crowd-pleasing festival occurring. From
camel racing and camel polo, to internationally prestigious sporting events, it’s a non-stop calendar of
celebration.
The annual Dubai food festival showcases the hugely diverse culinary flavours found in the UAE. Held in
February, which thankfully is “winter” (temps from 15-25 degrees) the festival kicks off with the popular
Beach Canteen. While over in Abu Dhabi, you’d be a fool to miss the annual Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu
Dhabi Grand Prix, held on the famed Yas Marina Circuit. This is where you can experience the world’s only
twilight race.
From food to fashion, Dubai shopping festival (To end wonderful year) is the largest shopping and
entertainment
event in the Middle East.

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