Since the cooler climes are here in Dubai, it makes sense to soak up as much of the outdoors as possible, given that one is cooped up indoors eight months of the year. Here is a list of outdoor activities, divided into the things I have done and the things I have not.
Things I have done:
1) Flamingo watching at Ras-al-khor: This is a bit of a drive, but well worth it. Incidentally this is one of the few free things you can do in this very expensive city. Ras-al-khor is a creek that is home to many flamingoes, and these can be watched through a 'hide' built for this purpose. Go at the feeding times. It's lovely and the photos and videos you get are National-geographic worthy.
2) Kite beach: This is a nice beach near Burj-Al-Arab. It does tend to get crowded. You can hire a kayak, banana boat or a stand up paddle board if you're in the mood for more than just lazing around. The main draw for my kids is the Wire world high ropes and zip line, which opens in the evening.
3) Aventura at Mushrif park: Also a bit of a drive, but if your kids are crazy about high ropes and zip lining, it's worth it. There are three courses, with lots of high ropes and zip lines. To go through the whole thing takes three hours. Tickets are expensive, so only go if you plan to spend the full three hours.
4) Global village: An evening here can be a pleasant outing. Global village is a bigger, fancier version of Delhi Haat, with pavilions of countries rather than states. There are plenty of rides for children, you can get some regional food and buy some regional trinkets. If you are lucky, some famous singer or band may be having an outdoor performance, which is included in the price of the tickets! They also do good fireworks on some days.
5) Glow garden at Zabeel park: Glow garden has two parts- one has models of dinosaurs which move a bit and bellow. The other part is just clever lighting of models of fruits, flowers, trees etc. It looks quite pretty in the night. There are rides for kids. They have added an ice sculpture display which I am looking forward to see this year.
6) Al Mamzar park, Sharjah: So technically, this is not Dubai, but so what? Al Mamzar park is worth a visit. Lovely to hang around and has a nice beach with clear waters.
7) Al Ain zoo: Again, technically not Dubai. It's about an hour away. Lovely zoo, you can easily spend the whole day in it, better to hire a golf cart to get around. For a price, kids can feed giraffes.
8) Emirates Zoo: If Al Ain is too far and too big for you, an abbreviated zoo version can be had at Emirates Zoo. It's much smaller and has far fewer animals. But you can feed the giraffes. Also, smaller kids tend to appreciate it as things are at their eye level, you don't need to hoist them up.
9) The ubiquitous desert safari: You can't come to Dubai and not go dune-bashing, can you? There are tonnes of companies which organise desert safaris. They will pick you up from wherever you are located and drop you back. The four wheel drive vehicles drive you out into the desert and then veer off the road and start driving in the sand, up and down the dunes. It's good for adrenalin rush, though personally I detest it. Kids seem to love it. After about 15 minutes of this, you are driven to a camp in the desert, where you can partake in some activities like sand-boarding, camel riding. You can get a henna tattoo, but beware, health hazards have been linked to the use of black henna, so I'd skip it. The evening culminates with a below-average tasting buffet dinner and a cheesy cultural performance. It's very touristy, but good for one time experience.
10) Miracle garden: My least favourite in this list, this garden is a testimony to Dubai's will power to make an oasis in the desert. Huge displays of flowers in various shapes- aeroplane etc. One does admire the tremendous effort that must go into the landscaping and gardening on a daily basis. If you are very fond of flowers, go.
11) Dolphin experience at Atlantis: this is normally a package deal with the aquarium at Atlantis and the Aqua venture water park. For a handsome price, you can get close up with the dolphins, kiss them or swim with them. Too commercial for my taste, but if you have kids who are dying to get close to dolphins, consider it.
12) Bastakiya walk, abra ride, Gold souq and spice souk: The side of Dubai that is not so often seen is the one at Bastakiya district. This is the old, traditional side of the city. Walking around here is a welcome break from the skyscrapers and the modern buildings. The gold souq has some jaw-dropping displays of jewellery. An afternoon at Bastakiya is hands down my favourite thing to do in Dubai, but kids may get bored.
13) Legoland: Dubai is chockfull of amusement parks, but since most of the rides of Legoland are outdoors, I'm told, it makes more sense to hit them in the winter.
14) Burj Khalifa and the musical fountains: One of the few things that's free in Dubai, is the musical fountain show at Burj Khalifa. Want to see water jets shooting high and swaying to the tune of various Arabic and Bollywood numbers? Head here. What is not free is the ticket to go to the top of Burj Khalifa and see Dubai from there. You can find discounted tickets on Groupon or Cobone.
15) Motiongate: An amusement park that is partly indoors, partly outdoors. It is inspired by cinema, and has as it themes various kids films. Incidentally, Legoland and Motiongate are a part of the same complex of parks but each requires a day in itself, so don't even think of buying a ticket that allows you to all parks in one day.
16) Sky-diving: This one is of course, not for kids. I am sure it's very thrilling and all, but I just don't see myself doing this, ever. Is fairly expensive, as expected.
17) La Mer: developed in 2018, this is a complex of restaurants in a beach side location. There is a play area for kids.
18) Al Seef: Newly developed near the creek, the restaurants and establishments here have a traditional Arab architecture. It put up a good show of fireworks during Diwali. Personally, I prefer this to La Mer as it has more character.
I am sure that there are many biking trails for biking enthusiasts, but since I am not a biker, I don't know anything about those. Most of the parks are good for walks, the one we frequent most often is Al Barsha. Jumeirah beach road has a good boardwalk for those who want to walk near the sea, as does Marina and Atlantis Palm.
Mleiha- Of all the excursions I've done in Dubai this year, Mleiha is hands down the best. We got lucky with the weather. It was windy and slightly cold and overcast. The desert was absolutely beautiful. The dune buggy ride to the ancient fossil rocks was super fun and the museum was interesting. The coffee shop at the Meliha Archaelogical centre was to die for. I can't wait for the weather to cool down, so I can go again and this time, I will make an overnight trip so I can star gaze in the desert.
Things I have not done, but intend to check out:
Camel fair/race: these are held on the highway going to Al Ain. As children, we heard horror stories of children being tied to the camels for races. It appears that nowadays, the camels are ridden by robots as jockeys. I need to visit to find out if this is fact or fiction.
Dubai safari: Did not hear very good reviews from the people who went last year, mainly to the tune of, 'too hot, disorganised, not too many animals'. Hopefully, they will have got their act together now that they've been around for one season.
The Quranic park: from the point of view of learning more about Islam
Turtle feeding at Madinat Jumeirah
Happy outdoors!
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