From Desert Adventures To Dinners With A Difference, It’s Time To Tick Off Some Of Those ‘Must-Do’ Things In Dubai
Sand dunes, towering skyscrapers and the possibility for endless adventures and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, whether you’re new to Dubai, you know you won’t be in the desert for much longer, you want to buy someone the ULTIMATE gift or you want to get out there and have some fun, here are some of our favourites to add to your bucket list, mamas!
Thought water parks were only for kids? Think again, mamas! Aquaventure is one for the whole fam but one of the flumes, Poseidon’s Revenge, is definitely for the grown ups only (and not for the faint hearted!). This ride has a trap door that opens beneath your feet – letting you drop almost vertically for 75ft before launching you into a double loop at nearly 40mph. Yup, it’s gotta be done at least once – right?!
https://www.atlantisthepalm.com/
Read more: Watery Fun In & Around Dubai
750 pounds of lean muscle, 300 razor sharp teeth, 100 million years in the making. EEEK! Are you ready to come face-to-face with the world’s ultimate predator? Book in for a shark dive at the Dubai Mall Aquarium where you’ll come face to face with the largest collection of Sand Tiger sharks in the world. Whether you’re a certified diver or not the experience is open to all (partners Al Boom Diving offer a short course for anyone who’s never dived before and kids over the age of 10 can join too). Your little ones will love waving at you through the glass!
Fancy tucking into dinner whilst suspended 50 metres above the ground from a crane? If an adrenaline rush is your idea of a great date night, book yourself an experience of a lifetime with Dinner in the Sky, which is located at Skydive Dubai. With prices starting at AED 499 for afternoon tea and AED 799 for dinner, it’s not the cheapest way to dine with your hubby – but it’s definitely one you’ll remember forever. Remember to take your camera for some amazing skyline shots – and don’t look down, mamas!
Read more: 11 Fabulous Places To Try For Your Next Ladies Night
Ahhh the desert – so beautiful but so big! It can be daunting knowing where to go (and then getting your wheels stuck in the sand…we’re talking from experience here). For the ultimate desert adventure take a step back in time and experience Dubai as it was 50 years ago in a museum quality, absolutely gorgeous vintage 1950’s Land Rover. Your guide will point out local wildlife within the pristine Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve while you sit back and enjoy the ride. And at the end of the day, as the sun sets over the horizon you’ll be treated to a cultural evening of dancing, music and dinner as falcons soar around you in the private Royal desert retreat. Magic.
Read More: 10 Perfect Picnic Spots In Dubai
If a night under the stars sounds appealing but all the work that comes with it is just WAY too overwhelming – or frankly you want a bit of comfort and that extra touch of magic with your experience then we know just the way to do it. Arabian Glamping is a super cool set up run by a team of lovely people who’ll create a gorgeous desert camp complete with vintage style tents, fairy lights, comfy beds and lots more. They’ll also build you a roaring fire and arrange for some delicious food so that you can sit back and relax with a drink in hand – perfect!
Psst… these guys also do desert picnics if you want to try those before you commit to sleeping amongst the dunes.
www.facebook.com/ArabianGlamping
Read More: Happy Campers – Camping For Families In The UAE (& Beyond)
Float up, up and away in a hot air balloon for a beautifully serene birds-eye view of Dubai. Yes, you’ll have to rise before the sun (isn’t that normal anyway these days?!) but you’ll start your day in the most magical way, watching the colours of the desert change with the light, spotting Oryx, gazelle and camels below and seeing our infamous city skyline come to life. And here’s the super-cool part… you’ll be sharing your balloon basket with Peregrine falcons and experience these amazing creatures in full flight as they circle your balloon over a kilometer above the earth. And after your flight (as if that isn’t all exciting enough), you’ll be treated to a desert drive in a vintage 1950’s Land Rover and a scrummy brekkie in a Bedouin camp setting. Suitable for the over 5’s, this isn’t cheap but it’s a one-off experience worth digging into the pockets for mamas!
Read more: 24 Things to Do in 24 Hours in Dubai
If you’re an adventurous sort then why not get your thrill (and a great view to boot) by jumping out of a plane over Palm Jumeirah/Dubai Marina?! Skydive Dubai offer tandem jumps, allowing you to feel the thrill of free fall while harnessed to a professional instructor (phew!). This is definitely a good introduction to the (scary?!) skydiving experience and is guaranteed to give you the sort of adrenaline rush no roller coaster could measure up to. Plus you’ll get digital stills and a video of the jump as a memento.
There’s high tea and then there’s REALLY HIGH tea at At.Mosphere on the 122nd floor of the world’s tallest building. Yes ok so it’s quite expensive but the experience is unforgettable (and this is a much cooler way to go up the Burj than faffing around with queues to the observatory tower where sandwiches are definitely not included). Take your time over a delicious main course before getting stuck into the high team stand complete with finger sandwiches, pretty pastries and scones and berries and cream plus a glass of bubbly and Beluga caviar and a few oysters (yes mamas!) if that’s more your thing – and get one of the best views of the sun setting over Dubai too.
Read More: 18 of Dubai’s Best Hidden Gems
Take to the water and then to the skies on a seaplane tour over the city and the chance to see your fave spots from above! The Dubai Silver Air Tour includes all of the iconic attractions – take off from the water at Dubai Creek or Jebel Ali Resort before cruising along the coastline, soaring past monuments and getting up close to the Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab. The closest thing we’ll ever get to flying private – and a completely awesome experience.
Dubai Frame opened this year and is most definitely one of THE must-do’s for anyone living/visiting our desert city. This dazzling golden structure in Zabeel Park will take you on a journey through time – exploring old Dubai, present Dubai and future Dubai complete with projections, special effects, a 360 degree view of the city from a sky deck and much more. And it’s not astronomically expensive to visit – just AED 50 for adults and AED 20 for children between 3-12 years old – so this bucket list addition isn’t going to break the bank! Make sure to book in advance, mamas.
Read more: A-Z of How to Keep Your Family Busy Over the Winter Holidays
Dubai’s first resident show opened in Al Habtoor City last year and – in true Dubai style – is rumored to become the best show in the world (and for good reason, Franco Dragone who’s the mastermind behind it all is responsible for Las Vegas’s theatrical sensations). We’re talking 65 artists from 23 countries in a 90 minute live performance that includes everything from jaw-dropping stunts to aerial antics and an on-stage pool filled with 2.7 million litres of water. Wow. You gotta see it to belive it (especially the stunt featuring motorbikes circling inside a suspended ball…. AMAZING!).
Fancy yourself as a bit of an adrenalin junkie, mama? XLine Dubai is not only the world’s longest urban zipline but also one of the coolest new things to try in the city. Flying over land and water across Dubai Marina you’ll be reaching speeds of 80km ph and starting at 170 meters up. Oh and there are two lines so that you and your hubby/friend/fellow adventure seeking mama can whizz down together in tandem. Woohooo!
This post was first published on the site in Jan 2018.