10 Best Adventure Things to do in UAE {Guest Post by Neha Singh}

Guest posted by: Neha Singh of Dubai Wikia

To start off the year, I’m expanding my website and introducing my readers to new content from other writers & travelers. I’m excited to share a place with you that I’ve never been before, but somewhere that Neha Singh knows very well! She’s written up a quick guide on the 10 Best Adventure Things to Do in UAE (United Arab Emirates), located in Southwest Asia! Enjoy!

If you’re looking for dramatic landscapes and opportunities for awesome adventure, then you don’t have to look further than the UAE. Whether it’s the amazing desert, or the incredible Hajar Mountains, or the amazing scores of manmade adventures, you can pick and choose when you’re in the UAE. How about sandboarding down the tallest dune in the UAE – Moreeb dune in Abu Dhabi desert? This 300 metre-high dune rests at an angle of 50 degrees, which makes it perfect for dune-bashing adventures as well. How about challenging yourself and your partner on a couple’s flight on the Jebel Jais zipline? That adventure enough for you? There’s more, at the incredible UAE, so get ready to pack your bags.

Table of Contents

1. Taking A Gyrocopter Flight

Adventuring doesn’t mean being constantly on the move. Sometimes all you need to do is sit quiet and hang on tight and let the adventure take you places. Dubai’s gyrocopters are two-seater crafts, a cross between helicopters and planes. They can hover, zip, do loops, and manage crazy manoeuvres that’ll leave you breathless. Take an exciting flight over the picture-perfect Dubai skyline comprising of the Burj al Arab, the Burj Khalifa, the World Map and Palm Jumeirah Islands and other landmarks.

2. Horse Riding On Sir Bani Yas Island

Sir Bani Yas Island is a default destination for adventure seekers. Many creatures call this desert island home, including giraffes, cheetahs, oryx, foxes and others. One of the best adventures here is riding a trusty steed through the Arabian Wildlife Park, ranging out across exotic landscapes and be a part of the free roaming animals from morning till evening. Take a picnic lunch along. You’ll be enchanted by the landscape, and the free, open spaces for riding your horse.

3. Kayaking The Mangroves At Abu Dhabi

If you love to explore exotic environments in the dead of night, sign up for a nightly kayaking adventure in the mangroves of Abu Dhabi. This ancient ecosystem allows you to paddle in lush greenery and enjoy the sight of varied birdlife, plantlife and animal life. The mangroves are home to turtles, snakes, fish, flamingos and other creatures. A night mangrove tour in LED-light-bottomed boats are a great adventure. The mangrove ecosystem is precious to the UAE’s islands. Take the time to appreciate it and learn from it while you’re on your adventure.

4. Swimming With Real Sharks In Fujairah

The deadly sharks off Fujairah’s coast can have you for breakfast if they mind, but that’s what makes it a crazy adventure. Swim underwater with your snorkel kit on and enjoy the silent majesty of the sharks in their natural habitat. Snoopy Rock in Fujairah is frequented by blacktip reef sharks, with quite a population of them during breeding season. You’ll need to exert a bit of care, but the danger of swimming with the sharks attracts a great many adventurers to Snoopy Rock.

5. White Water Rafting In Al Ain

Al Ain is a blissful, pristine oasis in Abu Dhabi. Of course, the UAE doesn’t have white water rapids, but that doesn’t stop the Emirati people. They just went ahead and built a white rapids river. This artificial river for rafting and kayaking at Wadi Adventure provides a wonderful opportunity to experience all three levels of rapids. Soon you’ll forget that it’s a manmade river and enjoy your rapids as though you’re at a natural river. World rafting championships are held here as well.

6. Tackling The Jebel Jais Zipline

Ras Al Khaimah’s Jebel Jais is the acknowledged highest mountain in the UAE. It is home to one of the greatest adventures in the world – the world’s longest zipline. Thrill-seekers and adrenaline junkies can now travel at incredible speeds of 150kph at 1,680 metres above sea level, all the way from the top of Jebel Jais to the ground. The RAK zipline is the thrill of a lifetime. The flight itself takes approximately two to three minutes.

7. Paragliding Over Al Dhaid, Sharjah

Paragliding over the desert is a compromise between a skydive and a desert safari. In this sport, you’re strapped on to a parachute and launched from the ground rather than a plane. A paragliding flight let you soar at excellent height over the desert sands, literally at the height of dune ridges. Soar over wadis, dunes, oases, and vast open skies under the fabulous Arabian sunset. You can train for solo or tandem flights and paraglide over the desert to your heart’s content.

8. Skydiving Over The Palm Jumeirah

Posting a skydive selfie on Instagram is one of the coolest things to do for adventurers. Whether you’re skydiving solo or taking a tandem jump with a qualified, experienced jumper, you want that selfie. It’s the ultimate adventure in Dubai, a chance to float high above it all suspended in thin air before your parachute deploys and you gently float to earth. The view from that height is simply to die for.

9. Desert Safari In Abu Dhabi

If you want to understand what real nature-adventuring is all about, then sign up for a desert safari in Abu Dhabi. It’s not a good idea to pull off-road in your vehicle and do your own dune bashing. Let an experienced desert driver take you on a dune bashing adventure and scream in joy through it. A desert safari is a great way to study Emirati culture and heritage, with several add-ons such as falconry, Bedouin dinner and breakfast, camel rides, sand boarding, quad biking, paragliding and more.

10. Snow sports at Ski Dubai

You’llbe surprised to hear that skiing is one of the best adventure things to do inUAE. Skiing, in a desert? Yes. Dubai’s sparkling Ski Dubai indoor ski desertoffers you what’s typically an outdoor adventure that’s enjoyed completely indoors.Only soon you’ll forget that you are actually indoors, when you see the scaleof the place and the height of the many ski slopes. Inside, you’ll be facedwith 3,000 square metres of real snow; you can toboggan on it, enjoy snowfights, ski on it, and play with the penguins on the snow. The ski resort ismaintained at a chilly -6 degrees Celsius around the year. You’ll be givenplenty of thermals and woollies when you get inside, so don’t worry, you won’tfreeze.

Conclusion

The UAE has several more adventures to its credit. The Hajar Mountains offer excellent opportunities for hiking, trekking, mountain climbing, rock climbing, rappelling and biking. The UAE’s many adventure theme parks and water parks (Ferrari World, Aquaventure, White Wadi Waterpark, and IMG Worlds of Adventure) offer innumerable adventures, immersive fun shows and scary, high-octane adrenalin-jerking rides.

About The Author:

An avid trekker, explorer and a true foodie; Neha finds happiness in small endeavours of life and loves to pen them down as a cherished memory. A firm believer that “we have just one life to live and so much to do”, Neha lives every moment to the fullest.

Visit her website here: http://www.dubaiwikia.com/

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