Dubai is a modern city that has a lot going on, so it’s a waste of time to spend most of it at your designated hotel, eating room service, and watching cable TV or streaming services. Live a little and explore the desert oasis city with some quality outdoor activities.
There are multiple things waiting for you, such as craft markets, cafes, al fresco dining and sandy stretches of beach to unwind before you leave the cosmopolitan city.
Experience the Dubai Desert Safari
There’s nothing quite as outdoorsy as a Dubai desert safari! Instead of just admiring the untouched desert landscapes, you can travel to them by ATV or quad bikes.
Have an Arabian Night type of adventure throughout the desert part of Dubai before returning to the comforts of your hotel. The premium desert safari allows you to also do things like dune bash. What more can you ask for in desert safari hotspots like Desert Palm, Qasr Al Sarab, or Bab Al Shams?
After doing all sorts of outdoorsy activities in the Arabian Peninsula while sightseeing on the side, you can sit down and relax to enjoy traditional Arabian dishes or smoke Shisha inside a private Bedouin tent.
Ski at the Dubai Ski Slope
What’s the least outdoorsy thing you’d expect to do in Dubai? Ski on a ski slope, right? Sure, there’s also such a thing as skiing on dunes, but why not indulge in this curiosity instead! The ironic appeal of skiing in the middle of the desert is too much to pass!
Now technically speaking it’s an indoors event, with you going to the Middle East’s largest indoor ski resort to make this all possible. However, the act of skiing in Ski Dubai is still considered an outdoorsy type of activity that’s remarkable as it is novel.
Ride a Camel through the Desert
Yes, it sounds utterly stereotypical. However, why wouldn’t you want to spend your safari in Dubai riding a camel across the desert? Why not? It makes perfect sense. The pack animal is practically synonymous to the Middle East.
This ancient beast of burden is called the ship of the desert for good reason. It’s quite dependable, resilient, and it can travel through the outer fringes of Dubai City. Camels have stood the test of time as your dependable desert companion through dry heat and sandstorm.
Just follow the rules of the camel service and patronize providers that adhere to the strict animal welfare guidelines for ethical animal treatment.
Sail through the Dubai Marina
Dubai’s humble beginnings as a fishing village start with the Dubai Creek, but the Dubai Marina is where the Dubai of modern times comes from. It’s a manmade marina or even oasis that takes care of the water and nourishment needs of the metropolis in the middle of the desert.
As far as your one-day tour is concerned, you can ride the traditional Arabic boat dhow over the Dubai Marina for a nice cruise. From here, you can squeeze in water sports such as jet-skiing or do some outright skydiving for the ultimate adrenaline rush extreme sport.
Sandboard into Sandy Dunes
Maybe you don’t want to ski in an artificial indoor ski resort or ride a dhow over at the artificial canal reservoir known as the Dubai Marina. If you want to rough it outdoors in a genuine manner, with nothing manmade assisting you like ATVs and quad-bikes, consider sandboarding as an activity instead.
To sandboard the dunes isn’t as effective as quad biking rough terrain to get from one place to another. However, the appeal of the activity roots not from travel but from mastering the waves, whether they’re water waves on a surfboard or sand waves in the open Dubai desert.
Surfing through sand with a sandboard might lead to grittier wipeouts and rougher landings, but they’re as invigorating as snowboarding and surfing at the beach for quite a few tourists.
Charter a Private Yacht in Dubai
If the dhow isn’t your cup of tea while riding either the Dubai Creek or the Dubai Marina, then you can do the water equivalent of glamping (glamorous or luxury camping) by chartering a private yacht to sail across the manmade Dubai waters and reservoir. Yacht rental Dubai is like the floating hotel that enables you enjoy the magnificent panoramas of the Middle Eastern coastline like you’re in Arabian Florida while at the same time providing you with all the trimmings of a romantic luxury cruise but more intimate and personal.
