Desert Safari

When we decided to visit Dubai we were adamant we wanted to get out into the desert. Lots of the tours offered dune bashing which we really didn’t want to do but we found a company Platinum Heritage which did a morning safari with breakfast, a birds of prey demonstration and wildlife watching – this was perfect for us.

We were picked up from our apartment at 6.20am and were able to watch the sunrise as we drove towards the desert.

When we arrived at the desert entrance we were all provided with bags, water bottles and headscarves before getting into the Landrover Defenders to drive across the sand to the Birds of Prey area.

^{All set for the safari}

It was only a couple of minutes drive to the tent where there was tea and coffee available. There was a carpet on the floor and huge cushions so we could all sit down. The demonstrator had lots of different birds to fly including falcons and owls. He provided us with lots of fascinating facts about them and was really good with the kids – letting them all have turns flying the birds.

We then moved over to another tent for breakfast. There was fruit, pancakes and we were served a lovely lime and mint drink which was so good.

Then we got to ride the camels. I actually hadn’t realised how big a camel was and it was rather difficult getting on and off them. The worst bit was when they stood up/sat down as you had to hold on really tight!

It was then time for our safari where we were driven through the desert to look for wildlife. We saw some birds and some Arabian Onyx. Our tour guide was brilliant and at the end he set some great pictures up with Tom and Izzy.

^{Desert Safari}

Although the tour was expensive we were so glad we did it and it was probably one of our highlights from the holiday. We were driven back to our apartment and then spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool before going for another wander around the Burj lake to look at the lights.

Hatta Dam

For our final day in Dubai we wanted to get out and do something a little different. Having researched possible day trips on tripadvisor we thought we’d go for a drive to Hatta to see the dam and the Heritage Village which was about a 90 minute drive away.

It was interesting driving to Hatta as you realise just outside Dubai it is a very big desert with small towns dotted along the mail roads.

Once in Hatta we headed to the Dam for a look. It was too hot to go for a long walk and Izzy needed the bathroom so we made our way to the Heritage Village.

^{Hatta Dam}

I think the Heritage Village will eventually be an outdoor living museum but it was wasn’t quite complete. We had a look in a few of the buildings which gave us some information about the history of the area but most of it was still being built!!!

We then decided to drive over to Fujairah on the coast to visit the beach. It wasn’t as nice as the beaches in Dubai but the kids got to play in the sea for a while before we headed back.

We absolutely loved our time in the UAE – would we go again??? Maybe not as I don’t know what we’d do but we had a brilliant holiday.