Lace up your walking boots and get ready to explore the natural beauty of Mushrif Park… 

Love being outdoors? We’ve got the trek for you… living in the UAE, we’re blessed with sunny weather year-round and between the blue-flag beaches and rugged natural landscape, there are plenty of ways to escape the city.

In June, a new 10km hiking trail opened to the public in Dubai’s Mushrif National Park. The free-to-use trail is open year-round and, with multiple tracks, is suitable for everyone from beginners to seasoned hikers.

The mountain trail features public restrooms, safety instructions, signage with directions, and rest areas as well as sculptures, stairways, bridges, and slopes to provide hikers with the best views of Mushrif Park’s landscape and wildlife.

Do note that setting fire, cooking, smoking, camping, and staying overnight in the forest is not permitted and children aged 12 to 15 years must be accompanied by an adult.

More about Mushrif Park

First opened in 1974, Mushrif Park is the veritable granddaddy of Dubai’s parks. More a national park than a regular picnic-in-a-green-space kind of place, all of Dubai’s other recreational spots pale in comparison when it comes to scale. It even includes a 35,000 square metre Ghaf tree forest.

Spanning more than 5.25 square kilometres, more than 70,000 trees have been planted here. It’s so big in fact that you can actually drive through it. There’s a five-kilometre walking, cycling and jogging track as well as two 25-metre swimming pools and basketball, volleyball and handball courts.

For many, however, the highlight is the Aventura Nature Adventure Park. Located amidst the forest of Ghaf trees, this high ropes adventure course offers everything from zip lining to rope course challenges. You can choose from more than 85 challenges across different age and difficulty levels, with circuits spread across five different levels – from the ground to higher up in the trees. It also includes the longest series of tree-top zip lines in the region. Tickets are separate from the park entrance fee (Dhs3 on foot, Dhs10 by car, payment via NOL card).

As with all other parks, Mushrif also features children’s play areas, barbecue spots, restaurants and canteens, but also a train ride, equestrian centre and camel riding. There’s also a World Village comprising 13 models of traditional houses, including a traditional German Hausbarn and an ornate Thai house.

Images: Dubai Municipality