Dubai Day Trippin: Big days out for when visiting guests don't want to rest
Exploring Dubai the many sides of Dubai….
When you’re confronted by convention-defying, record-breaking sights every day it’s easy to forget how awesome they truly are. You may now scarcely look up as you pick your way through the hordes of tourists enraptured by the dance of fountains and selfie opportunities with the world’s tallest building – your disgruntled tuts belying the insidious amnesia of familiarity. Dubai is a city so disproportionately rich in artefacts and landmarks of wow and wonder, that our calloused apathy descends quickly and becomes hard to shake. Every now and again though, we should seek to see things through the eyes of outsiders. And playing tour guide to visiting friends and family can be a potent reminder of the spellbinding beauty of our host city. If you want to get the most out of these custodial duties, we’ve put together some of our favourite day trip itineraries. And if you don’t have tag-a-longs, that’s fine too. They work just as well for appreciation refresher courses.
Itinerary one: Find yourself in the Dubai desert
There’s been a lot of talk about the relatively recent trend of commoditising experience. It’s a societal shift that’s largely attributable to the life goal agenda of Millennials and Gen Z – a demographic that values ‘feels’ far more than ‘things’. And whilst this notion is not necessarily a new one – people have been banging on about travel broadening the mind or “not being able to take your toys with you” for centuries – it’s an aspiration modality embraced with unprecedented gusto by these wise young souls. I fully agree with this tidal turn, although my advocacy of their ‘memories not Masserattis’ campaign would be significantly easier to cheerlead for if they weren’t so insistent about charting every second of it, with pantomime-level virtue-signalling pomp, on their social media channels. There is a point to this preamble I promise. The Dubai desert, with its nomadic sand, fleeting forna and forever horizon is an archetypal form of the unique experience ‘finding yourself’ bucket list tick, and a true glimpse into the immortality of the immaterial.
You don’t have to spend the whole day in the desert, in fact my suggestion would be to save your morning for exploration elsewhere and instead do an afternoon, evening and overnight within the amber dunes. You should feel no shame in stepping away from DIY delusions that building an expedition yourself is cheaper or better. Leave it to the experts and save yourself an admin, and possible vehicular, breakdown. If you book a desert safari with Arabian Adventures (evening from Dhs479, overnight from Dhs895 per person), you can expect a pick-up at around 3pm for a transfer into the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR). Along the way, your knowledgeable guide can field any burning questions you might have on topics including, but not limited to, venomous scorpions, ancient seas, biome flora and life-giving aquifers. Cruise the dunes, play I-spy with the native wildlife and watch the horizon flip through a swatch book of candy hues as you make your way to a secluded sundown spot, before climbing onto a camel for a dromedary transfer into the Bedouin-inspired camp. There you can enjoy themed entertainment, star-spotting opportunities, a grand barbecue dinner, entirely optional gin bar provisions and a night nature walk before taking up residence in your safari tent. You’re up at the ‘squawk of falcons’ the next morning for a rustic breakfast and an early wildlife drive before the sad journey home.
As mentioned above, it is entirely possible to plan your own desert excursion – one of my favourite Dubai activities is a family star-gazing trip. But going on safari with a trusted company means you can access uniquely charismatic areas of the desert, and outsource the entertainment duties. And isn’t that just another wonderful aspect of Dubai life that’s easy to take for granted?
Itinerary two: Take a walk back in time to Dubai’s goneby
Our retrospective adventure begins at the Creekside leisure community of Al Seef, use the Canopy by Hilton as your launch pad for a scenic stroll along the waterfront. Breeze past the modern restaurants and bobbing dhows, and you’ll notice the aesthetic style of the buildings slowly slip from new and shiny to rustic and old-timey. It’s all recently built, but the architectural fashioning deliberately calls back to the storied past of Dubai’s early settlements. You’ll find, amongst the faux-mud-and-stone facades, what looks like the world’s oldest Starbucks, Emirati culinary kingpin Al Fanar, and a Museum of Illusions (entrance is Dhs80 for adults) – a worthwhile brain-befuddling, enfant-entertaining pit stop.
Take a few more steps, and you’re in the enchanting embrace of the Al Fahidi Historical District – explore its traditional alleyways, galleries and museums. We recommend refreshments to be taken in the courtyard of the XVA Art Hotel an underrated cultural gem, or the legendary Arabian Tea House. Homages to heritage, these spaces really paint the most poetic sort of whimsy on their walls and across their menus. Al Fahidi Fort houses The Dubai Museum (currently closed for renovation) and, with a birth date of 1787, represents the oldest building in Dubai.
Afterwards, smart sojourners take an abra ride over the Creek (Dhs2) to explore the souk district. Arriving into the Old Souq Marine Station – egress immediately confronts you with stalls and stores offering fragrant spices, glinting gold and assorted flashing, beeping, shrieking trinkets – it’s a genuine safari of the senses. All that promenading got you peckish? Al Bait Al Qadeem is a classic Middle Eastern restaurant within easy snacking distance, get the meat majboos for a fitting locally-inspired curtain close on a day of cultural appreciation.
Itinerary three: Take a deep dive into Dubai culture, served with a side of adventure
Sit down, buckle up, and keep your arms inside the moving vehicle because we’re going to have to move fast to fit all this in. It’s an early start, 5am and we’re headed for the hills. Hatta’s hills to be precise. Early birds can make the beginner-friendly hike to see the famous Hollywood-inspired sign, but the smart soujourner takes a trip to Hatta Heritage Village (free). The 3,000-year-old settlement gives an insight into the arcane life of our ancient forebears – less traffic, but a much lower life expectancy, just another case of swings and DIFC roundabouts. Whilst in Hatta, you should make time for some active alfresco pursuits. There are mountain bike trails at Hatta Wadi Hub; 35km of hiking trails through the Hajar hills; an aerial adventure park (packages from Dhs199); water slides and paraglides (from Dhs95); rock climbing (from Dhs50), trampolining (from Dhs15), net-walking (from Dhs15), gel ball (a high energy, low-impact version of paintball from Dhs85), zorb football (from Dhs35), ziplining (from Dhs110), slingshot canons and plenty more on the way.
The next stop on the magic carpet ride through Dubai requires a visit to Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz, the de facto art capital of the emirate. If you’re hungry, grab hand-roll sushi at Kokoro or some matcha-based beverage action from Pekoe. Wander through contemporary galleries like Leila Heller or Carbon 12 (free access); create a bespoke, paint-daubed masterpiece at thejamjar studios (from Dhs105); your own signature scent at Oo La Lab (from Dhs320); and finish the day with an indie cinema showing at Cinema Akil (you’ve really hit the sweet spot if you arrived during their consistently excellent Reel Palestine programme). If you want a little, uncomplicated fun palate cleanser before bed time – head to Chaos Karts next door. It’s augmented reality karting drome with ticket prices starting at around Dhs179 for a 20-minute session.
Itinerary four: Jump out of the frying pan and into the Asian street food fire
Balance is important in life, and if your metabolism is stoking a walk-fuelled calorie bonfire, well – you’ve earned the right to a few edible indulgences haven’t you? Sure, by the end, the walk may be more of a waddle, but that’s ok, we’re all in it together. Whilst Dubai has more than its fair share of fancy diners, it’s those accessibly priced, full of flavour, street eats that we’re currently craving. So join us, as we go on an Asian flavours tour into the juicier cuts of Satwa.
The savour safari begins at, where all good stories should, a roundabout. Satwa Roundabout to be precise. And the only way to open your street food account in Satwa is with Dubai institution that is, Ravi Restaurant. Best enjoyed from a Karachi tapas angle – with sharing portions of authentic chicken tikka, kebabs, lamb chops, biryani, daal, and mutton kadai. Freshly baked naan and roti should be subbed in for cutlery.
But you’ll need to peel yourself out of your seat at some point because we’ve got plenty more to see (/eat). Head east along Al Diyafah Street (towards The H Hotel), soaking up the vibrant street life and shop fronts that make Satwa a people watching paradise. Your next stop is Pars Iranian Kitchen for a true taste of traditional Persian dishes. Indulge in their famously fragrant kebabs, delicate mounds of saffron rice, and hearty stews like ghormeh sabzi and gheimeh bademjan.
We’re switching gears now, and exploring another titan of Asian cuisine at the aromatic Filipino Market centred around Al Hudaiba Road. Set your Snack Nav for a visit to Bilaot Restaurant and prepare for an edible TedTalk on the finer points of Pinoy cuisine. There’s a strong range of seafood, sharing platters, street food, and island staples such as adobo, sisig and breaded milkfish. If you’re waving a white flag already, a leche flan here is a respectable way to call it a day, but for those that are brave of heart and led by stomach, we have a special treat for the grand finalé.
Our saga draws to a close with a degustation detour for a choice between two of the region’s most acutely adored sweet treats, Baklava and Kunafa. And when in Satwa, it has to be Firas Sweets (next to AlBaik on Al Diyafah Street). Get a fresh slap of the gooey, crunchy, nut stuff and enjoy it with Arabian coffee. Then head home, because it’s probably well past your bedtime, and you’ve got some treadmill miles to rack up tomorrow.
