The eco-friendly zoo in Dubai, which is known all over the world as the Dubai Safari Park, is a large-scale research and conservation complex. The main task of the safari park is not the comfort of visitors (although this is taken care of here as much as possible), but the preservation and study of animals. There are even regular courses on animal care!
The Zoological Park was created for almost 4.5 years, and its construction used state-of-the-art “smart” and environmental technologies. For example, here we have created a special innovative system that performs thermoregulation of rocks, cools water tanks and creates fog. All cooling devices operate on energy from solar panels and do not create any load on the energy system and the environment. The Dubai Municipality spent $ 272,000 (almost a billion dirhams) to implement its ambitious project.
The safari park started operating in 2017, but since 2018 it has been closed for reconstruction work. Only in 2020, the zoo was able to fully receive visitors again. Now the park is designed to receive 10,000 visitors daily and is one of the TOP 5 safari parks on the planet.
Park structure
Dubai Safari Park covers an area of 199 hectares. The entire territory is divided into sections called villages: African village, Asian village, Arabian village, and Explorer village, which is a safari area. Each site has its own stylistic and visual features, as well as the corresponding composition of flora representatives.
In addition, there is also the Al-Wadi sector and a petting zoo. Al Wadi is a leisure sector with two restaurants, countless fast food stalls and beautiful picnic areas. A petting zoo is a place where children can pet goats, cows, rabbits, ponies, chickens and other animals, as well as treat them to a treat.
You can move from village to village on your own, or you can take a special free bus. The park occupies a vast territory, so such transport is very useful.
A tip! It is better to go to the Dubai park on your own, rather than buying a tour at the hotel. So it will be much cheaper, and you can walk as much as you want.
Arab village
The tour of the park begins with this part of it. A mini-train runs through the spacious Arabian village – where the entire journey takes place.
In this section of the zoo, visitors are accompanied by a guide. It tells not only amazing facts about all the animals found, but also what employees are doing to return these animals to the wild and adapt them there.
The Arab village is home to animals native to the Middle East, and some of them are now simply no longer in the wild. This themed part of the zoo is home to Arabian wolves, ostriches, Arabian chamois (oryx), mouflons, and camels.
African Village
In this themed part of the zoological park, you can see various inhabitants of Africa – from the smallest to the largest. Here are whole islands with monkeys and lemurs, live flamingos, gorillas, giraffes, lions, elephants, Komodo dragons. In the African village, you can watch pygmy hippos swimming underwater – only the glass of a huge aquarium separates visitors from these secretive mammals.
Asian Village
There are many surprises waiting for visitors in this sector of the Dubai Zoo safari. There is a theater-a special center where you can observe how animals behave in a natural environment. 5 performances are organized daily.
Asian village is home to the orangutan, Asia’s largest ape. Other local inhabitants-gibbons-like to swing upside down in the trees. There are unique creatures here – rare Ussuri bears, black and with unusual “moon collars”, because of which they were called Moon bear (moon bears). In this themed area, you can see many other amazing and beautiful representatives of Asian fauna.
Explorers ‘ Village
Explorer village starts a safari tour of the Dubai Zoological Park. A trip to the safari zone is the main attraction of the park and a unique chance to see wild animals in their natural habitat. The Village of Explorers is a large open area where various animals live freely, without enclosures.
The armored SUV ride lasts 45 minutes. During this tour, tourists are accompanied by a guide, who in English tells a lot of interesting things about the Dubai Zoo and the animals encountered along the way.
This part of the park is home to the largest pride of lions in the UAE. These animals often lie down to rest on artificially cooled boulders, and this sight does not leave any tourists indifferent.
In the bird theater that operates here, visitors are introduced to tame crows, owls, large parrots, pigeons, and also learn about the peculiarities of training.
Baboon Canyon, where more than 70 individuals live together in one group, always attracts the attention of all tourists.
During a safari in the Dubai Zoological Park, you can meet antelopes, giraffes, white rhinos, tigers, cheetahs, hyenas, ostriches, elephants. Hippos, crocodiles, and various bird species also live here.
A tip! For a trip to the Dubai Zoo, it is better to choose not too hot days. Or you should at least arrive early so that you can see as much as possible before the heat of the day hits.
Practical information
The safari park is located at: Al Warqa 5-Dubai-United Arab Emirates.
Official site of the attraction: https://dubaisafari.ae/.
The park welcomes visitors daily, from 9: 00 to 17: 00.
Zoo tickets: price and where to buy them
A tip! It is better to buy tickets online on the official website in advance – they are sold out very quickly. But when buying, be careful, because there are 2 types of tickets!
A simple ticket entitles you to stay in the Asian, Arab, African villages and Al Wadi Valley of Dubai Zoo. This ticket does not include a safari trip. The ticket is valid for one business day at any time. Its cost in dirhams:
- for adults – 50;
- for children under 12 years – 20.
A full ticket (combo) allows you to stay in all areas of the safari park, and also includes an off-road trip around Safari-village. Combo ticket price in dirhams:
- for adults-85;
- for children under 12 years – 30.
Children under 3 years of age, people over 60 years of age and people with disabilities can visit the park absolutely free of charge.
How to get to the zoo
It is difficult to get to the zoo by public transport, as metro stations and bus stops are located at a distance. The nearest metro stations are: Etisalat on the green line and Rashidiya on the red line.
You can drive a rented car. There is a paid parking lot nearby: a ticket costs 50 dihrams, you can buy it at the main entrance gate to the park.
A tip! The easiest way to get to the park is by taxi. To do this, you can use an online application: for example, Uber operates in Dubai.
Visit the zoo in Dubai and personally appreciate another miracle created by people in the middle of the desert. We are sure that you will not regret your trip.
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