Explore the wonder that is Al Ain | Visit Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is a nature lover’s dream, from deserts to islands to the lush garden city of Al Ain.
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If you love nature, history, heritage and immersing yourself in tradition, you’ll love Abu Dhabi. There are so many wonderful places to explore, including the 4,000-year-old historical city of Al Ain. The lush garden city of Al Ain, just 90 minutes from Abu Dhabi city, is home to Al Ain Oasis and the famous Jebel Hafit Desert Park. The incredible Sir Bani Yas Island, where you’ll find the amazing Arabian Wildlife Park, is also a must-visit.
Al Ain is home to the largest oasis in the UAE – Al Ain Oasis. Located in the centre of Al Ain and, it is the UAE’s first curated UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its still-operational traditional falaj (ancient irrigation system) and meandering pathways shaded beneath a thick canopy of over 147,000 date palms and other fruit trees, Al Ain Oasis is the perfect place to bring family or friends to see what agriculture in this region has looked like for millennia. Covering 1,200 hectares, this lush oasis provides a unique insight into the region's inhabitants who began taming the desert 4,000 years ago. Farmers tend to thousands of date palms of 100 different varieties, as well as fodder crops and fruit trees, such as mango, orange, banana, fig and jujube (known locally as sidr). Individual plots and working farms are separated from each other by historic boundary walls. The water supplying the lush Al Ain Oasis comes from both wells and the ancient falaj system that taps distant underground or mountain aquifers and then delivers the water, sometimes over many kilometres, to farms via a system of ground-level and below-ground aqueducts. Al Ain Oasis has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.
Pack a sense of adventure and get ready to immerse yourself in the rich history and incredible landscapes at the one-of-a-kind Jebel Hafit Desert Park in Al Ain. Occupying a nine-kilometre stretch at the base of the craggy Jebel Hafit mountain, Abu Dhabi’s tallest peak in Al Ain, visitors can explore the family-friendly park’s majestic natural surroundings on a hike, mountain bike, horse or camel and discover fascinating archaeological and historical remains that tell enchanting stories of this unique area’s ancient habitation. Archaeological remains include remnants of the Neolithic period from 8,000 years ago, to the 5,000-year-old Jebel Hafit Tombs excavated in 1959 at the request of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the United Arab Emirates. In 2011, UNESCO recognised the Jebel Hafit Desert Park area as being a vital component of the World Heritage Site of Al Ain. Jebel Hafit Desert Park not only preserves the area’s rich history but also its unique biodiversity, encouraging visitors to experience this dynamic landscape up close and understand how it has changed over millions of years.
Sir Bani Yas Island offers endless entertainment. Awarded the World’s Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination at the 2014 World Travel Awards, more than half of this incredible island is made up of the Arabian Wildlife Park, one of the region’s largest wildlife reserves home to more than 17,000 free-roaming animals, including Arabian oryx, gazelles, giraffes, hyenas and cheetahs. Guests can enjoy desert safari adventures accompanied by expert guides, and the island’s state-of-the-art stables offer a variety of equestrian activities and lessons for the whole family. This ancient island is also home to the UAE's only discovered Christian monastery, which can be visited during a Desert Islands Resort and Spa Culture Tour. Thought to have been built around 600AD and abandoned in 750AD, the monastery was rediscovered during excavations in 1992.
Even if you’re not staying in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, once you’ve had a look at things to do in Dubai or elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates on your UAE trip, come and experience what Abu Dhabi and Al Ain have to offer.
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