Abu Dhabi · Desert & dunes
Into the Empty Quarter
Drive south past Liwa to where the dunes stop being scenery and start being terrain. Moreeb rises more than 300 metres and the silence at the top is total.
Full day or overnightAED 650 from
Island · Abu Dhabi
Sir Bani Yas
Sir Bani Yas lies off the western coast of Abu Dhabi and was turned into a wildlife reserve from the 1970s onward, with Arabian oryx, gazelle and giraffe on open ground rather than in enclosures. There is no day-trip version of it: reaching the island is a boat or a short flight, and that is what keeps it as it is.
What marks it out
- Arabian oryx and gazelle on open ground
- A Christian monastery site dated to the seventh century
- Salt domes and a coast with almost nobody on it
Getting there
Two and a half hours west of Abu Dhabi city to the jetty, then a boat; or a short flight from the capital.
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24.3200, 52.5900
Abu Dhabi
Experiences in this emirate
Abu Dhabi · Heritage & forts
The Grand Mosque before the crowds
Arrive as the courtyard marble is still cool. Eighty-two domes, a carpet woven in one piece, and light that changes the building every twenty minutes.
2 hoursFree
Abu Dhabi · Arts & museums
Louvre Abu Dhabi, slowly
Twelve chapters of human history under a dome that rains light. Two hours is the minimum; the sea-facing galleries are the ones people miss.
2–3 hoursAED 63 from
What's on
What is on in this emirate
Sport
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Early December
The closing round of the Formula 1 season at Yas Marina, run into the dusk, with concerts on the same tickets.
Ticketed
Grandstand and general-admission tickets are sold by the race promoter, and the concerts are included in the race ticket.
Abu Dhabi
Heritage
Sheikh Zayed Festival
November to March
A months-long heritage and culture festival in Al Wathba, with national pavilions, souks and a nightly fireworks record attempt or two.
Free entry
Entry to the festival grounds is free. Individual rides, shows and food inside are paid at the stand.
Abu Dhabi
Heritage
Al Dhafra Festival
December
A camel beauty and heritage festival deep in the Western Region, where the judging criteria are older than the country.
Free entry
Entry is free. It is a working competition rather than a show, and the days start early.
Abu Dhabi
Islands
Elsewhere in Abu Dhabi
City
Abu Dhabi city
The federal capital, built on an island and …
City
Al Ain
The garden city inland, and the country's on…
Neighbourhood
The Corniche, Abu Dhabi
Eight kilometres of waterfront, with a publi…
Island
Saadiyat Island
The capital's cultural district, and a turtl…
Island
Yas Island
The entertainment island: a Formula 1 circui…
Island
Delma Island
An inhabited pearling island with archaeolog…
Region
Al Dhafra
Abu Dhabi's western region: oases, salt flat…