Destination 
Verified
| Activity | From (AED) | Time needed | Min age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Skydiving over the Palm | 2,199 | 3 to 4 hours | 12 |
| 2. XLine Dubai Marina zipline | 650 | 2 hours | 12 |
| 3. Hot air balloon at sunrise | 1,100 | 5 hours | 5 |
| 4. Indoor skydiving | 220 | 90 minutes | 3 |
| 5. Dune bashing evening safari | 150 | 6 hours | None |
| 6. Self-drive dune buggy | 450 per buggy per hour | 4 hours | 18 to drive |
| 7. Overnight desert camping | 550 | Overnight | None |
| 8. Kitesurfing at Kite Beach | 350 | 2 hours | 12 |
| 9. Deep Dive Dubai | 400 | 3 hours | 10 |
| 10. Jet ski past the Burj Al Arab | 350 | 1 hour | 16 to drive |
| 11. Jebel Jais Flight zipline | 399 | Full day from Dubai | 12 |
| 12. Hatta kayaking and biking | 60 | Full day from Dubai | None |
Prices are per person unless stated, in dirhams, and change with season and demand. Everything on this list can be booked through Arabiers with hotel pickup, and where an activity is not in Dubai emirate we say so.
Where and when
Palm drop zone open all year. Desert drop zone on the Al Ain road open October to May. Allow 3 to 4 hours on site.
Cost and limits
Photos and edited video included. Age 12 and over, parent present to 17. Weight limit 100 kg men, 90 kg women, checked at the counter.
What catches people out is the timing: the time on your confirmation is your arrival time, not your jump time, and weather holds can stretch the morning to four hours. Do not book a lunch you cannot move. If you are close to the weight line, message us before we take your deposit. The full step-by-step, including what to wear, the fitness declaration for anyone over 70 and how the deposit works, is on our Skydive Dubai booking guide.
The XLine is 1 km long, starts 170 m up on Amwaj Towers at JBR and runs at up to 80 km/h to Dubai Marina Mall, which makes it the longest urban zipline in the world. It is a twin line, so two people fly side by side, head first, in a harness that looks like a superhero pose in the photos. It sits between the skydive and the mountain ziplines: high enough to make your stomach drop, short enough that most people are laughing before they land.
Where and when
About 1 minute on the line, 2 hours with check-in. October to May; closes in high wind. Sunset slots sell first.
Cost and limits
Age 12 and over, weight 50 to 100 kg. Closed shoes required, loose items stay in the locker.
We suggest it as a two-hour add-on on a Marina day, either before a dhow cruise or after a morning at JBR beach.
This is the calm one. Balloons take off just before dawn from launch sites near Margham, climb to around 1,200 m and drift over the dunes while the sun comes up and the Hajar Mountains appear on the horizon. Gazelles and oryx from the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve are often visible below. Most packages include a falcon flying alongside the basket and breakfast at a desert camp afterwards.
Where and when
Hotel pickup around 4 am, about 1 hour in the air, back by 9.30 am. September to May only; no flights in summer.
Cost and limits
Breakfast included on most packages. Age 5 and over. Cancelled in high wind with a full refund or a new date.
The only hard part is the 4 am pickup. We put it on the last full day of a trip when guests have adjusted to the time zone, and we never pair it with a same-day skydive.
A vertical wind tunnel gives you the freefall sensation without the aircraft, the height or the weather. Inflight Dubai has one of the largest tunnels in the world and is where professional skydivers train; iFLY at Mirdif City Centre is inside a mall and easier to fit around shopping. Both are the right answer for children too young for the real thing, for anyone with a fear of heights, and for the July and August weeks when the desert is too hot for anything else on this list.
Where and when
Two 1-minute flights, about 90 minutes including training. Open every day, all year, fully indoors.
Cost and limits
First-timer package. Age 3 and over at iFLY, 4 at Inflight. Weight limit around 120 kg.
Dune bashing is 20 to 30 minutes in a Land Cruiser with a licensed driver taking the Lahbab red dunes sideways, then sandboarding, a camel ride, sunset photos and dinner at a Bedouin-style camp with live shows. It is the one adventure that almost every visitor to Dubai does, and for good reason: it is cheap, it is close, and the sunset over the Lahbab dunes is the best free view in the emirate.
Where and when
Hotel pickup around 3 pm, back by 9.30 pm. Runs all year; shorter bashing session and later pickup in summer.
Cost and limits
Shared 4x4 with BBQ dinner. Private 4x4 available. Not advised for children under 3, pregnant guests or anyone with back or neck problems.
Two things we tell guests. First, eat lightly before pickup; the bashing is rougher than the videos suggest. Second, if the camp is the main draw, ask for the private 4x4 rather than a shared one so the driver goes at your pace. Full timings, the camp menu and the private and shared options are on our Dubai evening desert safari page.
If dune bashing is being driven, this is doing the driving. You get a 1000cc Polaris or Can-Am, a helmet, a safety briefing and a guide on a lead buggy who sets the route across the big dunes at Lahbab and Al Badayer. No licence is needed because the tracks are private, but the guides will pull anyone who drives like it is a race. It suits couples and small groups who want an hour of real adrenaline rather than the full camp-and-dinner evening.
Where and when
1 to 2 hours driving, 4 hours with transfers. October to April all day; morning slots only from June to September.
Cost and limits
Single or two-seater. Age 18 to drive, 6 as a passenger. Helmet and briefing mandatory, no licence required.
Most of our guests combine it with the evening safari on the same day: buggies at 2 pm, then the 4x4 pickup for the camp. Vehicle options, seat configurations and what is included are on the dune buggy rental page.
Dune buggies at 2 pm, then the evening safari 4x4 pickup for dune bashing, sunset and the camp.
The evening safari ends around 9 pm when the coaches leave. Staying on is a different experience: the camp empties, the generators go off and the sky over Lahbab is dark enough for the Milky Way. You sleep in a Bedouin tent or, on the premium option, a domed tent with a proper bed, and wake to the dunes turning orange before 6 am. A camel ride and breakfast follow.
Where and when
Evening pickup to mid-morning drop. November to March is best; January nights are cold enough to need the blankets provided.
Cost and limits
Tent, dinner and breakfast included, booked as an extension of the evening safari. All ages.
Kite Beach in Umm Suqeim is one of the few public beaches in the world where a kitesurfing zone, a running track, a skate park and a row of cafes share the same 2 km of sand, with the Burj Al Arab at the far end. The wind is a steady onshore breeze most winter afternoons, which is why the schools set up here rather than further along the coast. Beginners spend the first session on the sand learning kite control before going anywhere near the water, so book two sessions if you want to actually ride.
Where and when
2-hour taster lesson; a full IKO beginner course is 3 days. October to April for consistent wind.
Licensed schools on the beach. Age 12 and over. Wakeboarding uses the same schools on calm mornings.
At 60 m this is the deepest pool in the world, and the operators built a sunken city inside it: an abandoned apartment, a garage with a car, an arcade, a library. Discover scuba sessions take complete beginners to 12 m with an instructor; certified divers go to the bottom. Freediving is available for those who prefer it. It is the strongest wet-weather and summer option on this list because the water is a constant 30 degrees whatever the temperature outside.
Where and when
3 hours for a discover scuba session. Open all year, indoors and heated.
Cost and limits
Discover scuba. Certified dives to 60 m from AED 1,200. Age 10 and over.
A guided 30-minute run from Jumeirah takes you along the coast to the Burj Al Arab and back with time for photos in front of it from the water. The 60-minute route from the Marina adds the Palm and Atlantis. No licence is required on the guided tours; the operator's marshal rides ahead and sets the pace. Go before 10 am when the sea is glassy and the light on the Burj Al Arab is best.
Where and when
30 or 60 minutes. Runs all year; October to May for the calmest mornings.
Cost and limits
Age 16 to drive with a guide, 6 as a passenger. Life jacket provided.
Jebel Jais Flight is the longest zipline in the world: 2.83 km from a platform at 1,680 m, reaching 150 to 160 km/h with the mountains of Musandam and the Gulf coast in view. You fly horizontally in a harness like a bird, which is more like flying than the XLine's upright position. It is in Ras Al Khaimah rather than Dubai, but it belongs on this list because the majority of people who ride it are staying in Dubai and go for the day.
Where and when
2 to 3 minutes on the line, 2 hours on site, a full day with transfers. Runs all year; the mountain is around 10 degrees cooler than Dubai.
Cost and limits
Private transfer from Dubai extra. Age 12 and over, weight 45 to 120 kg. Passport or Emirates ID checked at the counter.
If the Flight is too much, the same mountain has the Jais Sky Tour, a series of seven shorter ziplines and a sky bridge that takes about three hours, and the Jais Sledder, a mountain toboggan track that children from 3 can ride with an adult. We usually book a private car for 8 am, do the Flight or the Sky Tour late morning, lunch at the viewing deck and return to Dubai by 4 pm. Booking windows, weight limits and the transfer options are on our Jebel Jais zipline guide.
Private car at 8 am, the Flight or Sky Tour late morning, lunch on the mountain, back by 4 pm.
Plan the Jebel Jais day
Hatta is the opposite of the Marina: a turquoise dam lake in a bowl of bare mountains, a heritage village and 50 km of marked mountain bike trails, all inside a Dubai enclave in the Hajar range. Kayaks and pedal boats go out on the dam from the jetty, the trails are graded from green to black, and Hatta Wadi Hub adds a zipline, archery, a giant swing and a water slide off a hillside. It is the best day for families and for anyone who has done the desert and wants green water and shade.
Where and when
1 hour kayak hire, trails from 1 hour, a full day from Dubai. October to April; summer is too hot for the trails.
Cost and limits
Bike hire about AED 100, Wadi Hub activities from AED 50. Kayaking with an adult at any age; Wadi Hub zipline from
8. The drive passes through a short stretch of Omani territory on some routes, so carry your passport. We route our transfers on the road that stays inside the UAE, so there is no border stop.
Also worth a look if you have children under 12: Aventura Parks in Mushrif Park, a treetop rope course and zipline circuit set in a ghaf tree forest, and Aquaventure at Atlantis, which has the region's largest collection of water slides.
Guests rarely have time for all twelve. This is the sequence we build most often for a three-day stay between November and March, and it works because the drives all run away from the city in the morning and back toward it in the evening.
November to March is the window for everything on this page. Daytime highs sit between 24 and 30 degrees, the desert skydiving drop zone and the hot air balloons are operating, and the wind at Kite Beach is reliable. April, May and October are warm but workable if you start early. From June to September the desert activities move to dawn or after dark, balloons and the desert drop zone stop entirely, and the sensible choices are the Palm skydive, indoor skydiving, Deep Dive Dubai, the XLine at night and Jebel Jais, which is markedly cooler than the city. The week of Eid and the Dubai Shopping Festival weeks in January push prices and availability, so book those dates a month ahead.
November to March. Daytime temperatures sit between 24 and 30 degrees, the desert drop zone for skydiving is open, hot air balloons fly every morning and the kitesurfing wind at Kite Beach is at its most reliable. In summer, afternoon desert activities move to dawn or evening departures.
A tandem skydive over the Palm Jumeirah is AED 2,199 and the desert drop zone is AED 1,699, both including photos and an edited video. A deposit is taken at booking and the balance on the day. Prices are set by Skydive Dubai and are the same direct or through an operator. See the Skydive Dubai booking guide.
No. Jebel Jais is in Ras Al Khaimah, about 90 minutes by road from Dubai. Most visitors do it as a day trip with a private transfer. It is the world's longest zipline at 2.83 km. Details on the Jebel Jais zipline guide.
Yes, with age and weight limits that vary by activity. Tandem skydiving is open from 12 with a parent present. The evening desert safari takes children of any age, though dune bashing is not advised for infants or anyone with back problems. Indoor skydiving, Hatta kayaking and the Jais Sledder suit younger children. Dune buggy driving is for adults; younger passengers ride with a parent.
No. Guided sessions run on private desert tracks with a lead driver, not on public roads. Drivers must be adults, and a safety briefing and helmet are mandatory. See dune buggy rental in Dubai.
Light, loose clothing, closed shoes and sunglasses. Take a light layer for after sunset between November and February. Leave loose scarves and jewellery at the hotel for anything with a harness, and bring your passport or Emirates ID for skydiving and Jebel Jais.
Skydiving from the Palm, indoor skydiving, Deep Dive Dubai, the XLine at night and Jebel Jais all run through summer. Hot air balloons and the desert skydiving drop zone close from roughly May to September, and the evening desert safari and dune buggies shift to early morning or evening slots.