The Best Adventure Sports in Dubai
They say in Dubai, anything is possible, and that includes the experiences you get to do while visiting the city. In fact, did you know that Dubai offers the most adventure sports in the country?
So, if you’re planning a Dubai itinerary, make sure to squeeze in a bit of adventure – or two – to get that heart racing and adrenaline pumping.
Don’t know exactly what to do? We created this list of the best adventure sports in Dubai for you. Now all you have to do is choose the activity that you want to try. Ready?
Diving with the Sharks
Website: https://www.thedubaiaquarium.com/
Address: Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo – Dubai Mall – Downtown Dubai – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Contact details: +971 800 382 246 255
Operating hours:
- 10:00 AM to 10:15 PM from Monday to Friday
- 10:00 AM to 11:15 PM from Saturday to Sunday
Price:
- Shark Dive: AED 632 per person
- Shark Encounter: AED 504 per person
- Shark Walker: AED 496 per person
- Cage Snorkelling: AED 296 per person
Diving with the sharks is one of the most attractive adventure sports in Dubai, especially for those with a knack for these underwater creatures.
And who would ever think you’d be able to swim with the sharks in the middle of a mall? But this is Dubai, so anything is possible, and you can find this activity at the Dubai Mall.
The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo is the world’s largest aquarium and home to more than 33,000 marine species including reef sharks, sand tiger sharks, leopard sharks and tawny nurse sharks, all housed in a 10 million liter tank.
But why look at these sharks from an acrylic panel when you can admire them up close? With the help of a PADI certified diver, you can get inside the tank and dive with these amazing sea creatures.
What’s great about diving with sharks in the aquarium is that you’re in a controlled environment, which makes everything safer even if you have no diving experience.
If you have a diver’s certification, however, just present it upon booking, so you can dive immediately.
But if you’re not certified, no need to worry because you only need to complete the short Discover Scuba program with AI Boom Diving before you can get in the water.
This will allow you to learn the basics of scuba diving including the proper use of your diving gear, common hand signs and the right behavior once you’re in the water with the sharks.
It’s also very important to answer the medical questionnaire honestly to ensure that you’re fit for diving. The aquarium accepts divers as young as 10 years old.
Pro tip:
If you’re not ready for full fledged diving yet but you still want to experience being up close with the sharks, you can book the caged snorkeling and diving experience instead.
Here, you can swim while inside a cage without wearing diving equipment. All you need is snorkeling gear and you can already enjoy watching these marine species in a safe caged environment.
This activity accepts kids as young as 8 years old, making it perfect for the family.
Dune Bashing
Website: http://www.reddunesafari.com/
Address: Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Contact details: +971 461 037 744
Operating hours:
- 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM daily
Price:
- Starts at AED 45 per person
They say you’ve never truly been to Dubai without trying one of its highly rated adventure sports – dune bashing. You’re in the desert, after all, so you have to be in it for the real experience.
Dune bashing may look easy from afar. You’re just sitting in a car and driving around the desert anyway.
But once you’re inside the SUV driving up and down dunes as high as 70 feet at terrifying speeds, you’ll know why adrenaline junkies get their high out of this experience.
With this adventure sport, you’re not really doing anything except sitting in the car and holding on for dear life as your driver traverses the vast desert for an hour.
But don’t you worry because these drivers know these dunes like the back of their hands and their cars are designed for dune bashing. They’re also trained to make sure that you’re safe throughout the ride.
To make the most of your experience, book a complete desert safari package that includes dune bashing, sandboarding and camel riding.
You’re traveling at least an hour away from the city, so better spend the day enjoying these desert activities. You can even stay the night to get the full Arabian desert experience.
Pro tip:
Your dune bashing driver will ask what kind of experience you’d want. If you’re not a huge fan of high speeding cars or roller coasters, better not ask for a wild ride because these drivers will surely deliver.
Wear something light and comfortable, so you can fully enjoy the different activities in the desert.
Snowboarding
Website: https://www.skidxb.com/en-ae/ski-dubai
Address: Mall of the Emirates – Sheikh Zayed Road – Al Barsha 1 – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Contact details: +971 4 409 4000
Operating hours:
- 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM from Monday to Thursday
- 10:00 AM to 12:00 AM every Friday
- 9:00 AM to 12:00 AM from Saturday to Sunday
Price:
- 2 Hours Slope Package: AED 250
- Full Day Slope Pass: AED 350
- Snow Daycation: AED 295
- Snow Premium: AED 495
Snowboarding in a city in the desert? Yes, you heard that right! In fact, it’s one of the most popular adventure sports in Dubai and again, you can find it inside the mall.
Ski Dubai is an impressive 22,500-square meter indoor ski resort inside the Mall of the Emirates featuring a 1,300-feet long ski slope, the largest of its kind in the world.
And would you believe that this massive complex contains real snow? Yes, 6,000 tonnes of it to make sure that you get as close to the real snow experience as possible.
The ski resort offers different snow activities, but snowboarding tops the list for adrenaline junkies. How does a 400-meter run coupled with a 60-meter fall sound to you?
If that’s your cup of tea, then you must try this popular adventure sport in Dubai. Ski Dubai has not one but five slopes with varying difficulties for beginners and pros.
And just like snowboarding in Colorado or Switzerland, the resort even has a quad lift to carry you up the “mountain.”
Pro tip:
Do you have kids who can’t go snowboarding or skiing yet? You can still enjoy a day in the snow – and escape Dubai’s heat – at the Snow Park where you get to lie in the snow, have snow fights and even meet the penguins.
Skydiving
Website: https://www.skydivedubai.ae/en/the-palm-dropzone
Address: Al Seyahi Street – Dubai Marina – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Contact details: +971 4 377 8888
Operating hours:
- 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM daily
Price:
- AED 2,199 per person
Skydiving is considered the ultimate adventure sport in Dubai and it should be part of your bucketlist while visiting the city.
Sure, you can go skydiving anywhere else in the world, so why Dubai? It’s simple: you don’t get a better view than right on top of the famous Palm Jumeirah and in the Dubai desert.
Whatever drop zone you choose, we guarantee that you’re in for an adventure of a lifetime.
Skydive Dubai is the most popular tandem skydiving company in the city with a team of professional skydivers making sure that you get the best experience possible, and all documented on video.
If it’s your first time trying the sport, your journey begins with a 30-minute orientation where you get to learn all the basics and safety precautions of skydiving.
After that, you’ll be whisked off to your drop zone on a small airplane while you and your instructor strap together for the dive.
Before you know it, you’ll be free falling at 120 miles per hour for at least 60 seconds of pure adrenaline as you watch the Palm or the desert from above.
Once the parachute is deployed, you’ll be gliding down back to earth with your instructor.
Pro tip:
If you plan to go skydiving during your trip to Dubai, make sure you visit between October and April when the weather is warmer but there’s also a lesser chance of rain.
But if it does rain on your schedule, your dive could be postponed for another day. It’s also best to choose a morning schedule to get the best views of the city.
Women need to weigh less than 90 kilograms and men less than 100 kilograms to qualify for skydiving in Dubai. Skydiving companies only accept guests 18 years old and above to be able to skydive.
Don’t forget to include video coverage when booking your skydive experience. The company will give you a one-minute Instagram-friendly edited video showing all the highlights of your experience.
Flyboarding
Website: https://www.dubai-jetski.com/
Address: Fishing Harbour – Jumeirah Street – Umm Suqeim 2 – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Contact details: +971 50 471 7002
Operating hours:
- 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM daily
Price:
- AED 350 for 30 minutes
- AED 600 to AED 1,100 combo parasailing and flyboarding
- AED 600 combo flyboarding and jet ski for 30 minutes
We already explored adventure sports on air, in the desert and the snow. So, it’s only fitting that we see what the beach has to offer next, and that’s flyboarding, the ultimate water adventure sport in Dubai.
Think about flying over water while enjoying the city skyline and the beach. Flyboarding is an exciting activity where you’re hoisted on a board and a jet pack propels you up to 10 meters into the air.
Now if you’ve seen people flyboarding, you’d probably think how hard can it get? You’re just standing on a board and the water jet does most of the job.
But once you’re doing it, you’ll realize that it actually takes a certain level of skill to maintain your balance on that board and take control of your flight without constantly fumbling over.
In fact, it takes about 15 minutes to be familiar with the board before you can fly high up in the air. The good news is; you’ll have a professional instructor teach you the basics of flyboarding.
Once you’re comfortable on the flyboard, you can learn different tricks that will add to the excitement of this adventure sport.
You can also create a customized experience where you’ll be on a flyboard while your friend rides a jetski or if you’re trying this adventure sport alone, you can go flyboarding and parasailing after.
You’ll find different flyboarding companies on the beaches of Dubai. But if you want the best views, do it at Jumeirah Beach or La Mer.
Pro tip:
Don’t forget to book photo and video coverage as part of your flyboarding package. For an additional fee, you’ll get amazing photos and videos of your experience to show off to family and friends back home.
Flyboarding is only suitable for adults 16 years old and above. Also, make sure that you’re physically fit for the activity. If you’re pregnant, hypertensive or you have a cardiac condition, it’s best to skip the activity.