Our Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre trip is so sweet, it stings!
I used to be very scared of bees. I see one, and I instantly make a beeline (pun intended) in the opposite direction. But that was before I got to see some really chill TikTok videos where someone handled those bees like it was no big deal!
Like, how’s that even possible? How could they not flinch at the very sight of these stinging creatures? I couldn’t believe it, so I decided to face my fear and deal with bees, myself. They’re super important for the flowers and the whole ecosystem, after all.
Since this was a pretty scary challenge, I got my friends to join me at the Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre in Dubai. We even made a sweet travel guide for this trip, so check it out below!
What is Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre known for?
Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre is known for being a fun and unique spot where guests can appreciate the bees up close. Here, visitors can explore the bee hives, learn about their role in the ecosystem, and sample various types of honey.
Best Time to Go
The best time to go to Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre is from October to March. This is when the weather is cooler, which makes it nicer to experience outdoor activities and explore the bee centre in general.
Things to Know
Operating Hours: The Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm.
Fees: A single visit to the centre costs AED 50 per person. Booking isn’t required, but we recommend it since the slots are limited per tour.
Parking: This outdoor garden offers a decent parking space since we reckon it’s more convenient to come here with an SUV. Other 4×4 cars could work too, though they’ll need to be driven slower.
Washroom: When nature calls, there’s a washroom in the garden shop at the bee centre.
Minimum Age Requirement: The visitors need to be 3 and older to be allowed on the tour. Kids also need to be supervised by their parents throughout.
Maximum Capacity: The bee centre can take only 50 visitors at a time, so make sure to reserve your slot in advance to avoid any hassle.
Cancellation Policy: In case of a change of plans, full refunds are available up to 3 days before your booking date.
How to Get Around
Trains: There’s no direct train to Hatta. Alternatively, you may take the Dubai metro to the nearest station or Al Rashidiya (Red Line). Then, you may transfer to a bus or taxi.
Buses: Go to Al Sabkha Bus Station to hop on the E16 bus, which can take a little more than 2 hours to reach Hatta.
Taxis: You may easily book a cab through a ride-hailing app or hail one in the city. Just mention the exact location, “Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre,” to the driver, and you’re set.
Car: Driving to Hatta can take 1 hour and 30 minutes from Dubai, and the Sharjah-Kalba is usually the quickest route.
What to Do in Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre
Observe the Busy Bees in Action
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At Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre, you can safely get up close and personal with the vibrant bees and see how they work! In our book, one can learn a thing or two from their work ethic.
What you’ll explore goes from the 300 beehives to the many indigenous and exotic trees, which can provide the honey you enjoy with your dessert or afternoon tea.
Just be sure to wear your bee suit and protective gear properly to avoid getting stung. Mind you, they hurt a lot and can be very inconvenient!
Learn From the Bee Experts
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What better way to learn how the bees do things than to hear from the pros themselves? The bee centre has passionate experts who talk about the roles the bees play in our ecosystem.
You’ll hear about how bees pollinate flowers and crops, as well as how they support biodiversity. Plus, you’ll find that many of your favorite crops, like dates, mangoes, or melons, actually depend on pollination.
Satisfy your own curiosity while you’re at it too! We encourage asking the experts how the pollinated plants can become a home for birds and insects. For us, the more you learn, the more fun it is!
Sample Local Honey
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Here’s most folks’ favorite part: tasting all the sweet local honey and other hive products at Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre!
You’ll discover that there are several ways to eat honey. You may cut the honeycomb and directly chew on the pieces, or you can enjoy the honey alone. However, some prefer to comb the honey and place it in jars first.
There are also many souvenirs at the bee centre, so your loved ones at home can also sample them later. Fun fact: natural, properly preserved honey won’t go bad—its low water content and high acidity make it unfriendly to bacteria.
Join the Hatta Honey Festival
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If you want to do more fun stuff with bees and honey, get your calendars ready for the annual Hatta Honey Festival at the Discovery Centre in December! You’ll get more than just tours, interactive sessions, workshops, and demos for different age groups.
During this event, you’ll get to taste more types of honey with various flavors. Another highlight for us is the homegrown Dubai Market, which features many local businesses we believe are worth exploring.
On top of that, you may engage in outdoor activities, such as hiking, mountain biking, zip-lining, and kayaking. We also love watching the fireworks here at night every 8 pm—this comes with an amazing show on New Year’s Eve!
Where to Eat near Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre
Alhajarain Restaurant
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Website: https://alhajarain.com/
Address: Heritage Village
Contact Details: +971 800 42527246, [email protected]
Pricing: $$
Alhajarain Restaurant is a multi-culinary restaurant 4.4 km from the Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this dining spot offers Emirati, Indian, Continental, Italian, and more to cater to many preferences.
We also love the pizza, mixed grill platter, chicken biryani, and kebab. For us, the al fresco area here is perfect, especially during the winter! And while the cakes here look tasty, we think the colorful ice cream flavors, like the cotton candy, are worth a try!
If you have any dietary concerns, we recommend giving the staff a call beforehand so they can confirm if they can accommodate your requests.
Janam Restaurant
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Website: https://janamrestaurant.net/
Address: First Floor – Hatta, Dubai Emirates COOP – Shop 1
Contact Details: +971 4 264 4475
Pricing: $$
About 4 km from the bee centre, Janam Restaurant is among the best options in the area. The restaurant is particularly known for its grilled chicken, which many travelers from afar rave about.
We suggest going for the mixed grill option if it’s your first time here. We also like the chicken kabab and the Fattoush salad (Mediterranean fried bread salad). There’s banana milk here too, which we think goes well with the savory dishes.
As for dessert, there are only a few options. Although, we feel you might like the kunafa cream or cheese-filled desserts because of their morish flavors and aromatic smells.
Mountain Burger
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Website: https://mountainburger.shop/
Address: Hatta – Sheikh Khalifa Masjid 1
Contact Details: +971 55 301 3373
Pricing: $$
Looking for a quick bite? Mountain Burger is only 3 km from the centre, and it offers filling snacks at reasonable prices. Just choose a burger flavor, and you can get it with crinkle-cut fries and soda.
We say go for the dynamite shrimp and the cheesy chicken sticks here. You may also try fun mojito drinks in passion fruit, blue lagoon, blackberry, or strawberry—we noticed all these have mint to keep the taste cool and fresh!
Plus, there are some unique ice cream flavors here! We think the coconut, pineapple, or piña colada can help you cool down if you’ve been dealing with bees under the sun for too long.
Where to Shop near Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre
Aswaaq Mart
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Website: http://www.aswaaqretail.ae/
Address: R42G+JR Hatta
Contact Details: +971 4 423 4444, [email protected]
Aswaaq Mart is a mini supermarket that offers fun snacks for your family trip to the Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre. The market offers tons of fresh fruits and veggies too. For one, it has a great number of apple varieties worth checking out!
We also noticed that the store is usually well-stocked, so we say use this chance to purchase plenty of daily essentials. That way, you won’t have to do your groceries right after your trip to the bee centre.
However, deals and discounts here can be pretty rare, so we feel getting those depends on your luck. This market is also close to Hatta Hill Park if you want to stop by and snap some great photos.
Hatta Market
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Address: Hatta Abattoir – Q4W8+FF Hatta
Despite its small size, Hatta Market is known for being a great place to buy fresh fruits, veggies, meat, and fish at affordable prices. Plus, we think it’s pretty handy that the store offers ample parking space outside.
But when you’re shopping here, we recommend wearing a mask if you’re sensitive to strong smells. The vendors sell big chunks of raw meat here, after all.
Also, remember to take cash with you because the shopkeepers don’t accept card payments. Keep in mind that it can be a little hot and crowded here in the summer too!
Kadooli Supermarket
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Website: https://kadooligroup.com/
Address: R49F+WP Hatta
Contact Details: +971 50 369 0068
Kadooli Supermarket is one of the main supermarkets in Hatta. You can get many discounted food items at the store—some even rave about the tasty Filipino snacks here!
This is a pretty popular market for the locals. For us, it’s convenient that most essentials and goodies, like bath items, noodles, and biscuits, can be found here in case you forgot to pack something at home.
We also like that this store is next to other handy establishments like an electronics store and some small stores. We reckon this area can be your one-stop shop to cover most travel needs on your way to the bee centre.
Where to Stay near Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre
JA Hatta Fort Hotel
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Website: https://www.jaresortshotels.com/dubai/ja-hatta-fort-hotel
Address: Hatta Oman Road Hatta Roundabout 9277
Contact Details: +971 4 809 9333, [email protected]
Pricing: $$
JA Hatta Fort Hotel is a rustic 4-star hotel 5 km from Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre. For us, the outdoor waterfall pool and 80-acre grounds are just incredible—a lovely place to relax after a busy day with the bees!
We love the down-to-earth chalet-style rooms here. The suites and villas with wood beam ceilings look charming as well! These come with free Wi-Fi, satellite TV, and minibars. And if you upgrade, you get extra sitting and dining areas and hot tubs.
You may also enjoy archery, shooting, tennis, or golf here, but we advise booking in advance to secure a spot. Just note that this hotel doesn’t offer a buggy ride—expect to walk around here a lot if you feel like exploring.
Royal M Hotel
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Website: http://www.royalmhotels.com/
Address: 48F8+42J – Fujairah Mall – Hamad Bin Abdulla Rd – Fujairah
Contact Details: +971 9 201 2000, [email protected]
Pricing: $$$
Connected to the Fujairah Commercial Complex, the Royal M Hotel is a 5-star accommodation with handy direct access to the mall. It’s also close to various landmarks, such as Fujairah Museum, Fujairah Historic Fort, and Fujairah Airport.
Right off the bat, we liked the spacious rooms with lovely mountain views. If you want a more exclusive feel, we suggest getting a suite with access to a private lounge and separate sitting areas—some have dining spots and kitchenettes too!
And if you don’t want to swim under the sun, we feel you’ll appreciate the indoor swimming pool here. We dig the magnificent views, especially in the evening!
Novotel Fujairah
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Website: https://all.accor.com/hotel/6822/index.en.shtml
Address: Hamad Bin Abdullah Road – Fujairah City Center – Fujairah
Contact Details: +971 9 223 9999, [email protected]
Pricing: $$
Novotel Fujairah is a stylish, 4-star hotel that’s near various landmarks. It’s 4 km from Fujairah Castle, 7 km from the Gulf of Oman, and 3 km from the Fujairah International Airport.
In our eyes, the rooms here look polished and comfy. For folks who can’t live without their gadgets, we also feel you might like the iPod docks in the upgraded rooms. You might enjoy a dip in the outdoor heated pool if you hate chilly nights too!
But when you get hungry, do note that the food here leans toward Indian cuisine. So if you’re a traveler expecting a bunch of traditional Arabian food, we recommend trying out nearby restaurants instead.
Ibis Fujairah
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Website: https://all.accor.com/hotel/6821/index.en.shtml
Address: Hamad Bin Abdullah Road – Fujairah City Center – Fujairah
Contact Details: +971 9 223 9997, [email protected]
Pricing: $$
Is your budget a bit tight? Then, Ibis Fujairah is a 3-star accommodation to check out before or after your visit to Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre. It’s in a glass-fronted, high-rise building, so we reckon you can still get some pretty decent Gulf views.
In our opinion, the casual rooms here are ideal for a friendly trip. For one, the modern rooms are airconditioned and soundproof! We think this is so you can comfortably chat, sing, or dance the night away to make the most of your trip.
We also like that there are a bunch of dining options around. There’s a restaurant serving Italian-style cuisine, as well as a cafe and a sports bar, so you have a place to go to no matter what mood you’re in.
Aparthotel Adagio Fujairah
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Website: https://www.adagio-city.com/gb/hotel-8639-aparthotel-adagio-fujairah/index.shtml
Address: Hamad Bin Abdullah Road – Fujairah City Center – Fujairah
Contact Details: +971 9 223 9888, [email protected]
Pricing: $$
Aparthotel Adagio Fujairah is suitable for those who want direct Fujairah mountain views! We also think that history buffs would love that this 4-star spot is 4 km from both the Fujairah Museum and Fujairah Historic Fort and 8 km from Kalba Corniche Park.
As for the rooms, we adore the simple, furnished apartments with well-equipped kitchens and living areas. Just take your pick from the cozy studios for 2 people or the airy 2-bedroom apartments for 4 guests.
Room service is available here day and night too, so we suggest making the most of it. We say ask for the chef’s recommendations if you can’t decide from the menu!
Tips When Visiting Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre
Now that you’re in the buzz about Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre, here are some tips and tricks to make your trip sweeter:
Book a private tour
We feel it’s smart to reserve a tour in advance, so you can really get to know the bees, trees, and hives in depth with your crew.
Wear proper footwear
It’s advisable to wear regular, comfy shoes rather than sandals and slippers to the bee centre, because they offer comfort, support, and overall protection. Safety first!
Take a car if you can
For us, Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre is more suitable for those with a car or an SUV since wandering around here would require lots of walking.
Prep for a bumpy ride
The last 2 to 3 minutes toward the center is an off-road drive through a stream. We think this could be pretty challenging, so it helps if your vehicle is in great condition.
Arrive early
The bee centre closes at 5 pm and might start saying no to newcomers around 4 pm. We believe you can maximize your time if you get here when it opens.
Visit the garden shop
Apart from the sweet souvenirs, gifts, and other goodies in this outlet, you may also use the washroom here when nature calls!