Trip to Dubai during New Year Week

No better way to start your trip than to indulge in the most popular activity when in Dubai - the dessert safari. We took up the evening safari which included dune bashing in a 4 wheeler, sandboarding, BBQ dinner and live shows. The dune bashing experience was fun (got me a little dizzy ;) and we loved the quad bike experience (at an additional cost) through the hilly sand dunes too. Post the golden hour at the dessert, we were taken to one of the many tents which host Tanoora dance, belly dancing, shisha zone and dinner.

The world's tallest building Burj Khalifa

Since we were in Dubai during the New year's week, we did Burj Khalifa in two parts in two days.

First one was going to 'At the top' which is the 124th and 125th floor of the building where you can see panoramic views of the city through glass walls. Advance booking and timing with sunset is recommended so you can see the view both during the day and night.

Second interaction was watching the building lit up with brilliant fireworks during the NYE countdown which has always been in our bucket list. We took up a space at Souq al Bahar by 8 pm (yes, it is madness out there on 31st Dec so you need to reach by the evening) so that we could see the LED facing part of the building which displays various texts and interesting visuals before and during the fireworks.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater zoo at Dubai Mall

This was an add-on to our 'At the top' Burj Khalifa ticket as the mall is connected to the tower. Dubai mall aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world with a diverse range of marine animals including many sharks and rays that you can see through an impressive see-through tunnel.

The Underwater zoo is another zone where you can learn about many marine species including king croc, penguins, jelly fishes, star fishes etc. Apart from the attractions, there's lots to do at this magnificent mall in terms of shopping and dining options. We are a fan of Al-Baik so we did dare to stand in the long queue to enjoy the lip smacking crispy chicken.

Discover a whole new world at Atlantis, The Palm

Atlantis is an iconic luxury resort with views of Palm Island and Arabian sea. It shouts luxury with the world's largest water park called Aquaventure, Celebrity chef restaurants, luxury retail outlets and The Lost Chambers aquarium. Consider staying overnight in one of the ocean-inspired rooms and take a leisurely stroll around the grand structure which has lots of entertainment options. You can also get a view of the structure from a boat tour or the monorail which is what we had hopped on to arrive.

Chill at Dubai Marina

This is a breezy promenade with views of the Dhow cruise and Yachts alongside Skyscrapers dotted with many outdoor restaurants and phot spots. We tried the local cuisine at Halla Mandi which was amazing. You could also shop at Dubai Marina Mall there or just take leisurely stroll.

Explore the natural side of Dubai at Hatta

We wanted to explore something different from the skyscraper side of Dubai and came across this place which had a heritage village by the Hajjar mountains and date trees. The Hatta Heritage village houses items and lifestyle cues from the past Emirati culture. You can get a panoramic view of Hatta from the Hatta 360 observatory. The Hatta dam was closed during the time of our visit, however, the scenic route from Dubai to Hatta, the laid-back village and the views made the excursion totally worth it.

Escape to Ras-Al-Khaimah

We were glad to escape the bling of the city by spending a couple of days in the slower emirate of Ras-Al-Khaimah. We stayed at City Stay Beach Hotel Apartment which had beautiful views of the sea, visited a heritage village (literally ghosted), Al Jazeerah beach to watch a pretty sunset, Hamra waterfront for a spectacular twilight and dined at. The next day was spent taking a tour of Jebel-Jais mountains at nearly 1235m (the mountain is 1934m high). It has the world's longest zipline which goes over the mountain peaks at 160 kmph! The booking needs to be done in advance.

A day or two at Dubai Expo

We visited the during the World Expo (held between Oct'21 to Mar'22) and the experience was nothing short of splendid, visiting the various pavilions of futuristic ideas, innovations and cultural experiences while getting our Expo passport stamped. While only a few pavilions have been retained in the present Expo, the location still hosts many events which may be worth a visit.

Don't forget to checkout more photos and videos from this trip on this link.

Well, this was a short trip taken specially for the NYE countdown but there are many more activities one can do during their visit to Dubai like Miracle Gardens, Global Village, Dubai Frame, Museum of the future, Old Souk, Kite beach etc. as well 2-3 days in Abu Dhabi.