Discover Dubai's stunning wildlife

Sign up for a quintessential Bedouin experience, trekking across the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve on the 'ship of the desert'. Book a camel tour with Arabian Adventures to blaze a trail through  sand dunes, learning about Arabian wildlife from experts. Stop for refreshments by the lakeside and enjoy a quiet afternoon away from the city buzz. Don't have enough time to make it out to the desert? Vendors located along Jumeirah Beach offer camel rides for both adults and children.

Emiratis regard falcons with immense pride and there's no wonder it's the national bird of the UAE. You can learn more about the history of falconry in Dubai at the Falcon Museum, before heading into the desert to see these majestic birds of prey up close. Platinum Heritage's private falconry experience is a popular choice, with guests able to handle and feed the regal bird under the careful supervision of expert trainers.

The Arabian oryx has been brought back from the brink of extinction by a tireless government-funded breeding programme. Thanks to its efforts, the oryx’s status was downgraded to the less drastic ‘vulnerable’ status in 2011. Today, the white-haired relative of the antelope can be found grazing on native grasses and shrubs along desert dunes. Go on a wildlife tour across the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve in an open-roof 1950s vintage Land Rover with Platinum Heritage to observe the wild oryx up close.

These beautiful birds with bright pink feathers and stilt legs are a sight to behold. You can watch hundreds of them in their natural habitat at the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary during the cooler months. The free-to-enter sanctuary is the perfect spot to explore and admire various species of birds, as it has the highest concentration of local birdlife in the region. If you are passionate about photography, this is also a great backdrop with the city skyline peeking out from the horizon.

Think a tropical rainforest in the bustling city centre is out of the realm of imagination? Think again. The Green Planet is a fully-immersive indoor vertical rainforest in Dubai's popular City Walk district. Visitors can embark on an expedition like no other and see over 3,000 colourful animals and plants under one glass-domed roof. Get close to loveable sloths or the nocturnal sugar gliders, pet a python or witness fruit bats at the unique ‘bat cave’ experience.

Animal lovers will find plenty to enjoy at the recently renovated Dubai Safari Park, which is home to nearly 3,000 animals from all over the world. With different ‘villages’ to explore and 15 species of carnivores alone, visitors can also spot an array of primates, reptiles, birds and amphibians. It makes for a thrilling day out and creates a number of fascinating memories for the whole family through a fully immersive wildlife experience.

While not native to the region, here's your chance to interact with some cool birds of the Southern Hemisphere. Head over to the indoor ski slope at Ski Dubai in Mall of the Emirates and meet the penguins. The cute Gentoo and King penguins inhabiting the icy environs are part of a global wildlife preservation effort, and march around the park - which you can watch for free. You can also meet the adorable birds up close as part of the 'Peng-Friend' encounters programme, which creates an unforgettable experience.

There's plenty to be explored off coast in Dubai, but there are a few experiences inside record-breaking aquariums in Dubai that cannot be matched. Head over to Dubai Mall and make a beeline for the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, where you can stare spellbound at the giant 10 million-litre tank that houses more than 33,000 aquatic animals and the largest collection of sand tiger sharks anywhere. There are plenty of ways to get up close and personal with the aquatic life: you can stroll through the 48-metre tunnel through the aquarium, get on a glass-bottom boat tour or even go swimming with the sharks.

Want more? You can even head to The Lost Chambers Aquarium at Atlantis, The Palm, where you can interact with some of the majestic sea creatures swimming around the stunning space.