Get a taste of the UAE’s most adventurous off-road driving experiences and see some of the country’s most dramatic scenery – including the biggest dunes this side of the Sahara – in Al Dhafra, the emirate’s western region. ‘Where the desert meets the sea’, Al Dhafra makes up over two-thirds of Abu Dhabi. Along its hundreds of kilometres of coastline, you will find stunning beaches and islands, with the area’s rich and fascinating history brought to life through myriad ancient forts set against dramatic landscapes.
Sir Bani Yas Island
A nature-based destination home to stunning wildlife, a range of family-friendly adventure activities, five-star boutique hotels, luxury villas, purpose-built stables and historical sites, Sir Bani Yas Island is one of eight islands making up the desert islands of Al Dhafra.
Awarded the World’s Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination at the 2014 World Travel Awards, more than half of this incredible island is made up of the Arabian Wildlife Park, one of the region’s largest wildlife reserves home to more than 17,000 free-roaming animals, including Arabian oryx, gazelles, giraffes, hyenas and cheetahs. Guests can enjoy 4×4 nature and wildlife safaris in specially made vehicles accompanied by expert guides, with the island’s state-of-the-art stables offering a variety of equestrian activities and lessons for the whole family. If you’re looking for a customised tour to explore the island in more detail, Danat Resort Jebel Dhanna, a hotel on the Abu Dhabi mainland, can help you book one.
With three Anantara retreats on the island, guests can indulge in luxurious five-star accommodation at Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara, enjoy beach-front seclusion at Anantara Al Yamm Villa Resort on the eastern shores, and breathtaking natural beauty at Anantara Al Sahel Villa Resort.
This ancient island is also home to the UAE’s only discovered Christian monastery, which can be visited during a Desert Islands Resort and Spa Culture Tour. Thought to have been built around 600AD and abandoned in 750AD, the monastery was rediscovered during excavations in 1992.
The Empty Quarter
Describing the world’s largest uninterrupted sand mass, explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger wrote, “It was very still, with the silence which we have driven from our world”.
Today, the magical Rub’ al Khali (Empty Quarter) offers the same serene silence that it did when Thesiger explored it with his Emirati and Omani companions in the 1940s, its fine golden and red sands shifting with the winds to form dunes hundreds of feet high and visible as far as the eye can see.
Beautiful by day or starry night, this ever-changing expanse of desert boasts one of the world’s most luxurious hotels: the magnificent Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara.
Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara
Seeing this stunning hotel emerge from the shimmering, flame-coloured dunes of the majestic Empty Quarter is like witnessing an illustration from the fairytale One Thousand and One Nights come to life. Like a mirage that seemingly appears out of nowhere, the luxury Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara is a plush oasis just 200km from Abu Dhabi city.
The Empty Quarter, also known as the Rub’ al Khali, is the world’s largest uninterrupted sand mass, and Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara reflects the region’s ancient cultural traditions, welcoming adventurers of all ages with warm Arabian hospitality. From families seeking new sights and solo travellers looking for action in a unique, ever-changing landscape, to couples searching for a romantic escape, this luxe resort offers everything you need to create a dream holiday.
Use the hotel as your base and discover the Rub’ al Khali by camel or fat-tyre bike (a bicycle with 4.8-inch-wide tyres that can be deflated to tackle enormous dunes), sandboard down giant golden slopes, try your hand at archery or mountain bike through incredible scenery.
Falcons are a cultural symbol of the UAE, thanks in part to their skill and characterful personalities. In fact, falcons and falconry have been connected to Emirati culture for centuries.
