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Abu Dhabi: Destination Report: Entertainment & Markets

Published on Wednesday, 04 Nov 2026 10:20 by GT

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Desert Safari; Credit: Chronicle.lu

Abu Dhabi Fish Market; Credit: Chronicle.lu

Abu Dhabi Aquarium; Credit: Chronicle.lu

Date Market; Credit: Chronicle.lu

Yellow Boat Tour; Credit: Chronicle.lu

A Falcon at a desert camp outside Abu Dhabi; Credit: Chronicle.lu

In my third of three articles on Abu Dhabi, I'll focus on entertainment, and a bit on shopping, giving you, the reader, an idea of what one can do in this new destination now just a direct flight away from Luxembourg.

To return to the first (introductory) article, click here（https://chronicle.lu/opinion/23190-abu-dhabi-destination-report）; and for the second one on history and culture, click here（https://chronicle.lu/opinion/23191-abu-dhabi-destination-report-history-culture）.

Desert Safari

Abu Dhabi Desert Safari involved six Toyota Land Cruisers from “Desert Rose Tourism”, each carrying 4-6 passengers and who met up in a pre-designated spot around 75 minutes outside Abu Dhabi, in the desert. Stopping briefly to ensure everyone had assembled, the drivers half deflated the cars’ tyres to prepare for the off-road driving experience.

The first part involved a “roller-coaster” ride over the dunes, with plenty of shrieks of excitement as the various thrill-seekers got their fill of “dune bashing”. Out for a break after 30 minutes to admire the stunning landscape before we then arrived at the walled camp.

With tables and cushions arranged around an 100m2 stage, refreshments were available while participants could choose to go on camel rides, on dune buggies or quad bikes, or undertake more leisurely activities such as henna tattooing, trying on traditional costumes, bottle sand art, having one’s photo taken with a falcon, visit the small menagerie of deer and birds, or peruse the small gift shop. Dinner was served buffet style between three shows - traditional dance, belly dancing and a fire display, as well as a short presentation on the role and importance of camels in the UAE’s culture.

Aquarium

A visit to the Abu Dhabi Aquarium won over a trip to Sea World, only because of the time allowed. We had around 90 minutes to peruse the exhibits, which we could do at a leisurely pace. We were able to see up close various aquatic creatures including sharks, piranhas, reef fish and horseshoe crabs, to sea horses, sea dragons and jellyfish (with a lot of moray eels - who remembers the 1977 film “The Deep” with Jacqueline Bisset?) There were then separate displays of frogs (from tiny dart frogs to giant bullfrogs), to one display containing tortoises, capybaras and monkeys, also nutrias, to another of puffins… and then the chameleons, geckos, bearded dragons and various snakes. African manatees had their own display...

The collection was seriously impressive and was expertly presented, bringing the visitor on a tour of the continents and environments along the way - both educational and entertaining in equal measure.

Fish Market

The Fish Market showcases fresh fish caught from the Gulf that morning; open from 05:00 to wholesalers and restaurants, it then opens to the public later on, offering fish cleaning stations (separate for men and women) so one need only take home fillets, etc. It was noticeably kept spotlessly clean, a testament to the food hygiene standards applied. Another alternative would be to bring your freshly-bought fish to one of the many restaurants surrounding, and opening onto, the market, for them to prepare it for eating there and then.

Without listing all species of fish on sale, some noticeable ones I noticed were locally-caught (giant) sole, red snapper, kingfish, parrotfish, shark, yellow-fin and mackerel tuna, plus crustaceans including blue crabs, prawns, gambas, crayfish, squid, octopus and cuttlefish, as well as imported fish such as (Norwegian) salmon.

Date Market

The original date market evolved into also selling fruit and vegetables, with some produce local and others imported. There are over a hundred date varieties, and producers also make date syrup, date butter, pickled dates, etc.

The market comprised around a dozen rows, each of maybe 20 shops, each selling their own wares: some dates were available loose to "pick and mix", while others were already packaged, with some stuffed with different nuts, etc.

Abu Dhabi by Water

There are various options with which to go out on the water in Abu Dhabi, since it is built on islands in the sea.

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