Dubai Safari Park set to welcome visitors again

Dubai Safari Park will welcome visitors from October 5 with a wide range of new interactive and educational experiences for people of all ages.

The opening follows the completion of a comprehensive renovation and development process.

Spanning 119 hectares, the Park houses an expanded community of 3,000 mammals, birds, amphibians and invertebrates.

"As the momentum of recovery in the tourism market gathers pace, Dubai Safari provides an exciting attraction for both international visitors and residents," said Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality.

"The redesigned Dubai Safari has many unique interactive programmes blended into the safari journey that provide visitors a unique and memorable experience. Not only can they see different types of animals from across the world, they can also enjoy activities, performances and shows that entertain as well as educate," he added.

Comprehensive precautionary measures are in place to ensure a safe environment for visitors.

A thermal camera has been installed and manual thermometers will be used to screen guests, while social distancing of two metres between people will be strictly enforced.

The Park will be open to the public daily from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, with online reservation required for entry.

Tickets are priced at AED 50 for adults and AED 20 for children. Entry is free for those under the age of 3 as well as for people of determination, and two of their companions.

Dubai Safari Park to welcome visitors from 5 October enriching #Dubai’s offerings as a global tourism and leisure destination. The opening follows the completion of a comprehensive renovation and development process. https://t.co/fwRooz7YnC pic.twitter.com/bL4po2mC73

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) September 21, 2020

New activities such as animal feeding, educational and awareness programmes and seasonal events have been added to enrich the visitor experience. 

Rare animals

Serving both as an animal reserve and educational centre, the new Dubai Safari features a group of new animals, including African elephants and giraffes. Rare animals at the Park include the Komodo dragon, Spiral-horned antelope, Arabian Oryx, coloured African wild dog, gorilla, gibbon, bongo, and lemur. Visitors can transport themselves around the Park on state-of-the-art air-conditioned trains. 

The Park comprises three main villages, the African Village, Asian Village and Explorer Village, and also includes an Arabian Desert Safari tour.  

The African Village, a walking arena that includes animals from Africa, gives visitors a true glimpse of the vast continent and an opportunity to see some of the largest and smallest land mammals in the world, ranging from the African elephant to the Meerkat. In addition, the Bird House and Reptile House in the Village houses more than 30 different species of reptiles. 

The Asian Village, designed in an ornate architectural style, embodies the cultural diversity of the continent that is home to diverse wildlife. The ‘Amazing Creatures of the World’ show in the Village enables guests to see a variety of animals as they display their natural behaviours.  

The Park’s Explorer Village allows guests to see animals from all over the world ranging from giraffes to hippos. A unique Bird Show held at the Village displays the splendour of colourful birds and teaches visitors about the intricacies of the winged creatures.  

Another unique experience offered is the Arabian Desert Safari that allows visitors to undertake a trip in an open vehicle to see many species of animals from the Arabian Peninsula. The Tour includes an audio guide that tells visitors about the most famous animals in the local desert and current animal conservation programmes. 

A unique bus tour in the Explorer Village gives visitors a chance to discover animals from Africa and Asia. The tour journeys through the African grasslands and encounters ungulate animals of all shapes and sizes, from giraffes to antelopes and zebras. Guests can watch crocodiles, buffalos, lions, tigers, hippos, rhinoceroses, zebras, baboons, antelopes, hyenas, and giraffes. Visitors have an opportunity to watch these animals resting on the Park’s specially cooled rocks. 

Globally benchmarked animal welfare practices 

Dubai Safari Park offers a wide range of animal welfare and conservation strategies to provide a better life for the animals, apart from hosting educational and research projects that support the goal of establishing the Park. The Park contributes to the conservation of endangered species with breeding programmes and rescue missions around the world.  

Veterinary and animal care units of the Dubai Safari Park’s dedicated Life and Science teams provide animals with the best care in line with global animal welfare standards. The Park’s full-fledged enrichment team supports its Animal Care unit in taking care of the animals’ welfare and training. Dubai Safari also follows internationally benchmarked protocols for protected animal contact to ensure the safety of the animals and staff. 

Eco-friendly Safari Park 

The Park has adopted sustainable and eco-friendly technologies and practices. Originally built on a landfill site, Dubai Safari Park has transformed the land into a reusable space, using advanced technology. Energy harnessed from solar panels is used to power the park’s buildings and its electric vehicles.  

With the goal of becoming a completely zero-waste facility, Dubai Safari Park has distributed recycling waste bins across the grounds for visitors to use. An onsite reverse osmosis plant that filters and recycles water for animal water bodies, repurposes food and animal waste into organic compost, which is used as fertiliser across the park.