WOX Travel Contest | Week 4: A Hidden Gem Of The UAE

The United Arab Emirates is one of the most visited countries in the world. Dubai, where I live, receives millions of tourists every year. I am sure most of you have come, seen, or heard about the UAE. The top attractions like Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, and the Grand Mosque are world-famous. But there is a gem, hidden in the middle of the ocean, unknown to most tourists and locals.

I became aware of this gem by pure luck. I was looking for a hotel, within the country, to spend our 9th wedding anniversary. One of the best-rated hotels was located on an island named Sir Bani Yas. I saw some pictures of the place, it looked so raw, romantic, and unexpected. Exactly what I was looking for. We spend a weekend on the island and it actually was even better than what I was expecting.

It begins in our home in Dubai, my handsome dog Bao was making the biggest drama. He wanted to go with us but the hotel wasn’t pet friendly. We packed light as it was only a weekend and headed to the island. We had to travel by car all the way southwest of the country, to then take a boat to the island. It took us more than 3 hours to arrive at the port by car and 20 minutes boat ride to the island.

The hotel room was a lovely one-bedroom chalet. The exterior was simple, not to clash with the environment, and inside all the luxury of a five-star hotel.

The outdoors had a small temperature-control pool where we could relax and watch some beautiful animals roaming around the hotel, freewill as if it was their sanctuary and us just visitors.

The next day, early in the morning after breakfast, we took a tour on a safari car. You see, Sir Bany Yas Island has been a nature reserve since 1971, and has a wildlife park that covers 1400 hectares. Inside the park, you can find thousands of free-roaming animals and birds. The hotel was adjacent to the park and to get inside we had to take a tour on a safari car…it was AMAZING!

I was expecting to see some birds and small animals when suddenly, in front of us, there it was, an animal I always wanted to see in person, a stunning giraffe. Dream come true!

We saw other incredible animals. Amongst my favorites, the Arabian Oryx and the deers. The Oryx has enormous straight horns and cute little black marks on the face. The deers were gorgeous, exactly like Baby, with little white dots all over their skin. I hope there are no biologists reading my trivial descriptions of the animals.

Another lovely animal was the mountain sheep. They were ruffing around, running, and jumping all over the place. The tour lasted for some hours. It was an extraordinary experience, and the cherry on top was to arrive at the chattel and find the most striking peacock, chilling on our sunbed.

On the next day, we headed back to our home, to our lives, and our dog, but we will always remember Sir Bani Yas Island. I hope you liked the journey!