Al Ain is sleepy, yes. Life might be a little slower-paced there than it is for us downtowners and they may not have the same choice of bars and restaurants just yet. But what they do have is fresher air, greenery and plenty of gentle leisure activities that makes it more than worth a visit.
It might be something of a stretch, but just think of Al Ain as being to Abu Dhabi what the Hamptons is to New York, say, or Brighton to London – a great place to spend the weekend, getting a change of scene and a break from the chaos of the big city. Al Ain is of great historic importance to Abu Dhabi, because it’s the birthplace of Abu Dhabi’s ruling Al Nahyan family. Known as The Garden City, it is much greener and more lush than downtown Abu Dhabi, and is noticeably cooler too, which is why many in-the-know Emiratis keep second homes there to escape to during the intense summer heat. Here a few options for how to spend your time there.
Family outings
Al Ain Zoo
Probably every kid’s favourite day out is a trip to the zoo, which is why you should schedule in a visit as soon as possible before the weather gets too warm to spend the day outside. Both exotic and local animals are there for kids to pet and gape at because the zoo is home to giraffes, zebras, rhinoceroses and the rare white lions of Sambona, while elsewhere kids get the chance to see regional wildlife such as the Arabian Oryx and gazelle. All sorts of special experiences are on offer to keep kids entertained. Book tickets for a special giraffe feeding session, where children get to gawp at the creatures and feed them with treats provided by the zoo such as carrots or lettuce. A petting zoo is perfect for giving the younger members of your family the chance to get comfortable with smaller animals such as ponies, sheep or goats. Also, any big softies out there will jump at the chance to visit the zoo’s new born animals – lion cubs, a giraffe calf, mongoose, penguin and flamingo chicks all joined the zoo last year. Keep an eye on the website where they post all the zoo baby news, so you can be one of the first to visit newborns.
Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort (03 782 8188) www.awpr.ae.
Wadi Adventure
The long-awaited Wadi Adventure Park is open at last! They’ve built, in true UAE style, the longest man made white-water channels in the world, in three varying levels of intensity, so you get to have a go whether you’re a complete beginner or you’re tough enough to take on the roughest of rapids. Tickets include a professional guide and a lesson, so either way you won’t be left to tackle the waters alone. Wadi Adventure also has a man-made surfing pool with waves up to 3.3m high, so at last all of the capital’s surfing enthusiasts have somewhere to practise catching waves – and the surf’s always up! Elsewhere in the park are
opportunities for kayaking and also an adventure park with a climbing wall, high ropes course, zip line and a 14m falling swing. Who would have though Al Ain could be such an adventurous place?
Wadi Adventure (03 781 8422).
Hili Fun City
If you haven’t been to Hili Fun City of late, it’s about time you ventured to Al Ain to take a turn on the latest rides and make use of the brand new annual passes available for 2012. That’s right – if your nippers are total thrill seekers and like nothing better than being thrown around on stomach-churning, adrenaline pumping rides whenever they can, then this is the place for you. As well as the Hili Mouse (a hair-raising roller coaster) and the terrifying Thunderbolt, there are loads of exciting things for little ones to explore and try out. Check out the beautifully restored antique carousel, a mini train that takes you around the entire park, a safari car ride where tots can tear around on multi-coloured mini jeeps, along with bumper cars, bikes for hire and lots of safe rides for small people. The theme park has also had a bit of a make-over of late, and has two new attractions. The first is the new family skill game the Al Ain Derby where you race a horse against the clock – and your siblings – to win a prize. The second is a mini race track that has been built especially for small children to try. If you purchase an annual pass, you can enjoy all the fun of the fair every day (if you like) at the theme park, which offers you unlimited access to 31 attractions.
Dhs200 (annual pass per person) Dhs1,000 (annual family pass for six people). Daily rates, Dhs45 (Wed-Sat) Dhs40 (Mon-Tues) and Wednesday is ladies only day. Open 12noon-10pm Fri-Sat; 4-10pm Mon-Thurs; 10am-10pm on public holidays. www.hilifun city.ae (03 784 5542).
Get back to nature
Jebel Hafeet
Straddling the border between the UAE and Oman, Jebel Hafeet stands an incredible 1,249m tall and from the top you can look out over the whole of Al Ain. You can drive around a winding road right to the top of the mountain, and there are plenty of places to stop and check out the scenery along the way. There’s not much at the top except a rather grim café, toilets, construction work and a big car park, but that doesn’t deter many visitors from spending hours up there gazing down at the city and enjoying the breeze. We’ve even seen adventurous families pitching tents next to the railings!
Green Mubazarrah
The Green Mubazarrah is a large park right at the foot of Jebel Hafeet. It’s one of the lushest, greenest parks in Abu Dhabi, and contains playgrounds for young children, streams, lakes and hot water springs. Indoor and outdoor bathing pools are also open to the public.
Eating out
Choices may not be as varied as they are in Abu Dhabi but there are still plenty of places to dine out in style in Al Ain.
Paco’s Bar
An array of cuisines are available in the Garden City. For Mexican try Paco’s Bar which serves all sorts of cheesy, spicy Tex-Mex dishes such as fajitas, quesadillas and enchiladas as well as steak. There’s a lively atmosphere here at weekends with punters coming to watch sports, listen to live bands or join in with the regular quiz nights.
Hilton Al Ain (03 768 6666).
Min Zaman
Min Zaman serves Lebanese food and is a great spot to hit up for a special occasion because they have live entertainment
every night with a singer, belly dancer and oud player to spice up the evening. Plough through mezze, grilled meats and fish and fresh juices indoors or on the terrace overlooking the pool garden. The outdoors terrace is also popular for shisha smoking in the evenings.
Al Ain Rotana (03 754 5111).
The Wok
The Wok is a smart spot in the Al Ain Resort that offers all sorts of Far Eastern dishes from dim sum to sushi and some south East Asian dishes too – think spicy Thai soups and Indonesian curries. Perfect for anyone looking for something a little bit exotic for dinner in Al Ain. There are often special
offers here so call in advance to find out.
Danat Al Ain Resort (03 704 6000).
Museums, forts and cultural sites
Al Ain National Museum
Just the site of Al Ain National Museum alone is interesting, because it is the oldest museum in the UAE and was built under the direction of Sheikh Zayed himself. The museum’s exhibitions give an overview of the history of the UAE, both from the earliest records of when the area was inhabited by Bedouin tribes and more recently since the unification of the emirates. In the
ethnographical section of the museum you’ll be able to see displays about the pre-oil history of the country including a collection of black and white photographs from the 1960s. Life sized scenes have been constructed of everyday life in those times, from early classrooms to household life, such as weaving looms, medical instruments and techniques. Visitors will also be able to learn about early farming methods and the fishing and pearl diving practises that were the Gulf region’s main industry. The archaeological section of the museum focuses on the Stone Age through to the Islamic period, showing everything from early weapons dating back 5,000 years to ancient tools, pottery and jewellery.
Al Ain National Museum (03 764 1595)
Al Ain Palace Museum
This amazing building is where Sheikh Zayed used to live before 1966 when he became the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Visitors can get an impression of daily life here because the rooms have been restored to reflect their original use. There is even a Land Rover parked in the courtyard which is similar to the one Sheikh Zayed used to drive out into the desert.
Forts
The largest and most impressive of Al Ain’s old forts is Al Jahili Fort, which was restored in 2008. It is now open to visitors keen to explore its cultural and archaeological exhibitions, including an information display about the British explorer Wilfred Thesiger. Al Jahili used to be a royal summer residence for sheikhs and their families eager to take advantage of the cooler, dryer conditions in Al Ain. The original fort consisted of two buildings, a square fort and a separate round tower, and is set in grounds where cultural events such as the Al Ain Classics Chamber Music Festival are held annually. If you’re keen to explore lesser-known forts around the city, try Murabba Fort in the town centre, which used to be the police headquarters and old prison. Alternatively, check out Mazyad Fort, which is at the foot of Jebel Hafeet and has interesting features such as mud brick walls with battlements and watchtowers, a courtyard and a date palm grove.
Hili Archaeological Park
Hili Archaeological Park is actually about 10km drive from the city centre, and is the location of a large number of Bronze Age and Iron Age sites. Excavation projects here have shown evidence of settlements at the very beginning of the second millennium BC. There is also a tomb at the centre of the park dating to the end of the third millennium BC, where ancient pottery, engravings and
carvings of humans and animals were found.
Culture
The Magic Lantern
Introduce your kids to films that will really make them think with The Magic Lantern film club. The club holds regular educational movie sessions at Al Ain’s Grand Cineplex Cinemas at Al Ain Mall on Saturdays. Before each show, The Magic Lantern members are sent a mini magazine to tell them about the upcoming programme, then when they arrive at the cinema, the children are welcomed by presenters who introduce the film and give them some ideas about the genre and what the film means. This is a great way to encourage children to think critically about what they’ve seen and become comfortable with developing their own opinions.
www.magiclantern.ae.
Al Qattara Arts Centre
Based in a renovated fort, this relatively new arts centre provides lessons in Arabic calligraphy, drawing, painting and photography with renowned artists and experts. Calligraphy classes for example, are held by Mohammed Mandi, the famous Emirati artist who designed the UAE’s bank notes and the 99 names of Allah adorning the Qibla wall inside Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. As well as being a space to get your hands dirty, Al Qattara can also lay claim to being Al Ain’s first fully fledged art gallery, with a good-sized space set aside for hosting regular exhibitions.
Al Qattara Arts Centre is open 9am-8pm. All courses cost Dhs300 for a month of lessons. Call 03 761 8080 for info and bookings.
Two in one ticket!
Al Ain Zoo and Hili Fun City are offering a Combo Ticket deal, which this spring will give families access to both the zoo and fun park at discounted prices. The Combo Ticket promotion, running until March 31, costs Dhs70 for adults and Dhs40 for children. Both tickets include use of the shuttle bus that runs between Al Ain Zoo and Hili Fun City.
UNESCO
Four areas of Al Ain – Jebel Hafeet, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas – were declared to be World Heritage sites by UNESCO last summer. Jebel Hafeet for its ancient cemeteries; Hili for its archaeological sites, the Bidaa bint Saud Bronze Age graveyards and the remains of an ancient falaj irrigation system in the oasis regions. These areas all demonstrate that there was human occupation in the region since the Neolithic period with traces of prehistoric cultures too.
For more information visit www.unesco.org.
Staying overnight?
If you want to take your time on your trip to Al Ain and avoid the long drive back after an exhausting day at theme parks or climbing up mountains, there are a few nice city hotels that should do the trick. Many of Abu Dhabi’s familiar hotel chains have locations in Al Ain and offer reasonable rates. If you want to stay on Jebel Hafeet mountain itself, your only option is Mercure Grand Jebel Hafeet (03 783 8888) which has spectacular views but not a whole lot else to recommend it. Otherwise Hilton Al Ain (03 786 6666) is a nice upmarket option, with a scenic golf course on site, or book a room at Al Ain Rotana (03 754 1111)
for the convenience of being based downtown.
