United Arab Emirates travel guides

The cooler months from November to March are the most pleasant time in the United Arab Emirates, when outdoor activities and desert trips are comfortable. The skydiving season in Dubai runs from October to April, and winter nights of about 15-25 degrees Celsius make that window ideal for desert night jumps as well. Summers are extremely hot, which is why most outdoor adventure operations concentrate in winter.

The United Arab Emirates is best known for tandem skydiving over Dubai - jumps from 13,000 feet with views of the man-made Palm Jumeirah island, the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Marina, and the Arabian Desert, including night jumps over the desert under the city glow. On the ground, the classic experience is the desert safari with dune bashing, camel riding, and sandboarding, alongside landmarks like the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.

Guides recommend 5-7 days minimum for Dubai, enough to cover Downtown and the Burj Khalifa, the souks and abra water taxis of Old Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, a desert safari, and the Dubai Marina area. Dubai also works as a base for exploring Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and the surrounding desert. A tandem skydive takes only 3-4 hours, so it slots easily into a city itinerary.

A daytime tandem skydive in Dubai costs about 1,800-2,200 UAE dirhams, roughly 490-600 US dollars, with jumps from 13,000 feet over Palm Jumeirah or the desert campus about 45 minutes from Dubai Marina. Night desert jumps run about 350-450 dollars, with packages up to around 650 dollars including video and helicopter transfer. General daily budgets in Dubai are high, around 400-1,200 dirhams or 110-330 dollars per day.

Dubai, the main gateway, has a metro system, taxis, and the Uber and Careem ride apps, plus traditional abra water taxis across Dubai Creek between the old souk districts. Many nationalities receive a visa on arrival, English is widely spoken everywhere, and cards are accepted almost universally, with cash useful in souks and taxis. Desert activities and outlying drop zones are typically reached by operator pickup or a roughly 45-minute drive from the Dubai Marina area.