Things to Do in Uae in December

The approach alone is worth the trip: skimming across the flat turquoise water of the Persian Gulf on a jet ski, the salt spray stinging your face, with the sail-shaped silhouette of the Burj Al Arab growing larger with every second until it towers directly above you, its white Teflon-coated membrane gleaming against a cloudless December sky. Experience Burj Al Arab by Jetski puts you at water level beneath one of the most photographed buildings on Earth, a perspective no observation deck can replicate, the sheer vertical scale of the structure, the sound of waves slapping against its artificial island foundation, the cool mist kicked up by your own wake. Guides lead small groups along a route that hugs the Jumeirah coastline, passing the wave-shaped Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the low-rise villas of the old neighbourhood before circling the hotel itself.

Five hours on the Arabian Gulf aboard a fishing charter is not a casual outing, it is a full-throttle immersion in the deep-water angling that Emirati families have practiced for generations, updated with modern trolling gear and echo sounders. Go Fishing Dubai combines trolling runs for kingfish and barracuda with bottom-fishing drops over reef structures where hammour (the local orange-spotted grouper prized at Emirati dinner tables) and cobia lurk. The boat pushes out past the shipping lanes, where the turquoise shallows give way to a darker cobalt and the Dubai skyline shrinks to a glittering thread on the horizon. The smell of diesel and baitfish, the rhythmic slap of swells against the hull, and the sudden screaming drag of a hooked kingfish, this is the UAE that has nothing to do with shopping malls.

The drive out of Dubai toward the Al Lahbab desert takes less than an hour. But the landscape shifts completely, glass and concrete give way to terracotta dunes that roll in soft, wind-sculpted ridges toward the horizon. Dubai Desert Safari at Arabian Heritage Luxury Camp plants you in a traditional-style Bedouin encampment after dusk, where the scent of slow-roasted lamb and saffron rice drifts from open-fire kitchens and the sound of an oud player floats across the cooling sand. The camp itself is styled after the heritage encampments that once dotted the Empty Quarter: low cushioned seating areas arranged around a central fire pit, woven carpets underfoot, and falcons perched on handlers' gloves for close-up encounters. Henna artists work under lantern light while tanoura dancers spin in embroidered skirts that blur into colour wheels against the dark sky.

Where the group safari is a choreographed spectacle, the private desert tour is its quieter, more textured counterpart. Dubai Desert Visit With or Without Dune Drive runs four to five hours with a dedicated vehicle and driver-guide, which means stops happen when something catches your eye, a ghaf tree silhouetted against the dune crest, an oryx track crossing the sand, the particular way afternoon light turns the desert surface from gold to copper. The dune-drive option adds the visceral thrill of a 4x4 cresting steep slip faces at speed, tyres hissing on the sand, your stomach dropping on each descent. Without the dune drive, the tour emphasises the desert's silence: the crunch of your boots on sabkha salt flats, the hiss of wind-blown sand grains, the surprising coolness of shade beneath an acacia canopy.

If the heritage camp offers refinement, Desert Safari Dubai with Live Shows, Dune Bashing and BBQ Dinner delivers spectacle. The evening opens with a dune-bashing session that feels like a controlled crash through a sand sea, the Land Cruiser climbs near-vertical faces, pauses at the crest, then slides down the far side while passengers grip the roll bars and the chassis shudders beneath them. The transition from adrenaline to hospitality is swift: the camp awaits with a charcoal-fired barbecue pit sending columns of fragrant smoke into the evening air, tables loaded with grilled meats, hummus, fattoush, and freshly baked khameer bread. Live belly dancing, fire performances, and tanoura shows follow, their music echoing across the open desert. The taste of smoky lamb shoulder, the sound of drums building to a crescendo, the feel of cooling sand still warm enough to sit on barefoot, this is the UAE's most popular adventure format for a reason.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai sit roughly 130 kilometres apart on the same coastal highway. But they feel like different countries. A Day Trip to Dazzling Dubai from Abu Dhabi bridges that gap in a single guided day, collecting guests from Abu Dhabi hotels and delivering a concentrated survey of Dubai's landmarks, the gold-and-spice souks of Deira, where saffron threads and cardamom pods are weighed on brass scales and the air is thick with their dusty sweetness. The abra crossing of Dubai Creek, where the wooden ferry rocks gently as it threads between cargo dhows stacked with electronics and textiles. And the towering glass canyon of Sheikh Zayed Road, where the Burj Khalifa's needle tip disappears into the haze above. The drive between the two emirates follows the E11 highway along the Gulf coast, passing the industrial port of Jebel Ali and the date-palm nurseries that line the road's shoulders.