The Dubai Parks and Resorts theme park. The 30.6 million square foot
park contains tens of rides, restaurants and a water park for rafting.
PHOTOS | CHARLES MWANIKI | NMG
Summary
- If you are travelling to Dubai, there is a new daredevils’ attraction—a thrilling over 50 meters drop tower!
- Legoland, which contains about 40 rides and Lego building zones, suitable for children aged 12 and below.
- The city has built a boardwalk along the Ocean, where people take advantage of the cool evening to walk, ride bikes, or enjoy a sundowner on one of the top restaurants fronting the sea
Dubai, Seychelles and Zanzibar are a hit for short stays of two
to four nights for Kenyans, says David Kabugi of Deals Brewer who does
holiday bookings.
With a more enlightened generation
that is also eager to discover the world unlike in the past, more so
women opting to travel solo, these will be top destinations for Kenyan
travellers this December holiday.
If you are travelling to Dubai, there is a new daredevils’ attraction—a thrilling over 50 meters drop tower!
On
your way south from Dubai towards Abu Dhabi, you will see on your left a
bright blue building fronting the biggest theme park in the Middle
East, and behind it, a tall tower with seats attached to the side.
Tourist attraction
This
is the face of the Dubai Parks and Resorts theme park, the latest big
ticket attraction in the city which has in recent years become one of
the biggest tourist destinations in the world.
Our
party of eight—seven Africans and our host Rania Ouertani— visited the
30.6 million square foot park on an afternoon to sample what we have
been told is the most thrilling three hours you can spend in the city.
Our
guide for the day is Mai Mohammed, a bubbly lady from Egypt who we task
with taking us to all the choice parts of the park which normally
requires three days to explore fully.
It was October
31, Halloween day so the park was suitably kitted out, with giant
spiders (plastic of course) perched on walls and scarecrows sitting on
beds of hay, surrounded by carved pumpkins.
Michael
Jackson’s Thriller blared from speakers all over the park, making one
forget they are in the Emirates and not a street in New York. The park
was opened in 2016 and is ideal for families looking for all-round fun.
It is divided into four major thematic zones—MotionGate, BollywoodGate, Riverland and Legoland— each with its own character.
Legoland, which contains about 40 rides and Lego building zones, suitable for children aged 12 and below.
Adjacent
lies Riverland Dubai, built around a large man-made lake which offers
raft rides, and medieval French and Irish Villages where you can enjoy
cuisine from both countries.
We opt to start at
MotionGate, a combination of four large buildings each styled after a
major Hollywood production house (Lionsgate, Dreamworks, Columbia
Pictures and Smurfs Village), built to resemble a production studio on
the inside with multiple attractions.
Legoland, which contains about 40 rides and Lego building zones,
suitable for children aged 12 and below. PHOTO | CHARLES MWANIKI | NMG
Legoland, which contains about 40 rides and Lego building zones,
suitable for children aged 12 and below. PHOTO | CHARLES MWANIKI | NMG
Blast Off
After
riding on various roller coasters inside the big buildings, where you
also find merchandise shops and restaurants, we decide to dare the big
ride in the Columbia section, known as Blast Off.
It is
the tall vertical tower one sees from the highway, 58 metres tall,
menacing. Four of us take up the challenge to tackle the monster ride,
and almost immediately we begin to regret it.
Securely
fastened to our seats, we are shot up the tower, reaching the top in
less than five seconds. It is as thrilling as it is scary, especially
for those of us who are fearful of heights.
The view of the park and the desert beyond from up high is stunning though.
The
fall back to earth comes without warning inducing sheer terror, and you
can hear the men on the other side of the tower screaming their heads
off. One more trip up and I am more than ready to get off the ride,
which we are told is scarier for adults than it is for children.
After
this experience, none of us are ready to try another ride, so we give
the tall roller coaster as Lionsgate a miss and instead head off to the
Bollywood section, where you can watch an Indian movie street dance
live, as well as take in the sights in a museum build as a replica of
the Taj Mahal.
After the exertions of the park, the
city does offer trendy spots to hang out in the evening, with the most
fashionable being on the artificial Palm Islands that offer a stunning
view of the Dubai skyline at night.
The city has built a
boardwalk along the Ocean, where people take advantage of the cool
evening to walk, ride bikes, or enjoy a sundowner on one of the top
restaurants fronting the sea.
Other popular haunts
still abound the city, including the ever popular fountain show at the
foot of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
For
those who love a spot of shopping, the city is also home some of the
largest malls in the world and complete with the world’s largest indoor
aquarium that offers a rare treat for the whole family.
cmwaniki@ke.nationmedia.com
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