London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

The UAE: Discover thrilling adventure and eye-opening culture

The UAE: Discover thrilling adventure and eye-opening culture

Abu Dhabi is a mix of magnificent architecture, stunning beaches, traditional and cultural monuments, adventure sports and other inspiring locations which are off the beaten track. 

This Emirate has not only its traditional ethos but also contemporary culture, making it a tourist's paradise.

Yas Waterworld is one of Yas Island’s most famous attractions for families and has just been recognised at The World Travel Awards as the ‘Middle East’s Leading Water Park 2022’. It has more than 40 rides and attractions with six of them being unique, and not found anywhere else in the Middle East.



The park is divided into four thrill levels, each catering to different ages and adrenaline junkies. It’s home to the world’s largest hydromagnetic-powered, six-person tornado water slide. A family favourite is the 550 metre-long 'Bandit Bomber', which is the world's only suspended waterpark rollercoaster.

Inspired by the traditions of the UAE, Yas Waterworld has its own Pearl Diving Experience. Thanks to the Gulf’s warm waters pearl diving was the basis for the founding of cities like Abu Dhabi.

Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first universal museum in the Arab World, and the institution firmly places Abu Dhabi on the international cultural map. It showcases artwork from across the globe and its ethos was to enable cultural exchange between local and international artists and communities, with a rotating permanent collection sitting alongside contemporary and historical works.

“I think tourists come here because of the iconic masterpiece, which is The Dome, which is designed by a French architect, Jean Nouvel," explained Raisa Al Fahim, Senior External Affairs Officer at Louvre Abu Dhabi. "The first thing that tourists should see is definitely the permanent galleries. So we have 23 galleries in total, that goes from prehistory to contemporary art,” he added.


The Dome, at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by French architect, Jean Nouvel.

It’s easy to forget that Abu Dhabi is a city in the midst of a giant desert. If you want to get away from it all, take a short drive to the Liwa desert to be surrounded by sweeping sand dunes as far as the eye can see. The area may be familiar to film buffs as it was also the setting for multiple Hollywood movies including Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Dune.

Hans Fraikin, the Abu Dhabi Film & Television Commissioner, told Euronews why it is such a unique filming location. 

“You can put a camera in the middle of the Liwa desert and you will see nothing in the background, no telephone wires, no planes, no cars, no streets, nothing," Fraikin said. "And so, if you're filming you can imagine an alien landscape like Arrakis in Dune, or like the planet in Star Wars."

The Liwa desert in the United Arab Emirates


For those who like to be close to nature, the Liwa Desert also offers glamping experiences. Enjoy 360-degree desert views at Liwa Nights. This dune-side retreat has ten luxury tents, each with a king-size bed, air-conditioning, and attached bathrooms. You can also add a camel ride or dune-bashing excursions to your stay, which are a must for any thrill seeker.

“The idea is to come and try our culture," said Salem Almazrouei, Managing Director, of Liwa Nights Glamping Retreat. "We make it a local experience and we teach them [tourists] who we are and where we came from.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×