We visited Dubai Safari park on a Friday, and I wanted to share my experience to help people who are planning to go.

It was quite hot and we had to walk a lot - so don't forget to wear comfortable shoes, carry hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, mosquito repellent, maybe an umbrella. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. There are cooling fans all over the park.

Dubai safari park is located in Al Warqa 5. Click here for the google maps location. You can enter the parking after 8.30 AM and the actual park after 9 AM. Parking 1 is the closest to entrance and is free to use. Parking 2 and 3 are a little further away.

Overview

Take a print out of the map with you to know what to expect and not get lost.

The main regions in the entire park are:

African village

Explorer village with safari

Asian village

Arabian Village

Wadi zone - an interconnecting area between villages

Kids farm

Fees

The entry fee is 50 dhs for adults and 20 dhs for kids without safari. If you want to take part in the safari in the explorer village, which I definitely recommend, it is 85 dhs for adults and 30 dhs for kids.

Transport

There are free buses / trains inside the park at regular intervals (approx. 10 minutes apart) to connect the villages except from the entrance to the African village, where you are expected to walk for about 10 minutes. If you have a senior citizen, a pregnant lady or a person of determination with you, the whole family gets to travel on one of the buses / train from the entrance to the African village.

A paid on demand taxi charges 10 aed for adults and 5 aed for kids for 1 ride.

F&B

There are food trucks and food kiosks throughout the park. Furthermore, there are 4 main restaurants: Oregano for Italian inside the African village, Local House for Arabic cuisine, La Marquise at the entrance and Bait al Qadeem for Arabic food.

We ate at Bait al Qadeem as they advertised they have the best views from the highest point of the park. They also offer a free ride from the explorer village to their restaurant if you call them, and it is right outside the African village. Views were good but the food was not so great imho.

Shows and feeding times

Giraffe feeding times outside explorer village:

10.30 AM, 12.30 PM, 2.30 PM and 4.30 PM

You need to purchase lettuce at 5 dhs or carrots at 10 dhs per packet.

Kids farm Aviary feeding times:

12 to 12.30 PM

3.45 to 4.15 PM

It is free. You are given a few grains which you hold in your palm and the birds fly to you and eat from your palm. If you wear a hat they tend to sit on your head.

You can also pet goats and sheep here along with tortoises and rabbits.

Shows and timings:

Bird show at 11 AM at the small theatre in the Explorer village.

Amazing creatures of the world at 3 PM in the big theatre at the Asian village. Entry starts at 2.30 PM. There are plus tickets available online while you book your entry tickets which allow you to sit in front for an additional 10 dhs. Limited seats available. We only saw this show as it was highly recommended by all.

Raptor show at 4.30 PM in raptor square in Asian village.

Itinerary

We started at the African village, which is the biggest. There are many animals and interactive games for kids. Do not miss the beautiful grand aviary which has many birds roaming freely. There is a reptile house too.

Next we took the train to the Explorer village. This is where the safari is and you can only enter if you have the 85 dhs combo ticket. Buses leave every 5 minutes. I found more animals appeared on the right side when we went but the guide and driver said they can be seen from both sides. The best seats for a good view are right behind the driver and guide. When we came out it was time for the Giraffe feed.

Then we took the train to the Asian village. There are very few exhibits and you can enter only enter the Arabian village through the Asian village. When you exit the Asian village, you see small open buses which take you on a 15 minute ride through the Arabian village with a recorded guided tour. The bus drops you off at the kids farm near the entrance.

We then went back again to the Asian village for the Amazing creatures show and went home after visiting the Kids farm in the end.

We had arrived at 9 AM and finished all villages by 1 pm including breaks, then took a lunch break and stayed in the park for the 3 PM show and feeding time at the Kids park. We were back home by 5 PM.

Overall it was an interesting day for adults and children!