عجائب الإمارات
Beyond the skyline there are red dunes, cool mountains, coral reefs and forts older than the country itself. Here is how to find them.
New to the Emirates? Work through these in order and you will have the essentials covered.
Each one has its own character. Most visitors only see Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but the best days out are often further on.
The capital of grand mosques, island museums and the edge of the Empty Quarter.
Record-breaking towers, old creekside souks and a mountain escape in Hatta.
The UAE's cultural capital, with restored old quarters and desert archaeology.
The smallest emirate, with an old fort museum and quiet mangrove waters.
Lagoons, islands and old-town lanes in the least developed emirate.
Mountains, forts and the highest road in the country.
The east coast, where the Hajar Mountains meet the Gulf of Oman.
Abu Dhabi
Few buildings stop people in their tracks the way this one does. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque opened in 2007, built in white marble with dozens of domes, gold-plated chandeliers and one of the largest hand-knotted carpets in the world.
Read the guideRas Al Khaimah
Jebel Jais is the mountain that gives the UAE its high point. The summit, at 1,934 metres, sits just over the border in Oman, but the ridge on the Emirati side climbs close to 1,900 metres and a smooth switchback road takes you most of the way up.
Read the guideAbu Dhabi
Tal Moreeb, the Moreeb Dune, is one of the tallest sand dunes in the world, a steep wall of sand rising out of the Liwa desert in the far south-west of Abu Dhabi.
Read the guideFujairah
Al Badiyah Mosque is tiny, built of stone and mud brick with four low domes held up by a single central pillar. It is believed to date back several centuries, likely to around the 15th century, which makes it the oldest known mosque in the country.
Read the guideDubai
Hatta is Dubai's mountain enclave, a small town tucked into the Hajar Mountains near the Omani border. Its dam holds a reservoir of startling turquoise water between bare brown peaks.
Read the guideAbu Dhabi
In the middle of Al Ain, the garden city on the Omani border, is a vast oasis of date palms crossed by shaded walking paths. Water still reaches the trees through the falaj, an irrigation system of channels that has been used in this region for thousands of years.
Read the guideFujairah
Snoopy Island is a small rocky island just off Al Aqah beach on the Fujairah coast. It got its name because, from the right angle, it looks like the cartoon dog asleep on his back.
Read the guideSharjah
In the desert of central Sharjah, around Jebel Faya and the village of Mleiha, archaeologists have found tools showing that people lived here more than 200,000 years ago. In 2025 the Faya Palaeolandscape became the UAE's second UNESCO World Heritage Site and the first desert Palaeolithic site on the list.
Read the guideAbu Dhabi
The Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in 2017 on Saadiyat Island, under a vast latticed dome designed by the architect Jean Nouvel. Sunlight filters through the dome in shifting patterns that the museum calls the rain of light.
Read the guideDubai
Before the towers, this is what Dubai looked like. Al Fahidi, also known by its older name Al Bastakiya, is a cluster of restored houses with coral-stone walls and tall wind towers, the traditional way of catching a breeze before air conditioning.
Read the guideDubai
Dubai Creek is where the city began, as a fishing and pearling port. Traditional wooden boats called abras still shuttle people across the water between Bur Dubai and Deira all day long, for a few dirhams.
Read the guideDubai
At 828 metres, the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest building in the world since it opened in 2010. Its observation decks look down on the whole city, from the Gulf to the desert.
Read the guideAbu Dhabi
Jebel Hafeet rises about 1,240 metres out of the plain on the edge of Al Ain, straddling the border with Oman. A beautifully engineered road climbs it in a long series of hairpin bends, and at the top there are car parks with views over the city and the desert.
Read the guideSharjah
The Heart of Sharjah is a long-running project to restore the city's historic quarter, its coral-stone houses, shaded souks and courtyard museums.
Read the guideRas Al Khaimah
Dhayah Fort is a small mud-brick fortress on top of a steep hill north of Ras Al Khaimah city, looking out over date palms, mangroves and the sea, with the mountains behind.
Read the guideRas Al Khaimah
Wadi Shawka is a valley in the foothills of the Hajar Mountains with a small dam, rocky ridges and a network of marked hiking trails.
Read the guideAjman
Al Zorah is a protected stretch of mangrove forest and lagoon on the Ajman coast. The calm channels between the trees are perfect for kayaking and paddleboarding.
Read the guideUmm Al Quwain
Al Sinniyah is the largest of the low islands in the Umm Al Quwain lagoon. It is home to large colonies of seabirds, including Socotra cormorants, along with mangroves and quiet beaches.
Read the guideFujairah
Fujairah Fort is one of the oldest and largest forts in the UAE, built of stone and mud on a rocky rise with the Hajar Mountains behind it. It is thought to date back to the 16th century and has been carefully restored.
Read the guideAbu Dhabi
Qasr Al Watan is part of the presidential palace compound in Abu Dhabi and opened to the public in 2019. Its halls of white granite and limestone, painted domes and intricate ceilings rival the Grand Mosque for sheer detail.
Read the guideWhite marble and gold at sunset.
The highest road in the country.
Where the Empty Quarter begins.
The oldest known mosque in the UAE.
Kayaking between mountain walls.
Shade, palms and ancient falaj.
Turtles and reefs off the beach.
Fossils by day, stars by night.
More wonders from this emirate are on the way. See the full list.
Already here? These are the trips worth the drive, with rough driving times from central Dubai.
See sample itinerariesOvernight camps in Liwa, Mleiha and beyond.
Wadis, ridges and old villages in the north and east.
Herons and flamingos in calm green channels.
Spices, gold and an abra across the Creek.
Peak season for camping, hiking, beach days and outdoor festivals. Book early.
Lower prices. Plan outdoor time for mornings and evenings.
Great hotel deals and indoor attractions. Escape to the mountains.
Who gets a visa on arrival, and what to check before you fly.
Read the guide →Metro, taxis, the new national railway and when to rent a car.
Read the guide →Mosque visits, Ramadan, public behaviour and what to wear.
Read the guide →Pick your days and interests. Get a day-by-day plan across the emirates.
Start planning →مرحبا
Hello. The everyday greeting you will hear everywhere, from hotel lobbies to taxi ranks.
شكراً
Thank you. A little Arabic goes a long way, and this is the one to learn first.
السلام عليكم
Peace be upon you. The traditional greeting. The reply is wa alaykum as-salam.
يلا
Come on, let's go. Used by everyone in the UAE, whatever their first language.
إن شاء الله
God willing. Said about anything in the future, from tomorrow's meeting to next year's holiday.
قهوة
Coffee. Emirati coffee is light, spiced with cardamom and served in tiny cups with dates.
مجلس
A sitting room or gathering place, where guests are welcomed and community matters are discussed.
فلج
An ancient irrigation channel that carries water to oasis farms. You can still see them in Al Ain.
برجيل
A wind tower. The traditional way to cool a house, still standing in Al Fahidi in Dubai.
خلاص
Finished, enough, done. Very handy, and you will hear it many times a day.
رمضان كريم
A greeting for the holy month of Ramadan, meaning roughly "generous Ramadan".
ما شاء الله
What God has willed. Said to express admiration or praise, for a new baby or a beautiful view.