Inside the Dubai Safari

Gulf News

After years of planning and construction, one of the UAE’s most anticipated mega projects, the Dubai Safari Park, opened its doors to media and invited guests in a soft launch on Tuesday morning.   See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  #safari #DubaiSafari #Dubai

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00:00After years of planning and construction, one of the UAE's most anticipated mega projects,

00:13the Dubai Safari Park, opened its doors to media and invited guests in a soft launch on Tuesday

00:18morning. Upon arriving at the site, I was a bit unsure what to expect. I had been to Kenya and

00:22experienced what I considered real safaris. So how could Dubai Safari Park possibly compare to

00:27an experience like that? What can visitors to the park expect? We are keen to give you know a lot of

00:32information about the animals. We are keen to make the visitor to be close to the animals

00:38on the safe barriers. Therefore a lot of interaction between the visitor and the animals.

00:45There will be a lot of shows also you know and there is a lot of education it will be

00:50also given for the visitor. The first thing guests to the park are treated to is a beautifully

00:55designed main building. Sweeping glass walls that connect at the roof making for an eye-catching

01:00first impression. From there visitors board a train or a bus or an interesting combination of

01:04the two and head out into the safari park. A very good morning and a warm welcome to Dubai Safari.

01:12My name is Donika and I'm going to be your trail guide for this journey. Sprawling across 119 hectares

01:19and completely covering what residents of the area will know was a landfill, the park is split into

01:24different sections. The first stop landed me at the safari village. Statues of exotic animals adorn

01:29the entrance plaza to this area which instantly made me eager for the real thing. Unfortunately

01:34there are no elephants yet residing at the Dubai Safari Park but there is an enclosure where you'll

01:38spot some giraffes going about their business and having the odd staring contest with people

01:42viewing the area. Off to the right side of the safari village grey transport vans load up with

01:47passengers and drive into the different themed areas for a guided tour of the section. Loads of

01:52different bird species occupy the area as well as a large troop of baboons who seem to love running

01:56in circles together around the enclosure. There are interesting deer and oryx species gathered

02:01around their enclosures and if you're lucky the ostrich crew will run in front of your van in a

02:05hurry to go about their business. Then it's through the gates and into the lion's den. Here guests

02:10will get to see the king of the jungle in all of its glory. Lounging in the comfort that only

02:14predators at the top of the food chain can match, these animals are a true wonder to see up close.

02:18The guided drive was beginning to feel a bit long for me at this point but I was really eager to see

02:22the one animal I've always wanted to see in real life. So after a few more enclosures with some

02:27beautiful exotic birds and a bunch more oryx, we finally arrived at the tiger enclosure.

02:32As magnificent as I had expected, they were there to greet us as we passed through the gate.

02:36It's easy to see why India has adopted the tiger as their national animal. After the guided drive

02:41which took over an hour for our van to complete, the next area to visit is the African village.

02:45Here the Dubai Safari has brought the flavors and feel of Africa to Dubai. They also brought African

02:51wild dogs, giant tortoises and probably the single most majestic animal I've ever seen,

02:55the super rare African white lion. We were treated to a pride of four of these animals who, as it

03:01turned out, were feeling frisky and thought it would be great fun to play with the children on

03:04the other side of the glass. I'm not sure if the lion was playing or hungry but either way it's a

03:08relief knowing the glass is bulletproof and we the guests are perfectly safe behind it. As my tour of

03:13the park came to an end, I began thinking about my original thought from the beginning of the day.

03:17The Dubai Safari Park is certainly not an African safari but it is amazing to see the care and

03:22thought put into each animal's area. I was caught up in the sheer scale of it all, the wonderful

03:26animals that inhabit the park and that from January onwards after the grand opening to the public,

03:31those who live in the UAE will forever enjoy a better quality of life because we can learn and

03:36witness firsthand the wonder and majesty of some of nature's finest creatures. At the end of the day,

03:41it's not about comparing the Dubai Safari with other safaris from around the world.

03:45It's about recognizing how big of an achievement it is that UAE's residents

03:48now have an amazing safari experience of their own to enjoy. Logan Fish for Gulf News.

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