The UAE News report: Dubai Safari Park witnessed a remarkable turnout after its reopening last October after the completion of a comprehensive renovation and development process aimed at expanding the park’s facilities and enriching the visitor experience further, while taking new measures to preserve the safety of visitors.

Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: “Dubai Safari Park has received a remarkable turnout during the past three months, as the number of its visitors reached 290,000, amid the application of strict precautionary and preventive measures as the park extends over a large area of 119 hectares.”

Operation trials

He added: “We carried out 13 operation trials for three months prior to the opening, with the participation of 7,000 people, and the average satisfaction rate was 93%. Not all animals were shown in those experiments, and we made improvements based on some of the observations recorded and during the opening, all animals were shown to the visitors.” 

 Al Hajri explained that some new services have been introduced, such as air-conditioned vehicles to transport visitors and the implementation of educational programs for visitors and for student trips.

He pointed out that the observations received through the website and social media and the questionnaires distributed at the reception in the park were followed up. 

Al Hajri pointed out that the visitors enjoyed experiencing a variety of options, destinations and locations, including the Arabian Desert Safari tour, the Asian Village, the African Village, the Wadi Area,  the Explorer Village and the Kids’ Farm, plus a unique behind-the-scenes experience.

New animals

“New animals were added to Dubai Safari Park after its closure period. The Park is working to provide a wide range of animal welfare and conservation strategies to contribute to providing a better life for local animals, as well as hosting educational and research projects that support the goal of setting up the park. It also contributes to the preservation of wild animals and endangered species during breeding programs and rescue missions around the world. Visitors can watch a number of the most amazing animals in the world and interact with them in one place,” he added.  

Al Hajri continued: “A team of experts is working to provide a healthy environment and provide care and attention to all animals in the Dubai Safari Park. As for the species that do not belong to this region, they have closed habitats dedicated to maintaining climate control and to ensure the comfort of the animals.” 

“There are about 3,000 animals of different types in Dubai Safari Park, and the park provides opportunities to enjoy the best times, between the appearances of wildlife from various global environments, the interactive experiences it provides, and a wide range of entertainment and educational programs, in addition to new activities, designed to suit different ages,” he pointed out.

Precautionary measures

Dubai Safari Park receives visitors daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and all visitors are required to make advance booking through the Dubai Safari Park website www.dubaisafari.ae as the park is currently operating with a limited capacity, amid the application of extra precautionary measures in line with government directives, and in parallel with the highest health and safety standards applied by global theme parks.

Comprehensive development

Dubai Municipality had recently announced that Dubai Safari Park has completed preparations to receive its visitors, after completing the comprehensive development processes that many internal facilities have undergone in this excellent destination, which is considered one of the important tourist and entertainment attractions in Dubai, in terms of what it offers to the visitors. 

Several additions were made with the aim of achieving comfort for visitors from entering the park until the end of their daily program, including facilitating their access to the park’s various sites, and enjoying its services and attractions. The walking paths for visitors have also been developed inside the park so that they can explore all its areas easily.

A holistic experience

Dubai Municipality was keen to provide a holistic experience for visitors to Dubai Safari Park to ensure that all their requirements are met. A variety of international and local restaurants and cafes, and souvenir shops have been provided as well as environmentally friendly trains and vehicles for easy and safe transportation around the park. It also offers its visitors free Wi-Fi for internet access in all its facilities.

Major villages

The Dubai Safari Park includes three main villages: the African Village, the Explorer Village, and the Asian Village, in addition to the Arabian Desert Safari Tour.

African Village

The area of the African Village is 12 hectares, and its facilities are characterized by the African style in all its buildings, with bright colors, so that visitors feel as if they are in the heart of the brown continent, and the village is divided into two main areas: the African Savannah and the rainforests of Africa. The African Village includes the main plaza area, which has a range of facilities and restaurants to serve visitors. 

Asian Village

The Asian Village mimics the unique architectural styles of this continent, and the distinctive features of its architectural style in terms of decorations and special inscriptions, as the village embodies the great cultural diversity of the Asian continent. It includes a group of diverse wild animals on an area of five hectares, which gives the visitor the opportunity to enjoy watching animals on a special ride, through this experience. The village also includes exhibitions of the various animals that live in this area, in addition to displaying the world’s amazing creatures in the Asian Theater.

Explorer Village

Guests can tour the Explorer Village, one of the adventure places in Dubai Safari Park, to learn about additional types of animals and colorful birds from all over the world, through a unique Safari Trip that stimulates visitors to discover animals from Africa and Asia. Through a Safari Bus, accompanied by a specialized guide, who provides an explanation about the animals, and answers visitors’ questions and inquiries.

Arabian Desert Safari tour 

The Arabian Desert Safari tour extends over an area of eight hectares, in which the animals are distributed on the basis of the geographical topography in the Arab region, within three different environments, starting from the desert lands, followed by the rocky mountains, where different animals are displayed, each according to its environment. Visitors can experience different exhibits, traveling in electric vehicles, in a typical Arab environment, with different types of plants, carefully chosen to suit the nature of this region.

Educational Interface

The Kids’ Farm area is one of the main educational and entertainment destinations in the park, as it reflects the traditional features of small farms, and includes stables for horses, barns for cows, sheep, goats and chickens, where families can enjoy the activities of the farm, with their children of all ages. – abdulbasit@theueanews.com