Dubai’s tour companies offer a variety of city tours of different durations and at different times of the day.

As the city is compact and the roads good, it is possible to take in most of the city’s major landmarks and sights.

As listed in the attractions and sight section, within a matter of hours. These would include the creek, the souks and traditional markets, dhow-building yards, Sheikh Saeed’s House, the Heritage and Diving village, the windtower houses of the bastikiya area, Dubai Museum, Jumeirah Mosque and the stunning golf courses.

The UAE capital is only two hours, drive from Dubai city.

Attractions include the Petroleum Exhibition, which offers an audio-visual presentation covering the development of the city and the White Fort – the original home of the rulers.

Tours also visit the scenic Corniche, the dhow-building yard and other places of interest, and often climax with a dramatic view of the sunset at Breakwater Point.

Caravans have stopped to rest at the Al Ain oasis since time immemorial a tour of this picturesque region of Abu Dhabi emirate takes in the ancient oasis of Buraimi, the archeological finds at Hili some of which date back more than 5,000 years.

The Hili Fun City amusement park with its wide range of rides and amusements; picnic area, ice rink, landscape gardens and mini train; Al Ain Zoo, with its flock of miniature penguins and the world’s largest herd of the endangered Arabian Oryx and the Ain Al Fayda resort built-around and a natural hot spring.

Of particular interest is the drive up the winding road of Jebel Hafeet-the UAE’s highest mountain peak from where viewing points offer spectacular views of the resort and surrounding copper-coulored desert.

Some local tour operators offer the oportunity to visit a Bedouin village outside Dubai.

This provides an experience of the traditional desert way of life and may include camel riding lessons.

With nearly 400 species of birds observed in the emirate, Dubai attracts many birdwatchers.

Customised birdwatching tours range from a day or two to a week or more, and take in the full range of landscapes, from parks and golf clubs, to desert, mountain and Creek.

Hatta One hour’s drive from Dubai City is the ancient fortress village of Hatta, home of the Hatta Fort Hotel, Dubai’s only mountain resort complex. The drive is as fascinating as the destination itself, taking the visitor through burnished sand dunes and mountains varied in colour.

Tours cover the recently renovated old fort and a trip through Wadi Hatta with its lush greenery and diverse wildlife. The village, which is more than 200 years old, and Juma Mosque, which stands amid palm groves, are other tourist attractions.

A trip to the camel races, which take place on Thursday and Fridays during the winter months, can be One of the most memorable highlights of any visit to Dubai.

At the racetract on the fringe of the city, the races are vigorous and exciting and a village fair atmos-phere prevails around the track with vendors offering blankets, rugs, beads and a variety of other rural wares spread on the ground.

Owners urge jockeys on the finish line while trainers speedily follow the races in the four-wheel drives which plough through the dust of the inside track. The atmosphere is contagious.

The camel, a symbol of Arabia, is also a major tourist attraction. Camel rides are part of some tours & desert safaris.

Tour operators and hotels can also arrange camel rides separately.

An imaginative way of seeing Dubai is to take a tour of the creek by traditional wooden-chow or cabin Cruiser. Most of the major landmarks can be seen from the waterway.

Daytime or evening cruises are available with food and beverages on board.

Particularly popular are safaris that culminate in the evening with spectacular sunset views followed by a traditional Arabian barbecue under the stars.

These can be tailored to meet every taste from a Romantic and peaceful experience to elaborate fun-packed evenings complete with music, belly dancing, the smoking of hubble-bubble pipes and often a display of falconry.

No visit to Dubai would be complete without a trip into the desert.

Such excursions whish are best Organized as part of a group tour, offer a taste of the true heart land of Arabia. The majesty and tranguillity of the desert can be experienced in a choice of exciting half-day, full-day And overnight safaris.

These action-packed trips cover varied terrain ranging from desert to mountain And take in remote camel and goat farms and isolated villages.

Visitors with a head for heights and a weakness for the dramatic, can enjoy the excitement of a helicopter tour over the city.

Driving in sand is an adventure in itself, combining the excitement of a roller-coaster ride with the Challenge of remaining mobile on the shifting surface.

Courses in sand driving are available with four-wheel-drive vehicles provided along with expert instruction.

Nestling in the shadow of the magnificent Hajar mountains which straddle the UAE and Oman, the East Coast lies on the Gulf of Oman. The two main centers are Khorfakkan and Fujairah.

A day tour to the area may include a trip inland through the wadis and rock gorges of the mountains and then down into Khorfakkan and its natural harbour with time for swimming, pausing at Badiya Mosque-the oldest in the UAE-the old fort at Fujairah and the citadel at Bitnah.

A popular pastime with both residents and visitors is known as wadi-bashing –exploring the wadis or dry beds of streams that flow after the winter rains from the Hajar mountains.

Many wadis offer scenes of unexpected beauty, attractive rock pools, some with water year-round, surrounded by greenery.

Four-wheel-drive vehicles are required and are available for hire with or without drivers.

One hour’s drive from Dubai City is the ancient fortress village of Hatta, home of the Hatta Fort Hotel, Dubai’s only mountain resort complex.

The drive is as fascinating as the destination itself, taking the visitor through burnished sand dunes and mountains varied in colour.

Tours cover the recently renovated old fort and a trip through Wadi Hatta with its lush greenery and diverse wildlife.

The village, which is more than 200 years old, and Juma Mosque, which stands amid palm groves, are other tourist attractions.

The sport of kings has rapidly become Dubai’s most popular spectator event, attracting crowds of over 15,000.

Race meetings are held weekly during the cooler months at one of the UAE’s four Race courses.

Dubai racing Club, at Nad Al Sheba, the country’s largest and most Spectacular tract and to the Dubai World Cup-the sport’s richest race-also holds meetings at night under floodlights.

There is no gambling but popular free raffles offer attractive sums of money as prizes.

Those with a taste for speed and enthusiasm for an unusual sport will enjoy sand skiing down the dunes of the Dubai desert.

Special skis are used and high dunes in the interior of the desert are chosen as slopes.

Sand-skiing can be arranged on request or as part of a full-day or half-day safari.

Specialised shopping tours offer an introduction to selected souks and major shopping areas in Dubai and nearby Sharjah.

Such tours are especially attractive to visitors with limited time to organize their own shopping expeditions.

Tours are available to the emirates north of Dubai-Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Kaimah.

Among the main attractions are the spectacular Sharjah souks, Ajman’s dhow-building yards and palace museum and the fertile agricultural area of Umm Al Quwain’s Falaj Al Mualla.

Ras Al Khaimah is an ancient seaport which juts out into the Gulf close to the Street of Hormuz on the Northern most tip of the UAE, opposite Bandar Abbas in Iran tourists can explore the old town And its picturesque museum, take in the beauty of the surrounding mountains and visit a number of Interesting archeological sites.