Best Weekend Getaways from Dubai

Looking for the best Weekend Getaways from Dubai to spend quality time with your family and friends. Here is the list of such tourist destination that you must visit. These places will take you out of the bustling city into the bosom of Nature and provide you with a cool retreat, to be cherished forever.

List of Top Weekend Getaways from Dubai

Hatta Mountain

This place is about 130 kilometres to the south east of Dubai city that means it can be easily accessible and reach within 2 hours. The Hatta Mountain is a beautiful place surrounded with mountains where one can enjoy several activities. It also has magical nooks to retire to and landscapes that are a feast for the traveller’s eyes.

Are you looking to go mountain biking on the Hatta Mountains? The Wadi Hub at the mountains could be your place. Mountain biking while enjoying the beauty of the picturesque farmlands, hilly terrains and pools and oasis around is a mesmeric connect to Nature. Or if you like something like honey harvesting, there is ample scope for you to gain experience at the Honeybee Garden.
Rolling and laughing downhill while you are zorbing on a giant transparent ball could be a fantastic option and oodles of fun at Hatta Wadi Hub. If zorbing is not your forte, try your skills at axe throwing or accepting challenges at the water jump park. You also get to enjoy other activities like ziplining, free fall, rope courses.
You might like to make the most of your time at the Hatta Dam, especially during the winter months by kayaking in the aquamarine waters of the dam.
The horse-riding school provides an opportunity to mount a steed and explore the land of Hatta on horseback.
A picnic or barbeque at the Hatta Hill Park is a great option for fun loving tourists. The Hatta Library will quench your thirst of knowing more about the land.
There are always good cuisines at the restaurants around. Authentic Emirati food, fresh Arabian coffee, pastas and pizza can be enjoyed under the shades of shady trees in Hatta Heritage Village.
You get a wide array of good hotels, modern villas and farmhouses with barbeque and karaoke facilities to put up here if you are looking to stay the night over and there are rented caravans to stay in, in case, you are out to enjoy some rustic adventure at the Hatta Mountains.

Musandam Oman

So, if you are looking to visit Musandam in Oman, the best timing is between October and March as it is cooler then. Musandam is a peninsula that juts out into the sea, its coastline broken with creeks that look almost like the fjords of Norway. It is a two hours trip from Dubai to the Dibba Harbour in Musandam. Enjoying the scenery and getting involved in the leisure activities like dhow cruising and snorkelling are the highlights of this trip.

Get acquainted with the small villages here that are lined up with small forts and white houses which look picturesque enough to attract the shutter bugs.
The one-day Musandam tour is all about the Hajjar Mountain, the golden sand and mesmeric scenic views. The jagged coastline like the fjords are called khors and these parts are the habitats of the dolphins and a multitude of sea creatures.
The sea trip on the dhow cruise starts from the Dibba Harbour. It will take you on the sea which is engulfed by mountains on all sides. It is a traditional wooden boat, the dhow. One hour of sailing on this boat that is luxuriously decorated and pampered to suit your needs is a wonderful surprise on the tour. The aroma of the Arabic coffee leaves the tourists spellbound.
Other activities like swimming, banana boat riding, snorkelling, fishing followed with a buffet lunch at the cruise is enough to make your day. The memories of Haffa Beach, Haffa village, Village of Zeke, White Caves, Lime stone area and wonderful bays of Musandam will fill your mind with sweet memories of the Musandam Tour in years to come.

Ras al Khaimah

Ras al Khaimah on the itinerary of best weekend getaways in Dubai will take you to the most picturesque place blessed with a history, culture and civilization, 7000 years back. Travellers with a nose for news about the archaeology of a place will delve deep into the sites. Ras Al Khaimah or RAK as it is better known is bordered by Oman on one side. The placid lagoons and the golden sun kissed beaches are other attractions.

While on a weekend tour to RAK, enjoy the beautiful scenic details of the place and the great variety of landscapes. There are mountainous regions along with coastal plains and lands that thrive on date plantation.
Lands adjacent to the Hajar Mountains have hot springs, hot stone treatment zones that are therapeutic places.
The place has a very ancient history. Tourists are fascinated at the different exhibits of the National Museum that represent weapons, potteries, documents, jewellery, equipment of the bygone times.
Shimal burial sites, Wadi Suq, Umm al Nar tombs are archaeological sites worth a visit.
The waters of the Khatt springs have minerals and heat. The water is useful for curing many ailments like rheumatism and skin diseases.
Manr Mall and Saqr Park are also worth a visit.

Yas Island

The sprawling 2500 hectares destination, Yas Island is all fun and entertainment and if you are looking to have oodles of fun on a short weekend getaway from Dubai, Yas Island could be your first choice. It is the most happening place in Abu Dhabi, very near to Dubai. It should be more of a leisure trip for you and your family with entertainments, exciting sports, shopping to fill the day.

Add Yas Marina, Ferrari World, Yas Beach, Yas Waterworld, which is the second biggest in the world on your itinerary for Yas Island tour.
Enjoy the hospitality of luxurious hotels on Yas Island, namely, Radisson Blu, Crown Plaza, Rotana and others. You have countless shopping options at the Yas Mall where you can shop 400 top brands and enjoy fine dining along with the 24-screen cinema hall.
Make sure to visit the Yas Links Golf Course to experience a new level of golf.
You can reach Yas Island by car, bus, shuttle buses and boats.
December to March is the best time to visit Yas Island.

Al Ain Oasis

This UNESCO world heritage site is spread over an area of 3000 acres. If you are looking to enjoy a lot of serenity from the crowded and maddening city life, here is where you can spend your weekend. The date palms provide ample shade and peace here.

The oasis at Al Ain which is 4000-year-old place should take you back to the first settlers in the UAE. The shaded walkways and the Falaj irrigation system still bears memories of the good old days.
Interactive displays at the Eco centre here are a must watch.
A walk through the vegetation, the palm trees and through village farms is a heart-rending experience of getting back to the roots of civilization.
Visit the miniature oasis and the East Fort.
The Al Ain Oasis opens at 8 am and closes at 5 pm daily.

Wadi Bani Khalid

Wadi is a valley in the Arabian or African language. Visiting the Wadi Bani Khalid is wonderful getaway for any tourist in Dubai. This Wadi has the most beautiful scenic view and it is known as the desert paradise. This is well noted for a place for picnicking and hiking. It is at a distance of 2.5 kilometres from Muscat.

Wadi Bani Khalid has two sections comprising of the northern and the southern part. The northern part has clear pools, picnic spots and swimming areas, palm trees. The Wadi Hayer or the southern part is appropriate for trekking. It has the Miqil Cave which opens to a beautiful waterfall.
There is also a bridge, restaurants and sitting areas in this wondrous location where you can connect to Nature at its best.
You can have breathtaking views of the mountains and gorges of the Hajar Mountains from here.
Unlike other wadis in this area, the Wadi Bani Khalid has a constant source of crystal-clearwater throughout the year.
This region is a great place for hiking and rock climbing too.
Timings are9 am to 5 pm and it should take you 2 hours to explore the place.

Conclusion

The weekend gateways are wonderful retreats from the humdrums of a busy city life and for unwinding in nature. These are places with historical background, natural scenic views or places for leisure and entertainment. Take your pick from among them and enjoy your holiday to the fullest. There is a particular place on the itinerary here to suit everyone as per their yearnings.