Video: Dubai Safari Park set to reopen in October

Dubai Safari Park will reopen to visitors from October 5 following the completion of a “comprehensive renovation and development process”, Dubai Municipality has announced.

The park opened in December 2017, after originally being scheduled to open at the end of 2016. However, it was closed in May 2018 to undergo improvements.

Read: Dubai Safari to close for five months

The reopening now comes after an expansion of the park’s facilities and includes a range of new interactive, educational and entertainment experiences, a statement said.

Spanning 119 hectares of landscaped spaces, the park now houses an expanded community of 3,000 mammals, birds, amphibians and invertebrates.

The park features a group of new animals, including African elephants and giraffes.

Rare animals at the park include the Komodo dragon, Spiral-horned antelope, Arabian Oryx, coloured African wild dog, gorilla, gibbon, bongo, and lemur.

New activities such as animal feeding, educational and awareness programmes and seasonal events have also been added.

The activities have been designed to increase visitors’ awareness and provide opportunities for interaction with animals, the statement said.

Visitors can move around the park on air-conditioned trains.

Park entrance tickets are priced at Dhs50 for adults and Dhs20 for children (over 3 years).

Calling out adventure enthusiasts, Dubai Safari welcomes you again with more diverse and interactive experiences on 119 hectares of entertainment. We will be waiting for you daily as of October 5 from 9 am to 5 pm. #dubaimunicipality pic.twitter.com/M2D3u73yft

— بلدية دبي | Dubai Municipality (@DMunicipality) September 21, 2020

“As the momentum of recovery in the tourism market gathers pace, Dubai Safari provides an exciting attraction for both international visitors and residents,” said Dawoud Al Hajri, director general of Dubai Municipality.

“The redesigned Dubai Safari has many unique interactive programmes blended into the safari journey that provide visitors a unique and memorable experience. Not only can they see different types of animals from across the world, they can also enjoy activities, performances and shows that entertain as well as educate.”

The park comprises three main sections, the African Village, Asian Village and Explorer Village, and also includes an Arabian Desert Safari tour.

The African Village, a walking arena, includes animals from Africa, ranging from the African elephant to the Meerkat. In addition, the bird house and reptile house have more than 30 different species of reptiles.

The Asian Village is designed in an ornate architectural style and hosts the ‘Amazing Creatures of the World’ show.

Meanwhile the Explorer Village allows guests to see animals from all over the world ranging from giraffes to hippos and also hosts a bird show.

The Arabian Desert Safari allows visitors to take a trip in an open vehicle to see many species of animals from the Arabian Peninsula. The tour includes an audio guide that tells visitors about the most famous animals in the local desert and current animal conservation programmes.

The park also offers a bus tour where guests can watch crocodiles, buffalos, lions, tigers, hippos, rhinoceroses, zebras, baboons, antelopes, hyenas, and giraffes.

Dubai Safari Park also offers animal welfare and conservation strategies and hosts educational and research projects, the statement said. It works on the conservation of endangered species with breeding programmes and rescue missions.

Originally built on a landfill site, the park also aims to become a completely zero-waste facility and has an onsite reverse osmosis plant that filters and recycles water for animal water bodies and repurposes food and animal waste into organic compost.

Officials also stressed that “comprehensive precautionary measures” have been implemented in the Dubai Safari facility to ensure safety during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A thermal camera has been installed and manual thermometers will be used to screen visitors. Social distancing of two metres between people is strictly enforced with stickers placed on the floors to guide visitors.

Vending machines in the park sell masks and gloves while hand sanitisers are provided to everyone.

Dubai Safari Park will be open to the public daily from 9am to 5pm, and online reservation is required for entry.