The Snells: Hidden Gems of the UAE

This past weekend, the kids had a day off school, so we decided take a long weekend to explore Abu Dhabi. While I was researching all the things Abu Dhabi has to offer, I stumbled across an island that is home to a large wildlife preserve. So, we decided to start our trip off by exploring Sir Bani Yas Island. Sir Bani Yas Island is located about 2 hours from Abu Dhabi and used to be a private island for the first president of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed. After using it for a retreat for many years, he started allowing public tours of the island. These became so popular that eventually the UAE made this a public island and is now home to only three hotels. Sheikh Zayed also developed the wildlife preserve, which takes up the majority of the island, and is home to numerous animal species including the giraffe, gazelle, oryx, antelope, ostrich, turkey, sheep, peacock, cheetah, deer, and hyenas. Many of the species on the island are considered endangered, however the team of conservationists breed these animals to a healthy herd size and then will release them back into their natural habitat to increase their population. So fascinating!

Our first night on the island we were able to relax and swim in the pool with a beautiful view of the Arabian Sea. We even discovered a new animal to us....the rock hyrax. It was a funny looking thing! The next morning we decided to go on a wildlife drive, so we could explore the preserve and hopefully see lots of animals! And, boy did our guide deliver! We got to see ostriches, many types of gazelles and oryx, 2 giraffes named Rob and Patrick (these are unofficial names given to them by our driver), a cheetah named Cuba, peacocks, deer, turkeys, and more rock hyrax. The kids all had so much fun seeing all the animals right up close! For the most part, the animals are free to roam wherever they like inside the preserve. There are a few animals or species that they have had to separate due to preservation reasons. Soren's favorite animal was the cheetah, Elsa's favorite was the giraffe, and Kjerstin's favorite was Rob! As we drove away, she kept on saying, "Bye Rob!!" It was pretty cute! After our wildlife drive, we loaded up and headed back to Abu Dhabi.

On the bus headed to the Sir Bani Yas Island hotel.

View from our hotel room.

Hanging out on the balcony.

Our room!!

Pool fun!

Me and my big girl!

Rock hyrax...they make little burrows in the rocks.

Getting ready for our wildlife drive.

Ostriches!

So fun!

He was LOVING it!

Gazelles and oryx.

These are blackbuck antelope fighting each other.

The beautiful rocky terrain.

Rob the giraffe!

Herd of Urial Sheep.

Cuba the cheetah...he is one of the few that is segregated....he doesn't get along with others.

Patrick the giraffe...walking to breakfast.

Elsa and Patrick!

The lobby of our hotel....loved all the Middle Eastern lamps!

We arrived back in Abu Dhabi around 5 pm, which was a perfect time to visit the Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi. Also named for the first president of the UAE, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque took over 10 years to construct. It is constructed of white marble, has 82 domes of varying sizes, contains 7 beautiful chandeliers which incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals, houses the largest carpet in the world which weighs 35 tons, uses 3 different calligraphy styles throughout the mosque, and can hold over 40,000 worshipers at a time. So many of the features leave you in awe and wonder of the detail used. It was an absolutely incredible place to visit.

Speed limit of 160 kph....which is 100 mph...so fast!

Ryan Snell driving the speed limit of 100 mph!

Grand Mosque.

The sun is beginning to set.

Beautiful marble and intricate design!

Beautiful gold in the design of date palm trees.

Goofy goofs!

One of the calligraphy styles.

Our tour guide telling us about the marble detail.

The first chandelier.

The main prayer hall with 3 of the 7 chandeliers.

The largest carpet in the world.

Mother of Pearl in laid into marble....a very delicate and time consuming process...and there was so much of it!

A beautiful in laid flower!

One of the walls with so much detail.

Mosque as the sun is setting....I love the pristine white with the backlight and the moon just above!

The Grand Mosque lit up at night!

Panoramic view of the whole mosque.

The next day, we decided to take a day trip out to Al Ain, which is located right on the Oman border. We were going to visit an old traditional Souk, but unfortunately it didn't open until 6pm, so we were out of luck. We then decided to go explore the Al Ain Oasis, a UNESCO world heritage site. It is home to 147,000 date palm trees. Weaving through the date palm trees is an intricate irrigation system that has been used for centuries. It was interesting to see, but the kids weren't as intrigued. We decided our trip to Al Ain may have been a bit ambitious and headed back to Abu Dhabi. However, before getting on the road, we made one last pit stop at a sand dune. Ryan and the big kids decided to see how high they could climb the endless sand dune. They had lots of fun!! However, Mom didn't have quite as much fun cleaning all the sand out of their hands and feet. :)

Paths through the date palm trees in Al Ain.

Irrigation system...you can see the water flowing.

Walking through the oasis.

Sand dunes!

That's a lot of sand!

Soren just a speck compared to the whole dune!

Sand surfing!

Another view of the mosque....such an impressive site!

Our final morning, we decided to check out a local souq, where we bought a magnet and ornament. It was fun to walk around and see all the local hand made items! We took one final drive past the Emirates Palace hotel, one of only a few 7 star hotels in the world. It is located out on a peninsula and cost $3.9 billion to construct and is full of opulence. You can even order a coffee with 24 carat gold leaf on top! We also drove by the presidential palace, located on the same peninsula. It was made of white marble with lots of domes and very pristine looking. We had so much fun exploring this city and some of its surrounding area where we found some pretty amazing hidden gems!!