Be transported into fantastical realms filled with superheroes, movie characters, mythical lands with rides and attractions for every age and thrill level. From high-speed roller coasters, and immersive 4D adventures to water fun and charming animal and educational attractions for kids, Dubai has all kinds of theme parks for every age group and interest. The city’s year-round sunshine means rides are almost never rained off, and when it’s too hot outside, there are tons of air-conditioned attractions inside. These are the best theme parks in Dubai.
1. Motiongate Dubai
The largest Hollywood-inspired theme park in the Middle East is divided into five zones, bringing movies from DreamWorks Animation, Columbia Pictures and Lionsgate to life in immersive environments. Explore Shrek's swamp, step into the world of Ghostbusters, where you can hunt the undead with a neutralising laser gun or experience The Hunger Games land of Panem via a 4D hovercraft motion simulator.
The DreamWorks zone, the place to be during the peak of summer (it’s located indoors and is fully air-conditioned), features four sub-areas themed around Madagascar, Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, plus How to Train Your Dragon. Rides like the Dragon Gliders, a dark inverted coaster where you float around like a dragon, and the Madagascar Mad Pursuit ride which zooms 83km/h through the world of the animated series. The Studio Central zone, meanwhile, is styled as a 1920s Hollywood studio lot containing New York streets, and offers some secrets into the art of film-making, blending nostalgia with innovation. Visitors also love the character meet-and-greets.
2. IMG Worlds of Adventure
Ideal for Dubai’s scorching summer months, the climate-controlled IMG Worlds of Adventure is the planet’s largest indoor theme park, spanning over 1.5 million sq ft. The place is divided into four zones; Marvel, Cartoon Network, Lost Valley Dinosaur Adventure, and IMG Boulevard. Marvel fans can digitally suit up and fly like Iron Man on a virtual reality ride or a spinning Spider-Man adventure coaster ride.
The Cartoon Network zone brings beloved characters like Ben 10 and The Powerpuff Girls to life through interactive attractions and Lost Valley take things back to prehistoric times with dinosaur-themed roller coasters including the Velociraptor, which rolls through dry ice, past digital dino recreations then hurtles along a 3500ft track for three minutes at speeds up to 100 km/h. For those who like their thrills with a drop of horror, the IMG Boulevard’s creepy attractions include its Haunted Hotel, where visitors walk through hotel corridors with freaky things emerging from the dark – it's not for the faint of heart.
3. LEGOLAND Dubai
Designed for children aged 2 to 12, but suitable for everyone, there are more than 40 interactive rides, shows, and attractions at LEGOLAND Dubai, but there’s also an emphasis on education, play and hands-on fun. Six themed zones include LEGO City, Adventure, Kingdoms, Factory, Miniland and Imagination. Miniland is the place to see iconic landmarks from the Middle East created using 20 million LEGO bricks (and its air-conditioned for those hotter Gulf days).
Adventure Zone offers submarine expeditions and treasure hunts, while Kingdoms has medieval-themed roller coasters. The Build & Test zone in the Imagination sector is where families can lower the stimulation and have some pensive building time, before turning up the excitement and racing their own LEGO cars. Kids can also drive their own cars, pilot planes, and earn their own LEGOLAND driver’s license in LEGO City.
4. Aquaventure World
For wet and wild fun, this iconic waterpark at Atlantis, The Palm, has more waterslides than any other park in the world, some 100 – many of which are reached by a 2.3km long lazy river. Odyssey of Terror, the world’s tallest waterslide on a raft through a misty giant orange flume, and Shockwave, the longest family rafting water coaster, plus the thrilling near-vertical Leap of Faith with a slide that goes through a tunnel in a shark-filled lagoon. Smaller visitors can enjoy Splashers Island, filled with little slides and climbing frames. Take the immersive experience further with dolphin experiences, sea lion encounters, plus swimming with underwater creatures during a snorkel or scuba dive with 65,000 marine animals, including 250 fish species, sharks and rays.
5. Wild Wadi Waterpark
This Arabian-themed park, in the shadow of the Burj Al Arab, takes inspiration from the folklore of Juha, a legendary wise humorous character from 9th century Middle Eastern tales. Wild Wadi has more than 30 rides and attractions, including the thrilling Jumeirah Sceirah, a tandem free-fall slide that reaches speeds of 80 km/h and the Master Blaster water rollercoaster, which propel riders uphill with high-powered jets. Juha's Journey is a lazy river for those who need a rest from the high-octane rides, and the big wave pool at Breaker's Bay has waves of up to 1.5 metres. There’s also the Wipeout and Riptide FlowRider with high powered surf sheets of water for all types of riders, including a FlowBarrel with a barrel almost three metres high.
6. Dubai Safari Park
Combining conservation, education, and recreation across 119 hectares, this sprawling wildlife-themed park is divided into several zones, including an African Village, Arabian Desert and an Asian Village, with larger enclosures that mimic natural habitats. Home to more than 3,000 animals, including rare white tigers, elephants, lions, hippos, giraffes, which can be seen on climate-controlled vehicles, this is about as close to the savannah as you get in the Gulf.
Kids love the petting zoo and playgrounds, and the whole family can get involved in daily animal feeding experiences – give a giraffe lunch, hand feed the lemurs or go behind the scenes for a rhino feeding session. Learn more about various animals like coatis, raccoons and otters during the live wildlife talks and demonstrations with park staff.
