Sharjah Safari: the big park in the desert

Sharjah Safari is a large reserve on the edge of the desert near Al Dhaid, inland from Sharjah city. It combines open drive-through areas, where you travel through large enclosures, with walking areas and guided experiences. The park describes itself as the largest safari park outside Africa. It closes for the summer and reopened on 21 September 2026.

Recent figures from the park report 186 animal births between April and June and six hatched radiated tortoises, which gives a sense of its breeding programmes. Behind-the-scenes tours are on offer during selected periods this season.

Al Dhaid is roughly an hour by road from Dubai and Sharjah. Etihad Rail's passenger service, which launched on 30 September 2026, includes a station at Al Dhaid, with fares from around Dh19 in Comfort class reported and a journey of about 84 minutes from Abu Dhabi. Check how you will cover the last stretch from the station to the park before you plan around it.

Arrive at opening, do the open-air sections in the cooler morning, take lunch inside and plan a stop for the behind-the-scenes tour if you can. Wear sun protection and bring water. It is a long day for very young children: aim for a half-day if they tire easily.

Bring a hat, sunscreen, water and comfortable shoes, plus a light jacket in winter for early mornings and breezy afternoons. Phones and cameras with a decent zoom are worth carrying for the open-drive sections. Check the park's own site for ticket types, tour times and age limits before you set off, since they vary by season.

Children usually last longer if you break the day into the open-air morning, lunch and a quieter afternoon. If you plan to use the new Etihad Rail stop at Al Dhaid, confirm in advance how you will get from the station to the park gates.