DUBAI SIGHTSEEING

Dubai Recreation
Visitors can enjoy a range of recreation experiences. Dubai is known in particular for its excellent tennis facilities and as the golf destination in the Gulf. The year-round warm weather makes the coastline an extremely popular destination. A coral reef has been constructed offshore at Jumeirah Beach, and scuba diving is just one of the watersports you can do in Dubai and farther afield on the east coast. Sailing, waterskiing, Jet-Skiing, wakeboarding and windsurfing are all available.
Desert activities are a must—make sure you attempt sand boarding. Sliding down the dunes on a "monoboard" (similar to a snowboard) is great fun, though the walk back up the dune can be a little tiring. All the major tour operators offer sand-skiing trips for about 200 AED for a half-day tour. A huge dune known as Big Red (on the Dubai-Hatta Road) is a particularly popular venue.
BeachesThere are plenty of public beaches in the city, all of which have swimming and tennis facilities. North of the city is Al Mamzar Beach Park, which has four clean beach areas safe for swimming. But if you want a bigger choice of restaurants and recreation options, it's worth paying to spend a day at one of Dubai's many private beach clubs linked to hotels. Most allow entry to nonmembers for a fee, although this may be restricted to certain days or times if the club is particularly busy.
Bird WatchingHistorically, falconry is the sport of sheikhs. It's still practiced today, although not to the same degree as in the past, when falcons were trained to catch wild prey. Many tour operators offering trips into the desert will have falcons on hand, but if you want a proper demonstration of their hunting prowess, you'll need to contact Desert Rangers (phone 340-2408; http://www.desertrangers.com), who can organize falconry trips for private parties, albeit at a hefty price. Please book well in advance as special arrangements have to be made. 1,500 AED includes transportation, a one-hour talk and a demonstration of falconry.
Boating & SailingA whole host of companies will arrange boat trips or rentals for you in Dubai. Many marine-tour operators arrange fishing trips as well as boat trips.
BowlingThe city's first and largest alley is the Dubai Bowling Centre in Deira, with 36 lanes (phone 296-9222). Two other popular ones are Al Nasr Leisureland (eight lanes; phone 337-1234) and Thunderbowl (phone 343-1000), a large, modern place next to Defence Roundabout on Sheikh Zayed Road.
FishingA host of different tour operators will take you out on fishing trips in search of tuna, barracuda, bonito, kingfish, dorado and king mackerel. The fishing season is roughly September-April, although it's still possible to catch some species in the summer.
GolfDubai has several lovely and challenging golf courses.
JoggingThe best place in the city for jogging is Safa Park, and if you want to meet up with other joggers, give Dubai Road Runners a call (phone 340-3777). It's a friendly group that organizes regular evening jogs of varying distances.
Scuba & SnorkelingThough it is possible to scuba dive in Dubai, the huge offshore developments generate extremely cloudy water with poor visibility. If you take a 90-minute trip to the east coast, however, you can enjoy some of the best diving in the Middle East.
Spas and Health ClubsDubai prides itself on its spas and health clubs. Every self-respecting hotel has its own pampering parlors, where stressed Dubaians can go to unwind and work out.