Dubai Country Club is the oldest and only all-sand club in the Emirates. Golfers are issued with a small piece of artificial turf to play off when on the fairways. Rounds are available for non-members at off-peak times. Jebel Ali Hotel and Golf Resort is about 30 minutes from Dubai city centre and has a pretty 9-hole course patrolled by peacocks. Visitors are welcome on a pay-and–play basis.

Bird Watching

The UAE is noted for being one of the best spots in the Middle East for bird watching. As a stopping point on many migration routes, it is visited by several million birds every year. Areas of special interest are the parks as well as the Khor Dubai Bird Sanctuary by the creek, where flocks of wading birds can be found during migrating months (Sept/Oct and March/April). The flamingos that feed here are always a spectacular sight welcomed by tourists and locals alike.

Camel Racing

A desert camel race is not only a unique and entertaining sport to watch, but it is also serious business throughout the UAE, with considerable prize money on offer. Camel races take place nearly every weekend in the winter. The best known track is Nad Al Sheeba camel track, which has an impressive grandstand in the shape of a billowing Bedouin tent.

Horse Racing

As well as the famous Dubai World Cup, race meetings are held on a regular basis at Nad Al Sheeba race course throughout the November–April winter season. General admission is free.

Horse Riding

The Dubai Equestrian Centre and the Jebel Ali Riding Stables offer facilities for horse riding for visitors. Instruction in floodlit arenas is given to beginners as well as dressage, jumping and desert hacks in the winter for more experienced riders. Some hotels also offer riding.

Leisure Centres

All of the luxury hotels offer impressive leisure and sport facilities. Some even provide the unusual chance of coaching from ex-Soviet Union Olympiads who have flocked in droves from the economically unstable ex-Soviet states. Many of the other beach hotels, including the award-winning Ritz Carlton and the Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa, offer excellent spa facilities, where experts in Thai, Balinese, European and Shiatsu therapies ease away stresses and strains.  Prestigious health centres in the city centre include Cleopatra’s at the Wafi Pyramids Complex and The Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont.

Nightlife

The Dubai nightlife is one of the highlights of this contemporary Emirate. There are specials going every night of the week at various clubs, bars and restaurants. There is also a variety of music, including live bands and an outdoor beach parties. Dubai is a late night city and many places don't get busy until after 9pm.

Shooting

The Jebel Ali Shooting Club is set up to provide the best in trap, skeet and target shooting for all levels of experience in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Skeet and trap shooting ranges have been designed to strict safety standards and built into desert terrain. The club is also equipped with an indoor, fully air-conditioned 25-metre pistol range with 10 computerised shooting lanes. The shooting academy provides qualified instructors who have decades of experience in teaching all aspects of the sport. Safety at the Jebel Ali Club is a priority.

Hatta Fort Hotel has supervised clay pigeon ranges and archery facilities.

Water Sports

The Arabian Gulf offers possibly the best and widest range of water sports. Jet-skiing, water-skiing, yacht and catamaran sailing, sunset cruises, wind-surfing, pedal boats, kayaks and parasailing are available at most of the Jumeirah beach hotels, many of which also hire out catamarans and guided fishing tours. Scuba diving and snorkelling can be arranged with a number of internationally recognised PADI and BSAC centres including Al Boom Marine Diving, and Scuba Dubai. The best diving however, is off the East Coast – see the Other Emirates section.

The Jebel Ali Sailing Club has an active programme of marine activities, including kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, powerboating, snorkelling and diving, as well as many land-based activities such as hiking, archery, overnight camping and climbing. Dubai Offshore Sailing Club welcomes sailors of all abilities. Dubai International Marine Club organises local, national and international boat races and water sports events, including the magnificent spectacle of the traditional dhow and longboat races.

Wild Wadi

The 12-acre Wild Wadi Waterpark is part of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel complex - a fun paradise for kids of all ages with a stunning array of 24 interconnected water rides. Take yourself on a spine-tingling adventure on some of the most exciting rides in the world as you move from ride to ride without ever having to leave the water. Experience the Tunnel of Doom that takes you twisting and turning through pitch black tunnels before you emerge, elated and exhilarated into the Lazy River. For a real adrenaline rush, don’t miss the Jumeirah Sceirah, the tallest and fastest slide in the Middle East, where the fearless plunge 27 metres in a sense of weightlessness and reach speeds of up to 80 kilometres an hour. Try your surfing skills on the Wipeout Flowrider and see if you are one of the few who can tame the waves. Free entry is offered to residents of the hotel.