Jahili fort

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Al Ain Oasis

Top choice


This tranquil world of wide paths meandering past walled date-palm gardens, right in the centre of Al Ain, is a welcome respite from the city hubbub. The UAE's first Unesco World Heritage site, the date plantations here contain around 150,000 trees of around 100 varieties. The oasis is still watered using the 3000-year-old falaj (irrigation channel) system; you can easily spot the channels as you're wandering around.

There are eight gates, but enter through the West Gate (just north of Al Ain Palace Museum, off Sultan Bin Zayed the First St), which acts as the main information centre for the oasis and gives out a decent free map of the plantation area. Beside the entrance is a small eco-centre containing multimedia exhibits (including a very flashy, multiscreen documentary that will keep the kids interested), which provide a historical grounding on Al Ain oasis as well as botanical information on date palms in general. The West Gate is also where you can hire a bike or organise a short buggy tour. In winter, there's also the option of horse and pony rides.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Al Ain Palace Museum

0.23 MILES

This nicely restored, rambling palace was the residence of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's founding father, from 1937 to 1966. There's frankly little to see…

2. Al Jahili Fort

0.56 MILES

Surrounded by a lush park, this squat fort was constructed in the 1890s as the summer residence of Sheikh Zayed I (1836–1909) and expanded by the British…

3. Al Ain National Museum

0.71 MILES

Al Ain's main museum was closed to undergo a major restoration in late 2018 with reopening stated for 2020 at the earliest. Before its closure, this…

4. Al Khandaq Fort

1.78 MILES

Buraimi has a large and interesting fort, with decorations that give it a Saharan flourish in comparison with the austere exteriors of Omani interior…

5. Hela Castle

1.97 MILES

This large, sprawling castle has been attractively restored and now makes a good photo opportunity in the centre of town. The interior is largely taken up…

6. Buraimi Old Souq

2 MILES

The market opposite Hela Castle sells barasti – plaited palm fronds traditionally used for roofing and fencing – while just along the road, a lively souq…

7. Qasr Al Muwaiji

2.28 MILES

This carefully restored fort was the birthplace of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, current president of the UAE. A stylised falaj marks the entrance…

8. Al Ain Zoo

3.04 MILES

Al Ain's remarkable zoo is the region's largest and most acclaimed; its spacious enclosures, inhabited by indigenous and exotic species, are impressively…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "united-arab-emirates/east-of-abu-dhabi/al-ain/attractions/al-ain-oasis/a/poi-sig/1307907/361169",
      "position": "superzone"
    }