Abu Dhabi Island Tour is the other major popular tour other than Abu Dhabi Desert Safari. If you have not yet participated in Abu Dhabi Island Tour then you are missing the essence of Abu Dhabi.
During the earlier days Pearl diving was the only source of livelihood for the people living in the shores of the region. Many of these islands were used by the pearl divers to hide the pearls before returning back to the main island.
Abu Dhabi consists of 200 small islands and some of them can be visited by tourists. They offer entertainment, adventure and knowledge about culture and tradition. The island consists of virgin beaches and wildlife sanctuaries with serene ambience to relax.
The travelers can select the islands they want to visit. Some of the interesting islands and their features are described below.
Sir Bani Yas Island
Sir Bani Yas Island can be called a natural island. It has Arabia’s largest wildlife reserves and is the abode of more than 10,000 free roaming animals. The animals consist of Arabian Oryx, gazelles and giraffes, along with the newest arrivals, hyenas and cheetahs.
Visitors will get opportunity to have a close view of giraffes from a platform built out of recycle materials. UAE’s only Christian Monastery was discovered at Sir Bani Yas Island. It is now open to the public. The place is said to have been built by 600 AD and was excavated out in 1992.
The Island offers holistic tourism experience that presents wildlife, nature based activities and a 5-star boutique hotel and historical important sites.
Delma Island
The island is inhabited for over 7000 years and is an important pearl diving center and has great maritime heritage.
It is the oldest permanent settlement and is proud of its oldest date palm cultivation in Arabian Gulf along with Mesopotamian pottery and finely flaked stone tools. There is good supply of fresh water and the land is fertile making it a fertile land for farms and plantations thereby resulting is wide variety of farm products.
Saadiyat Island
Saadiyat Island can be reached by travelling seven minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and 20 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport. Recent years witnessed rapid makeover of this island into world class leisure, residential, business and cultural hub of international standards. They consist of Zayed National Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi which is designed by Pritzker prize winners.
