Lifestyle magazines report that more and more people are opting to stay indoors. This is why a lot of families invest in making their homes not just a sanctuary, but a hub for enjoyment. However, this is certainly not the only option when it comes to indoor fun.
There are many indoor establishments these days that offer a vast variety of fun activities, especially in Dubai. Recently, another world-class indoor facility a tropical bio-dome opened in the city to provide the general public with new options for indoor entertainment and recreation.
So, what are the new fun activities that you can now have in the City of Gold? Listed below are nine things you can experience with the whole family.
1. Tour an indoor rainforest
You will not find a natural rainforest in the desert city of Dubai, but there is a human-made one. At The Green Planet, Dubai’s first indoor rainforest, you can experience the unique climate and flora and fauna of such a tropical ecosystem.
Enjoy the sound of rustling leaves, the cool atmosphere, and all the green of this multilevel facility that can instantly refresh your body, mind, and spirit.
2. Be a zookeeper for the day
If you love animals and have fantasized about working with them, you can get this first-hand experience also at the Green Planet. The Zookeeper for the Day program will allow you to accompany the facility’s animal experts as they go about their daily tasks.
This means that you get to interact with the housed animals and care for them the way zookeepers do. Not only that, you can get a taste of the other responsibilities that people of the profession are likewise tasked with.
It’s like on the job training, which is particularly perfect for young students who are dreaming of becoming biologists, zoologists, and zoo technicians one day.
3. Meet a sloth
This is an activity that you normally would only experience in an outdoor zoo. Now, however, you can encounter a lazy sloth indoors, where it actually feels quite comfortable. Even if it suddenly decides to move from one tree to another, it will remain in sight.
A sloth encounter indoors, however, is not just about seeing one up close. It also includes learning about these animals. Aside from the collection of different information about sloths posted in the facility, you also have experts explaining their behavior and other unique qualities.
4. Go inside a bat cave
Bat caves are usually in exotic destinations or somewhere in Gotham, right? Well, in Dubai, it’s in The Green Planet. See Seba fruit bats here and learn a host of interesting facts about these nocturnal winged mammals.
Likewise, marvel at how the facility managed to recreate the natural habitat of Seba’s short-tailed fruit bats and get the chance to see them being fed, or even feed them yourself.
5. Watch piranhas feeding
This is an extraordinary experience because, in the natural world, people don’t normally feed piranhas because they can take care of themselves. However, in an indoor facility, you score the opportunity to see the frenzy of chow time for these predators of the South American rivers.
Piranhas are fascinating creatures. It’s great to know more about them other than how they viciously attack food. One little fact to share about them: They bark! This is something that has not been depicted in movies that feature them. Find out exactly how they make the sound and what it actually sounds like when you see them indoors.
6. Journey to the great Land Down Under
Experience the amazing Australian outback right in the comfort of an indoor facility. Go on a journey to see a variety of species endemic to the smallest continent of the world.
The Australian Walkabout includes an encounter with Australia’s national bird, the kookaburra, adorable wallabies (the kangaroo’s distant cousin), and all kinds of lizards, turtles, and insects endemic to Australia.
This experience also includes a biologist talk. However, this is only available during the weekends (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday).
7. Birdwatch
If you usually cannot wake up at dawn to go to the mangroves to see some birds, just purchase a ticket to The Green Planet. Here, you can meet toucans, caiques, and other small parrots. These exotic birds are always a delight to see up close. You may even take pictures with them and get some of them to talk.
On a lucky day, you might experience having one of them perch on your shoulder, arm, or finger. How about that for a little Mary Poppins moment?
8. Walk across a hanging bridge
Walking across a hanging bridge in an artificial forest is definitely an experience to create. Overcome your fear of heights and get a taste of a typical outdoor activity right where it’s safe.
Pretend to be Indiana Jones or some other famous adventurer as you get from one location to another on a wood and rope hanging bridge.
9. Meet some sugar gliders
Even if you love the outdoors, there remains a very slim chance of meeting sugar gliders. These small arboreal, nocturnal, and omnivorous animals can be quite evasive. And if you do see them in the wild, it’s quite likely that you’ll mistake them for flying squirrels because of their ability to glide in the air to get from one tree to another.
You don’t have to search high and low in a jungle or forest to meet some because The Green Planet serves as these gliding possums’ sanctuary.
All these activities are just in one facility, and these are not all the fun that you can have at The Green Planet. You can also look forward to the different events it hosts. For example, there was a Halloween celebration here recently, and the place was spookily decked out to create even more excitement for the encounters or tours.
Indeed, there’s no shortage of enjoyment to be hand in the wonderful city of Dubai. So, anytime you feel like keeping the fun indoors, the activities above are just some that you should consider.