Two weeks of free entry to Dubai Safari

Gulf News -- The UAE’s much-awaited wildlife park Dubai Safari will be officially open to the public in January, a top official announced during the soft launch of the Dh1-billion facility on Tuesday.

For two weeks until then, visitors will be given free entry, Hussain Nasser Lootah, director-general of Dubai Municipality, told Gulf News.

He said the date for the official opening will be announced by the end of December. “We have opened on a trial basis now. We hope to open officially after two weeks,” Lootah said.

Later, he added, the visitors will be given free entry for two weeks.

“Our vision for this project, which is more than just a wildlife park, is to offer a highly engaging edutainment experience that fosters education on animal welfare, inspires a sense of learning about wildlife diversity and raises awareness on what makes wildlife protection a top priority,” Lootah said.

Hundreds of residents and tourists along with members of the media got a sneak peek of the new animal world — rich with greenery and waterbodies in the desert city — after the soft launch.

Residents and tourists, who turned up assuming the park was officially open from Tuesday, entered for free to have a close encounter with various species of animals roaming in open enclosures.

Ticketing officials said the Asian, African and Arabian villages housing zoo enclosures of animals will be open from 9am to 9pm from Wednesday.

However, the Safari Village where visitors can go for an open Safari drive will be open from 9am to 6pm, with tickets being issued only till 4pm.