Dubai is internationally renowned for a host of reasons. With a reputation for ‘making dreams come true’, there’s no doubt it has everything you could possibly desire. The most glamorous city of all the emirates, the United Arab Emirates has been a forward thinking metropolis for the past four decades. Growing at exponential rates incomparable to the rest of the Middle East, the world has taken note.
The dream to continuously push boundaries and break records championed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE, has resulted in the most adventurous people on the planet heading to the desert.
Man made islands designed in ornate shapes, indoor ski slopes, towering skyscrapers, massive aquariums, and malls big enough to make any shopaholic go mad are the immediate images that come to mind for the international community. However heroic these feats deservably are, there's an even more adventurous side of the city beginning to reveal itself.
At the end of 2014, XDubai launched with unprecedented success. An organisation devoted to promoting action sports, XDubai offers exhilarating, unique experiences, often only found in Dubai. With partners such as Sky Dive Dubai, Jetman Dubai, Inflight Dubai, and the Dubai Ministry of Culture, the options of pure adventure continue to grow.
The government of Dubai has relentlessly supported innovators such as Yves Rossy and Vince Reffet, the original jetman and his protégé who have captured the world's attention with a combined amount of 15 million views (and counting) of their YouTube videos featiuring the daredevils base jumping from a skyscraper in the Marina, and jetting around the skies of Dubai.
So next time you look for a holiday filled to the brim with physical activity, don't write off Dubai as a shopping and beach club only zone. Below you can find some of the most insane videos that reveal the adventurous potential this urban sanctuary has to offer. Warning: these videos by Dubai Films will give you a fright if heights aren't "your thing".
Jetman Dubai: Young Feathers 4K
Burj Khalifa Pinnacle Base Jump
Dream Jump from the Dubai Marina
Dubai in Flow Motion will make you see the city in a whole other light