Popular Things to Do in Sir Bani Yas Island
Food and Drink in Sir Bani Yas Island
Highlighting the cruise line private island feel of Sir Bani Yas Island, all food and drink on the beach is brought from ships and served by ship's crew. The three main beach areas each have their own bar and barbecue areas; drinks are charged to passengers' onboard accounts and the food tends to reflect what you'd get in the buffet on board, with extra barbecue items like burgers, chicken and steaks. Some cruise lines arrange special events; Seabourn, for example, uses the Sir Bani Yas day for its signature Caviar in the Surf event, weather permitting.
The Anantara resorts might take the occasional booking from cruise passengers making private visits and offer restaurants with Italian, Middle Eastern, African and seafood themes. Some cruise lines also offer a beach day at Anantara's Desert Islands Resort & Spa as an excursion, in which case you can buy lunch there.
Beaches in Sir Bani Yas Island
Sir Bani Yas' cruise beach might be man-made, but the sand -- dredged from the bed of the Gulf -- is as soft as talc and almost as white. The water is crystal clear and comfortably warm -- although not as warm as, say, the Caribbean in the cooler months of the year (January and February).
Don't Miss in Sir Bani Yas Island
Arabian Wildlife Park: A 90-minute excursion to the Arabian Wildlife Park by a four-wheel-drive Land Cruiser takes visitors inside the enclosures and close to hundreds of exotic creatures -- giraffe, ostrich, gazelles, oryx and more. You might even spot the three cheetahs that hunt the gazelle. (Jebel Dhanna; +971-2-801-5400)
Island tour: A one-hour island tour includes stops at archaeological sites, including a ruined Nestorian Christian monastery dating from 600 A.D. It's the oldest of 42 archaeological sites on the island that was discovered in 1992 and opened to the public in 2010. (Jebel Dhanna; +971-2-406-1400)
Active pursuits: The island offers many land activities, including horse riding, archery and mountain biking. There are also plenty of water sports to try, including kayaking among the mangroves in single and two-person craft, snorkeling or stand-up paddle-boarding. You can book these Sir Bani Yas Island activities through your cruise line or by contacting +971-2801-5429.