Green Planet Dubai is the first indoor rainforest in the upscale city walk. Additionally, the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) has designated it as a Certified Autism Center, making it one of the best facilities in the world. This international body is rating and certifying organizations’ commitment to making themselves autistic-friendly. The Green Planet is one more effort by the Dubai Government to bring rainforest experience and understanding to its residents and tourists. It is situated inside a concrete tower, and the rainforest experience is created inside this tower as close to reality as possible, including rain, forests, fauna, flora, and much more. The facility provides various entertainment packages to its visitors.
The Green Planet in Dubai is a unique indoor zoo and botanical garden in the vibrant City Walk district. Since its opening in 2016, this remarkable attraction has captivated visitors with its huge collection of over 3,000 plants and animals, all housed within an impressive artificial “biodome” that mimics a tropical rainforest. Many of us have never visited a rainforest, especially those living in the vast desert of the Middle East. Walking into this place, you will experience the huge difference between a desert and a rainforest regarding the living system. The Green Planet invests in creating knowledge and appreciation for the plants and animals that survive and thrive in rainforests. The MERAS was developed and opened in 2016 for the public; the Green Planet is a zoo, garden, and park all rolled into one. This unique LEED-certified biodome has over 3000 animals, including mammals, insects, reptiles, and fish. This biodome is 60,000 square feet and is built around a large concrete tree and waterfall. It is the artificial tree around which a unique biodiversity is created, divided into four vertical levels.
Location and Opening Hours
This artificial forest is located on City Walk, Dubai. The City Walk Dubai is a new luxury destination at the crossroads of Satwa and Jumeirah. This district is famous for blending and fusing modernity into traditions. The master developer is MERAS, and it has many other attractions, such as the Coke Studio and Arena. Since accessibility is a crucial consideration for any family-friendly tourist center, this facility is entirely wheelchair-friendly, ensuring all guests can enjoy the diverse array of flora and fauna on display. It is very close to the metro station and public transport connections.
This biodome offers visitors an immersive experience of a tropical forest’s rich biodiversity. It operates from Sunday to Saturday, opening its doors at 10:00 am and closing at 6:00 pm, providing ample time for exploration and learning.
Ticket Prices and Booking
The Green Planet offers a complete day package to its visitors. There are two packages available to experience this place. A standard package only costs AED 155 when you book online, www.thegreenplanetdubai.com. This package includes a day-long tour of the biodome, as well as a visit to the Adventure Trail play area and Soft Play area. Discounts are available for online bookings. This package includes exciting encounters like the Sloth and Sugar Glider experience. Multi-pass tickets and group bookings are available for larger groups or those interested in a more educational visit. It’s advisable to check the official website for the most current pricing and package options.
There is also an Exclusive VIP Pass for people who want a more immersive experience. This pass includes a Fast Pass to skip the queue and save time, a fish feeding session, free parking, and a meet-and-greet.
There is also a natural park day pass and a natural park annual pass to explore the natural park, animatronics, actual bugs, and forests. The passes cover one adult and one child. Kids below three years enter free. It will come with a treehouse experience.
You can buy a Zookeeper of the Day pass. You can also buy this for your child. It provides you with a whole new level of experience with the zoo. There will be special training and educational sessions, and it is a monthly or annual pass to get a new certificate added, too. For those who love animals and plants, getting an AED 40-a-day Zookeeper pass is no better way.
There are special discounts for group booking and educational tours.
Rainforest Experience
You start your journey by taking a narrow bridge to the forest floor. It is a realm where the earthy scent of damp soil and decaying leaves mingles with the fresh aroma of understory vegetation. A flooded biosystem is created where you will find anchor fish and many other reptiles. Here, the symphony of forest sounds envelops you as small creatures rustle in the underbrush and the distant calls of birds echo through the air. The forest floor is starkly similar to the actual forest floor, and great care has been taken to recreate it by the experts, as your guide will explain. Even the temperature on the floor is kept a bit warm, akin to the temperature of a natural forest floor. The leaf cutters on the forest floor convert the leaves into manure for growth.
As you climb up, you will ascend to the Midstory. The air grows more relaxed, and the light dims, filtered through the dense canopy above. The midstory forms the bulk of the rainforest ecosystem. It is where you will see various collaborative and cohesive ecosystems. Some vines drape the trunk and help in the food system while using the trunk to climb higher. The different sounds in the forest change with the chatter of monkeys and the flutter of bird wings becoming more prominent. The main attractions are the squirrel monkeys, Cuban parrots, and huge green boa. The midstory of a tropical Amazonian forest is a similarly leafy area that rarely catches sunlight. Due to the occasional sunlight that filters through the overhead canopy area, the animals are adapted to their ecosystem by mimicking its colors.
Reaching the Canopy, you find yourself at the head. This is where you will have an abundance of sunlight. Every tree in the tropical forest competes to reach this height to catch as much sunlight as possible to survive. You will encounter vast and powerful birds and sloths in this ecosystem. The sunlight breaks through the foliage, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor far below. The canopy is a place of wonder where most of the rainforest’s biodiversity can be found. It’s a thrilling experience to look out across a sea of green, knowing that this is one of our planet’s most vital and vibrant ecosystems.
Throughout your ascent, The Green Planet Café offers a culinary journey as rich and diverse as the rainforest itself. Thanks to a menu that draws inspiration from the tropical environment, visitors can savor dishes with ingredients sourced locally and sustainably, reflecting the rainforest’s biodiversity. From light bites to hearty meals, the café provides an array of options to suit every palate, ensuring that the exploration of the Green Forest is a feast for the eyes and the taste buds.
This journey through the Green Forest rainforest is not just an exploration of nature; it’s an immersive experience that engages all the senses, educates about biodiversity and conservation, and leaves visitors with a profound appreciation for the intricate web of life that thrives within a tropical rainforest.
Exhibits and Attractions
This unique park has attractions based on various encounters that you will have with different animals at various levels. Efforts have been made to ensure that each and every species finds a very natural habitat to survive and that visitors can find them easily while not disturbing them in any way. The biodome takes care of over 3,000 species of flora and fauna, providing them with a haven. It is equipped with special labs where this living planet has the required nourishment to thrive. You will encounter anchorfish at the basement or flooded rainwater level, an immersive educational and recreational experience. The attractions start from flooded rainwater right at the bottom with its fish and motor rays, unique stingrays with spots on their back in a different pattern for each motor ray. At forest floor level, you will find leaf cutter ants converting the fallen leaves into bio-manure. All these encounters at each level, from the bottommost to the canopy level, would mesmerize you, as the desert biosystem is pretty flat. And all this experience is available right in the middle of this bustling city of Dubai!
Interactive Experiences
The Green Planet in Dubai offers a lot of first-hand experiences to allow visitors to dunk themselves in the wonders of a tropical rainforest. The interactive experiences include getting closer to animals, reptiles, birds, and insects you would otherwise find impossible to meet. Its ‘Zookeeper for the Day’ ticket will allow visitors to get closest to the zoo animals. Participate in feeding and nurturing them under the guidance of an expert. This hands-on experience is designed to give participants a deeper understanding of animal care and conservation efforts. The park has a branded experience called “encounters.” Encounter in this park means close interaction with living animals or robot animals. Experience in such “encounters” may mean feeding, touching, feeling, and observing. The park now has an outdoor botanical garden with 20 huge animatronics, skyline walks over the massive trees, and much more. Added to this interactive experience are the educational tours and summer camps that provide a more emphatic understanding of our ecosystem.
These indoor park interactive programs extend further when you get near the animatronics, the robots in the shape of various bugs and insects. The detailing of their bodies is flawless, giving you a feel of what they actually are, how they behave, and how they move. H2—Animal Encounters.
Visitors to The Green Planet in Dubai can submerge themselves in a tropical forest environment and enjoy a variety of animal encounters. One can engage with the gentle sloths during the Sloth Encounter, where you can learn about their unique biology and importance to the rainforest ecosystem. Bird enthusiasts can delight in the Bird Encounter, getting up close with various exotic species. For those interested in reptiles, the Reptile Encounter offers a chance to meet and learn about the different reptile inhabitants of the rainforest. Additionally, encounters with anteaters, armadillos, and porcupines provide a unique opportunity to observe these creatures and understand their roles in their natural habitats. Each encounter is designed to be educational and interactive, providing a memorable experience for all ages.
Educational Programs
This park offers many educational programs to children of all age groups to enhance their understanding of the distant ecosystem of a tropical rainforest. The park’s vision, mission, and values are ingrained in providing nourishing knowledge to kids. These are, “Mission Statement: To provide quality educational programs that foster curiosity, incite excitement, teach conservation and sustainability, and leave a lasting impression. Values are compassionate. We have compassion for all living things, expertise, and respect. We are knowledgeable and passionate about what we do and the messages we represent. We treat all living things as we want to be treated and are committed to educating and inspiring our guests.”
The park provides school field trips called “Go Eco” and “The Rain Forest Relationship.” These programs align with the Ministry of Education’s learning objectives of helping children understand, appreciate, and protect their ecosystems and those far away. Family-Friendly Features.
This destination is a unique dome that offers a riveting experience into the rainforest in an urban setting. It includes all the diversity within the reach of a family, catering to both children and adults. For the young explorers, the adventure begins with over 20 giant animatronic bugs that provide an interactive learning experience. The Nature Park’s treehouse adventure trail and skyline walks are designed specifically for children aged four to fourteen, featuring viewing platforms and slides for a day filled with fun and discovery. Meanwhile, adults can appreciate the nine botanical gardens, each representing different corners of the world, showcasing a diverse range of flora. The Green Planet also provides an educational journey through its four levels of interaction, where visitors can encounter a variety of animal and plant species, from sloths and toucans to exotic plants and insects. This eco-friendly attraction is a recreational space and an educational platform promoting biodiversity and sustainability.
Sustainability Initiatives
The Green Planet isn’t a collection of exotic animals. Quite the opposite, it is committed to preserving the environment and animals. It has adopted strategies to reduce carbon footprints. The strategies are built around reducing waste, recycling waste, and spreading awareness about improving the quality of the environment around them. Inside the park, its Café has eliminated all single-use plastics. The use of single-use plastics poses the biggest threat to the environment. It has reduced energy use by adopting the principles of LEED in the building and its HVAC design. Furthermore, it uses animal waste as compost for its vegetation. This is why The Green Planet is committed to lowering carbon footprints.
The park has started the first-ever eco-friendly birthday party package, the first in the UAE, with its Blow Bubbles, not Balloons initiative. When organizing birthday parties, only use reusable decorations with no single-use plastics. All guests are provided with biodegradable bags as a takeaway. The park also offers biodegradable bags at its retail shop. The park also plans to implement a composting program to recycle animal food waste into fertilizer for its biodome.
chargeIn order to spread awareness of plant life in the environment, Green Plant has started distributing seeds to every visitor free of charge. The seeds are given to the visitors as a gift with instructions on how to plant them. This is the park’s way of giving back to the environment.
Its environmental sustainability efforts could be summarized as follows;
It only uses and distributes reusable canvas shopping bags instead of plastic.
It uses reusable water bottles and coffee cups.
It ensures that it buys Rainforest Safe and Palm Oil Free products.
Its staff are encouraged to walk or bike while commuting to the office.
It has started using compost organic material instead of chemical fertilizers in its garden.
It also offers children many education programs, like “Go Eco,” to increase their understanding of nature and the environment.
Visitors reviews and testimonials.
This unique biodome, often called a ‘Green Forest,’ has garnered positive feedback from visitors, with an impressive average rating of 4.5 on Tripadvisor. It is celebrated as the region’s first biodome that replicates a tropical forest’s enchanting world, offering a rich biodiversity of over 3,000 plants and animals. Visitors have expressed great admiration for the experience it provides, allowing an up-close encounter with various species such as sloths, toucans, and tree porcupines. The facility is praised for its educational and recreational value, making it a recommended destination for families and guests of all ages. One visitor described it as a ‘Disneyland for adults,’ highlighting the joy and excitement it brings, irrespective of age. Another review appreciated the knowledgeable staff and the unique experiences, like the thunder show, which adds to the venue’s appeal.
Conclusion
Green Planet, located in Dubai, is the best place to learn and enjoy a tropical forest experience without going into a tropical forest. The Dubai Green Planet is a unique bio-dome that offers a thrilling and riveting encounter with the diverse animals, plants, insects, and trees that inhabit a typical forest. The Green Plant Dubai tickets are available online, at the location, or with various destination management companies.
Green Planet’s family-friendly activities include close interaction with unique animals that roam in tropical forests, feeding a few of them, participating as a zookeeper for a day, and participating in audiovisual presentations. In addition to experiencing it all together, many educational exhibits on Green Planet provide valuable learning insights into their world. The park’s sustainability efforts are also very important and can be used as models to reduce carbon footprints.
It is very important to visit this man-made biodiverse dome and appreciate the unique world of a typical tropical forest. The Green Planet also prevents animal poaching by adopting the slow Loris family as its brand ambassador, thus bringing attention to the illegal trade.
FAQs
What can visitors expect to see in Green Planet?
Visitors can fully expect the unexpected, from the unique species of animals to various levels of a green tropical forest based on multiple heights! The forest floor, Midstory, and finally, the canopy, which birds and insects inhabit but very few species of animals.
Are there any age restrictions for visiting Green Planet?
There are no age restrictions for visiting this biodome. It is a place to see, learn, and appreciate God’s creation’s diversity, vastly different from our desert-based biosystem.
Is photography allowed inside Green Planet?
Photography is permitted at The Green Planet in Dubai, allowing visitors to capture memories of their experience in this unique tropical rainforest environment. The facility maintains a comfortable temperature and humidity level to replicate the natural conditions of a tropical forest, which also ensures a pleasant photography experience. While selfie sticks and standard tripods are allowed at the management’s discretion, flash photography is not permitted, as it can disturb the delicate ecosystem and the well-being of the resident flora and fauna.