Travel restrictions have caused a many of us to stay put over the last 12 months but thankfully there are loads of great places across the UAE to stay active and get outside to enjoy the winter weather.
With the help of Nissan, we’ve rounded up some of the UAE’s best outdoor sporting activities, along with where to find them, you can try before the summer.
Wakeboarding
If you’re looking for a full body workout, get yourself out on the water for a wakeboarding session. Not only is it a great way to spend a morning, you’ll also be working all sorts of muscle groups as you get to grips with it. A strong core, good grip and good balance is required for wakeboarding. What’s more, it caters for all ages and lessons are as relaxed or action-packed as you desire and all under the supervision of qualified instructors. Or you can go it alone if you’re confident enough. If wakeboarding isn’t your thing, try your hand at water skating or wake surfing instead.
How to get there: A road trip to Abu Dhabi is the perfect way to see what the Nissan X-Terra is all about. Wake Evolution offers professional lessons at the Eastern Mangroves Marina, Dhafeer St – Abu Dhabi.
Rock climbing
The UAE is blessed with some incredible rock climbing spots and with the winter weather providing the perfect temperature to get outside now is the time to give your body the ultimate work out and climb some boulders. It’s wise to hone your skills in a controlled environment under supervision from instructors before tackling natural boulders. Rock climbing is also a great way to build your social skills, as the community in the region is very supportive and welcoming of new members.
How to get there: Dorell Climbing Centre is Dubai’s highest climbing wall and is a great place to get to grips with climbing. You’ll find it in DIFC. The Cube Area in Ras Al Khaimah is the perfect spot to climb some natural boulders. It’ll also give you a chance to try out the X-Terra’s various driving modes en route.
Parkour
One of the great things about parkour is that you can do it pretty much anywhere and Dubai has some of the best outdoor spaces in which you can practise your skills. Should you be new to it, you’ll quickly find that there’s a large community of parkour fanatics who arrange regular meet ups. ParkourDXB is a great indoor facility with various obstacles and apparatus of different heights and difficulty so you can learn the ropes before heading outdoors.
How to get there: If you’re a beginner, it’s best to join some classes before you go jumping on/over/off things. ParkourDXB offers classes on a Wednesday for just 20AED where you can literally get to grips with it. You’ll find the team at Just Play Sports Complex, Street 15 A, Al Quoz
Hiking
Okay it’s debatable whether or not hiking is recognised as a sport or not – some say yes others say no – either way, it’s definitely worth doing during the UAE’s winter months. Not only does the UAE have some of the world’s best mountain trails, it’s also great way to burn some calories with the sun on your back.
How to get there: Jebel Jais is the UAE’s highest peak at a whopping 1,300 metres high. Not only are the views worth it after the 4km hike, the road trip from Dubai through mountainous terrain is a sight to behold as well. Thanks to the first-class comfort of the Nissan X-Terra interior, the two-hour drive from Dubai will fly by.
Sand boarding
There aren’t many better places in the world to try this extreme sport than the UAE. Sharjah’s Fossil Rock is a great way to experience the thrill of sand boarding thanks its endless peaks of soft red sand giving you miles and miles of desert to explore. If you’re new to sand boarding there are numerous ways to get involved, desert safari escapes, which include help from an instructor are a good way to get started. For those taking it more seriously, it pays to invest in your own board so you can surf the dunes at your leisure.
How to get there: Sharjah’s Fossil Rock is only an hour’s drive from Dubai and the various terrain you’ll tackle en route will give you a chance to see the Nissan X-Terra’s capabilities in full.
READ: 10 things you need to know about the new Nissan X-Terra
