Our predictions of what Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and the family will be up to in the UAE

Perfect weather in a serene spot at the Fishing harbour of Umm Suquiem 2. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

City skyscrapers stand near the coast beyond the tip of the Burj Al Arab luxury hotel, left, in Dubai. The seven-star hotel is a hot favourite among celebrities from around the world. Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara. Courtesy Minor Hotel Group)

A performance during desert safari. Reem Mohammed / The National

When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive in Abu Dhabi with their children this month, it’s likely they’ll want to show their brood all the big local sights. We have a few ideas about where you might spot them out and about.

Formula One

The Jolie-Pitt visit coincides with Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix, and as Pitt was spotted during the summer with 7-year-old son Knox at the MotoGP British Grand Prix Race at Silverstone in the United Kingdom, its not far-fetched to think he might be seen trackside – just as Dannii Minogue and Prince Harry were last year.

Off the beaten track

We think the broad-minded Jolie might want to explore the more traditional corners of the UAE while she’s here.

Danielle Nay, managing director of the specialist event supplier Transformers DXB, regularly flies talent into the country.

She tells us she loves to arrange tours of Dubai "to show off all our wonderful and non-obvious attractions, since celebs usually just see the inside of luxury hotels, tall towers and possibly the Dubai desert on a Platinum Heritage tour. Even the richest people love a bargain. So we've taken people to Satwa to rummage in Regal for fabrics, and have something made during their visit or Aramex-ed the following week. "We send arty, adventurous types to Al Serkal, the fishing harbours, Creekside and on ­Frying Pan Adventures [which provides food tasting tours of Dubai]. In Abu Dhabi, there's so much to see but the Saadiyat Story and Qas'r Al Hosn [especially during festival season] are right up there with the Grand Mosque and Yas Island." Bur Dubai's old souq was popular with Nicole Richie, who posted an Instagram picture of herself there, wearing a headscarf. "Found some bomb fabrics in the souq", she wrote.

Up, up and away

Unlike the many wives who buy their husbands socks for presents, Jolie bought Pitt a helicopter for his birthday three years ago. The pair are both qualified pilots, so its likely they might want to experience a birds-eye view of Abu ­Dhabi – as Tyrese Gibson and Michelle Rodriguez did when they were in town to shoot Furious 7.

We hear that Roger Federer, Bill Clinton, Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise, Bill Gates, Morgan Freeman, Colin Farrell and Jamie Oliver have all been whisked up from the Burj Al Arab's helipad deck for an aerial tour of Dubai. Tyrese Gibson and Will Smith were accompanied by the Emirati director Ali Mostafa (From A to B) on their flying tour.

Seawings say they've flown Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor and Brazilian footballer Zico.

A spokeswoman for the UAE’s hot air balloon operators Balloon Adventures mentioned the golfer Rory Mcilroy, but was reluctant to drop names.

“We’ve flown so many celebrities. But we don’t like to boast about it – we treat everybody the same. Personally, I don’t do celebrities at all, I don’t care where they come from. Although I think I would have remembered if we’d had Bill Gates in the air, because I would’ve shouted at him about Windows 8! We did have one Indian guru who came with his entire entourage, that was quite funny.”

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan gave indoor flying a try in Ifly Dubai's vertical wind tunnel.

According to On Stage International’s Shereen Mitwalli, skydiving is a popular pastime, too. “That was one of the highlights of Will Smith’s trip.”

Desert safari

We don't know exactly where in the vast Rub Al Khali desert the shooting of War Machine will take place. But off-hours, the Jolie-Pitts might choose to explore the desert as the tourists do, with a desert safari. For most holidaymakers, "desert safari" means a biryani buffet and a belly dance under the stars. But celebs including Michael Bublé and Rebel Wilson go for the more upmarket Platinum Heritage Tours and Safaris, and get driven to the company's royal desert retreat in a Mercedes G Wagon. They're treated to a six-course dinner, served on an antique table in their own private majlis, complete with silk carpets, fluffy cushions and a bonfire.

According to a company spokesman, the last celebrities they hosted were the Smith family, in August.

"Actually it was not that hot at that time, that's why they enjoyed it," he said. The Smiths were treated to a 30-­minute long falcon demonstration, before being served a private dinner by the oasis. Disney singer Zendaya also came to the camp in August with her family, and celebrated her 19th birthday there – and apparently got friendly with one of their resident camels.

Closer to Abu Dhabi, when Dave Matthews was in the capital to perform with his band at du Arena on October 8, he and his crew communed with camels on a tour with Desert Rose Tour & Safari. Adrien Brody also took a tour with the company when he was in town for the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, while Ricky Martin, Conor Maynard, Chris Tucker and Bill Fontana have all experienced the Bedouin-themed accommodation at Arabian Nights Village.

No desert safari is complete without taking your life into your own hands with a spot of dune bashing. Even Kim Kardashian was prepared to get her hair ruffled and give the popular local pastime a try when she was in Dubai last November to launch her fragrance, Fleur Fatale.

"Thanks for giving me a heart attack!" she wrote on Instagram, with a picture of a particularly hair-raising stunt. Lady Gaga got the word "monster" tattooed on her hand in henna during her desert trip. She wrote: "We ate and enjoyed hookah in the middle of the desert. The women gave us henna, and we rode camels in the moonlight. The belly dancer was sensational. I'm overwhelmed by the kindness everyone has shown us."

Sheikh Zayed Mosque

According to Mitwalli, celebrities staying in Dubai often request a day trip to see the Sheikh Zayed Mosque “because its so grand. Some of them arrange helicopters to take them into Abu Dhabi, just so they can see it. That’s what happened with Tom Cruise when he was here.”

But star status doesn’t mean they can get away with bad behaviour at the holy site. Rihanna was asked to leave, while she was in town to perform at Yas Island, when she posed for pictures in off-limits areas.

It’s unlikely Angelina Jolie would display similar lack of respect. She has worn a headscarf on several occasions when doing humanitarian work, and is a popular figure in the Islamic world.

Where they stay

According to an insider, the ­Jolie-Pitts will be hiring a villa while they are in the UAE. But if the couple fancy a romantic night away from the kids, where might they escape to? Dubai’s “­seven-star” hotel, Burj Al Arab, has attracted many a celeb over the years. Claudia Schiffer was quoted as saying it’s her all-time favourite hotel, and in 2006, Naomi Campbell’s boyfriend rented out all the rooms to throw a huge party.

But it’s Meydan Hotel’s 370- square-metre presidential suite that boasts the title of being the largest presidential suite in Dubai. It’s where Kylie Minogue stayed after performing at the 2015 Dubai World Cup, and Jennifer Lopez after last year’s World Cup, although it seems J-Lo was hotel-bound for much of her stay.

A Meydan spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, because of the security that surrounded J-Lo, there were no listed activities we could arrange for her, so we cannot disclose that she did anything in terms of sightseeing.”

Lady Gaga chose not to stay at Meydan when she performed there last September, but she did “explore the dining area” there, we are told.

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara has secured a reputation as a prime location for Bollywood film producers requiring palatial Arabian decor and sweeping desert views for movies scenes. The wave of Hindi films made there began in May last year with Bang Bang!, starring Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif. Later in the year, Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, and Rana Daggubati turned up to shoot Baby, and more recently, the resort hosted the shooting of Hamari Adhuri Kahani, featuring Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan.

Anantara is now cashing in on the fact that these movie stars have graced the corridors of their desert property, by offering fans the opportunity to sleep where their favourite star once stayed. While Kher, Hashmi, Balan and Daggubati settled for rooms, Kumar, Roshan and Kaif each had a private two-bedroom villa.

Emirates Palace has played host to many stars, including some of the cast of Furious 7, who were suitably impressed by its size.

“Better get yourself a hotel room close to the front door because you’d be doing a mile and a half of cardio every time you want to go to your room!” said Tyrese Gibson.