• The Green Planet has relaunched its Camping in the Rainforest experience, which allows visitors to stay at Dubai's indoor rainforest overnight. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The Green Planet has relaunched its Camping in the Rainforest experience, which allows visitors to stay at Dubai's indoor rainforest overnight. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Campers sleep among the 3,000 plants and animals that call The Green Planet home.
    Campers sleep among the 3,000 plants and animals that call The Green Planet home.
  • The New Caledonia giant gecko.
    The New Caledonia giant gecko.
  • A Victoria Crowned Pigeon sleeps.
    A Victoria Crowned Pigeon sleeps.
  • Families are invited to explore the facility.
    Families are invited to explore the facility.
  • The Green Planet leads tours to introduce visitors to nocturnal animals.
    The Green Planet leads tours to introduce visitors to nocturnal animals.
  • Games and family activities are also held.
    Games and family activities are also held.
  • A view of the snakes.
    A view of the snakes.
  • Birds sit on the handrail as the sun goes down.
    Birds sit on the handrail as the sun goes down.
  • A view of the biodome at night.
    A view of the biodome at night.
  • Darkness has fallen.
    Darkness has fallen.
  • Birds fly around freely.
    Birds fly around freely.
  • The facility is home to snakes and lizards.
    The facility is home to snakes and lizards.
  • A giant gecko.
    A giant gecko.
  • A young boy walks around the rainforest at night looking at the animals.
    A young boy walks around the rainforest at night looking at the animals.
  • A slow loris.
    A slow loris.
  • Visitors are given head torches.
    Visitors are given head torches.
  • A bearcat at the biodome.
    A bearcat at the biodome.
  • The sloths climb at night.
    The sloths climb at night.

The Green Planet at night: Dubai's indoor rainforest relaunches camping experience


Katy Gillett
  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai's indoor rainforest, The Green Planet, has relaunched its overnight camping experience to the public.

Visitors are able to sleep among the more than 3,000 animals and plants that call the biodome home.

Scroll through the gallery above to see what The Green Planet looks like at night.

Tents are pitched and activities planned, with games and experiences catering to families.

Staff lead rainforest tours, so guests can learn more about the nocturnal animals living there, and movie screenings or story time also take place.

The experience, which is available on Fridays and Saturdays until August 27, begins at 7pm, with dinner being served at the Green Planet Cafe, where breakfast is also given the following morning, when the journey wraps up.

Visitors also get the chance to feed the animals.

The package costs Dh700 for a tent for two guests. A large tent for four is Dh1,200. Prices include access to lockers, bathrooms and shower facilities.

Places need to be booked at least 24 hours in advance and spots are limited.

Meet the creatures inside The Green Planet

  • The Green Planet is in City Walk, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The Green Planet is in City Walk, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The indoor biodome rainforest houses hundreds of creatures. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The indoor biodome rainforest houses hundreds of creatures. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A two-toed sloth lives at The Green Planet, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    A two-toed sloth lives at The Green Planet, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Fish feeding time at The Green Planet, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Fish feeding time at The Green Planet, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The Green Planet is also home to 1,000 piranha fish. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The Green Planet is also home to 1,000 piranha fish. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A channel billed toucan at The Green Planet, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    A channel billed toucan at The Green Planet, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Visitors at The Green Planet, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Visitors at The Green Planet, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Designed as an enclosed ecosystem, The Green Planet recreates a tropical forest with over 3,000 plants and animals. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Designed as an enclosed ecosystem, The Green Planet recreates a tropical forest with over 3,000 plants and animals. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • See the world’s largest indoor man-made and life-sustaining tree at The Green Planet, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    See the world’s largest indoor man-made and life-sustaining tree at The Green Planet, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Children love it here. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Children love it here. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The attraction is split into various sections. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The attraction is split into various sections. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The family-friendly facility is home to a wide range of creatures, including Fluffy the bearcat, a male binturong that's The Green Planet's biggest furry resident, as well as cotton-top tamarin monkey twins that were born at the dome.

In 2019, the team took in an abandoned slow loris that was rescued from Dubai's streets. Lonely Loris, as he is called, was found abandoned in a box and is thought to have been illegally trafficked. The doe-eyed primate is a Sunda slow loris from Java, Indonesia. There are nine species of slow loris, which originate from Asia, and they are at significant risk of extinction in the wild, sharing the same critical status as African elephants, gorillas and orangutans.

A few months later, Amal, a second slow loris, was brought to the facility for breeding purposes.

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Biblioasis

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

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Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.

1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.

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Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

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Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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Juventus 3

Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'

Frosinone 0

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Three stars

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UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm

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Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

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Surianah's top five jazz artists

Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.  

Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.

Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.

Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.

Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.

Updated: June 02, 2022, 4:22 AM