Travel

AACI Strictly Kosher &
English Speaking Travel

AACI’s In-Depth Kosher Dubai   

New dates coming soon – 7 Night – DRAFT

Monday: Day 1. – Tel Aviv to Dubai, Old Town, Dubai River Cruise

We meet at Ben Gurion Airport for our 3-hour flight to the Emirates (UAE). We will cross the skies flying over Saudi Arabia (maybe a future trip). Upon arrival in the UAE, we will go through the entry procedures of the immigration authorities and then meet our guide and bus for the duration. After a delicious, hot and fully kosher breakfast at our hotel, we will begin our exploration of Dubai.

Dubai is the largest city in the Emirates, with over 3,000,000 residents. It has evolved from a small fishing village to a new, modern city, a vibrant metropolis with tall, modern buildings, huge shopping malls and endless attractions.

We begin our tour of the Old City of Dubai, known as al-Fahidi district, full of small houses, picturesque cafes, and galleries. Then, we will board small boats to cross the Dubai Creek and experience the gold and spice markets. Later, we will view the largest mosque in the UAE known as Jumiera, which is the first mosque to open its doors to non-Muslim visitors. Then we will visit the Museum of Civilizations, with its exhibition commemorating the Holocaust that opened in 2021. It is unique as the only museum of its kind in an Arab country.

We end the day with an enjoyable, relaxing, and fun canal cruise including a kosher dinner and a folklore show, as we view the impressive, colorful, and towering buildings along the coastline.

Tuesday: Day 2. – Dubai with all its wonders

Today, after breakfast, we will spend the morning touring the impressive artificial island of Palm Jumeirah. We will take a ride on the Monorail, an overhead train inaugurated in 2009, which connects the artificial island to the mainland. The island is considered one of the wonders of the world, and the largest artificial island on earth (some describe it as a man-made “miracle”). The island is shaped like a palm tree surrounded by a crescent-shaped breakwater. It has skyscrapers, luxury villas, parks, golf clubs and more. We will continue to the edge of the island to see the luxurious Atlantis Hotel located in Palm Jumeirah. Near the island lies one of Dubai’s most recognizable buildings: the Hotel Burj Al Arab, considered the most luxurious hotel in the world. This hotel is a worldwide symbol of Dubai’s extreme wealth. Unfortunately, we are not staying there, but we are in for a unique and exclusive experience with a private guided tour of the hotel during which we will see the luxury suites, gold-plated staircases and the wonderful architectural richness of the hotel.

After all this opulence, we will continue our tour to the Jumeirah State Market.  This is a popular market decorated in a traditional Middle Eastern style, with natural stone buildings in a light sand color. At the market you can purchase and be impressed by perfumes, fabrics, souvenirs and more.

In the afternoon we will visit the Dubai Mall, the fifth largest mall in the world, with thousands of luxury stores, restaurants, cafes, cinemas and food courts. The aquarium is located on the ground floor of the Dubai Mall and is home to thousands of marine animals including over 300 impressive sharks and seals. We will watch Dubai’s famous fountain show, which includes lighting and music effects. From here we will continue to visit the symbol of Dubai – “Burj Al Khalifa”. It is a skyscraper and the tallest building in the world, rising to an altitude of 828 meters (2,717 feet), with 163 floors. The cost of its construction is estimated at about $1.5 billion. 194 foundation pillars were erected for the building, at a depth of 15 meters. We will take an express elevator up to the 124th floor, from where we will see the whole city of Dubai from the Persian Gulf to the desert.

Return to our hotel for dinner and a good night’s sleep!

Wednesday: Day 3. – Abu Dhabi

Today we will leave exciting Dubai and travel to Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate in the kingdom and also the name of the capital city. In Abu Dhabi are the centers of government and the offices of the Emirates government and of course the residence of the President of the Emirates. The city is very magnificent and includes unique buildings, mosques, palaces, and beaches. The city is built on the edge of an island located about 250 meters from the mainland. The population of the city is about 1.4 million inhabitants, of which 80% are foreigners. In Abu Dhabi you can find famous museums, and a variety of attractions for families and tourists in general.

Enjoy a panoramic tour of the city, which will begin along the beach and the impressive promenade (the Corniche), dotted with hotels, cafes, restaurants, beautiful gardens, and various entertainment sites.  Thereafter, we will visit the Abu Dhabi Louvre Museum, which is an extension of the world-famous museum, and where changing and permanent exhibitions are presented that combine culture, history, and the works of famous painters such as Picasso and others. The museum also has an ancient Bible dating back more than 500 years found in Yemen. The design of the museum is fascinating and it is covered by a designed dome that looks as if it is floating above it. The branch of the French museum in Abu Dhabi is a symbol of the vision of the United Arab Emirates regarding cultural, intellectual and openness progress.

After the visit to the museum, we will take a tour of the business center of the city of Abu Dhabi, which includes a large concentration of skyscrapers such as the “Etihad” towers. The estimated cost of building the tower complex is 2.5 billion dirhams. The second of the towers is the tallest tower in Abu Dhabi. The towers have offices, an entertainment floor, dining and even an observatory. We will see the luxury hotel “Emirates Palace” there. After that we will go for a lookout towards Yas Island known as the Abu Dhabi Amusement Park where the tourist attractions of Abu Dhabi are located such as “Ferrari World”, “Water World” and “Warner Brothers Studios” and the racetrack where the final of the Formula 1 car race takes place.

Later we will visit the great mosque named after the father of the nation Sheikh Zayed, one of the largest and most beautiful mosques in the world, built of marble and including many decorations. The mosque can accommodate up to 40,000 worshippers. The work of planning and building the mosque was assigned to a large number of craftsmen and professionals from around the world from India to New Zealand and more than 3,000 workers were engaged in the construction work. After being impressed by the mosque, we will visit the palace of the local ruler “Q

asr Al Watan”, the presidential palace of the United Emirates, where the residence of the President of the Emirates and the Emir of Abu Dhabi Khalifa bin Zayed and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, the de facto ruler and the strong man. The palace is popularly called “The White Citadel”. In the evening, a spectacular fountain and laser show takes place in the palace and we will watch it after the tour of the palace.

At the end of the tour in Abu Dhabi we will drive back to the city of Dubai. Before returning to the hotel, we will stop at the promenade of Dubai and see the spectacular fountains in the Palm Jumaria.

Thursday: Day 4, –Sharjah, Desert Safari

After breakfast, drive to Sharjah, the third largest principality in the Emirates and the cultural capital of the Union. We will visit the square of the King Faisal Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the Emirates. This impressive mosque was actually a gift from Saudi King Faisal to the Emirates. It was opened in 1987 and has an Islamic library, one of the largest in the world.

We will visit the fort bearing the name of the princesses and the fascinating museum of Islamic

culture with many from around the world.  We will continue to visit one of the most beautiful places in Sharjah – the Blue Market with the blue and spectacular tile work that gives the market its name. The market is a famous landmark in Sharjah and has an authentic Arab bazaar as well as electronics stores, jewelry and more.

After the trip to the Emirate of Sharjah, we will return to our hotel and in the afternoon, thereafter, we will drive from the hotel in a convoy of jeeps to experience our “Desert Safari”, a desert celebration in all-terrain vehicles, during which we will experience the power of the deserts in the Arabian Peninsula. Enjoy hospitality in a Bedouin camp, with a kosher dinner, a traditional folklore show, where you can try on the traditional costumes. In addition, you can get a henna tattoo and drink Arab Bedoui Asli coffee. At the end of the experience in the desert we will return to our hotel.

Friday: Day 5, Dubai Framework, Museum of the Future

After breakfast we will visit the Dubai Ruler’s Palace – Zabeel Palace. The palace, which is not open to the public, is an impressive building with a magnificent green park at the entrance. We will stop for impressions and from there  continue to the framework of Dubai. This is a huge picture frame, 150 meters high, sitting near the old neighborhoods of Dubai. Within the framework you can find a museum that presents explanations about the history and culture of Dubai,  and the purpose for establishing this ambitious structure. Of course, there is also a spectacular observation point over the city.

Thereafter, we will visit the new and exciting attraction of Dubai – the Museum of the Future. The structure of the museum is an outstanding and unique building even in Dubai where outstanding buildings are a common thing. Its eye-like shell was designed with pioneering technologies in the field of construction, which are still used today mainly in the space industry. Inside it, 1,024 windows in the shape of an ornate Arabic script were cut with the precision of a laser, which together create a poem about the future of humanity and the emirates written by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Emir of Dubai. The 7 floors of the museum use advanced means such as: holograms, virtual reality, and other advanced and modern means. A unique one-time experience.

After the futuristic experience we will enjoy free time for shopping before returning to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat.

Candle lighting is at 18:10
Mincha + Kabbalat Shabbat and time to relax over a beautiful Shabbat dinner

Saturday- Shabbat: Day 6. Saturday Night – La Perle Show

In addition to a beautiful and uplifting Shabbat with T-fillot and delicious meals we will have a chance to rest after our intense week of touring. Shabbat ends at 19:03.

After dinner we will go to the spectacular “La Perle” show, by the legendary artistic director Franco Dragona which is considered the number one show in Dubai. La Perle features a breathtaking fusion of immersive artistic performance, imagery, and technology. La Perle is influenced by Dubai’s rich culture, vibrant present and aspirational future, which is brought to life by awe-inspiring stunts and special effects that will leave you speechless.

Sunday: Day 7. The magical garden and butterfly garden, Mall of the Emirates and the Global Village

This morning he went to visit one of the famous green attractions of Dubai – the magical garden. This is one of the largest flower gardens in the world, with over 45 million flowers designed in different and spectacular styles within more than 70,000 square meters. View a huge plane, a huge bird, elephants, Disney characters and more. This garden broke a Guinness world record in flower design and arrangement.

We will next visit the butterfly garden, adjacent to the magical garden. This garden contains approximately15,000 butterflies, 50 of these in varieties in different sizes and colors. The Dubai Butterfly Garden gives us the opportunity to see the “full cocoon” of the butterfly, i.e. its stages of development: pupa, caterpillar and butterfly. This butterfly garden is the largest indoor in the world. Next to the garden there is also a butterfly museum, a lush garden where you can observe plants, flowers, fountains, and birds.

After that we will go to visit the huge Mall of the Emirates where there are plenty of brands and stores but also much more than that. The mall has a number of impressive attractions, including the largest indoor ski complex in the world. When was the last time you saw snow in the middle of the desert? In Dubai everything is possible.

At the end of this busy day, return to our hotel for dinner. Thereafter, we will visit the Global Village, one of the largest and most invested tourism projects in the world. The village is one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Dubai that combines a festival and park experience. The park opens every year between November and April and takes visitors on a real-world tour. In the village there are diverse cultural areas, architectural buildings from all over the world, food pavilions, markets, shows, extreme facilities and even a haunted house. Each pavilion with unique architecture, performances, restaurants and more.

Monday: Day 8, Dubai – Tel Aviv

After breakfast, drive to the airport and fly directly to Tel Aviv.  Our fascinating visit to the Emirates is over.

A trip not to be believed at an amazing price:
$——– pp dbl / Single Supplement: $ ——- (includes flights)
For non-flight prices, please email Carole at ckremer@aaci.org.il
$– pp addition for non AACI member or join AACI
Prices are subject to change due to possible rise in port and fuel taxes to be determined by the airlines.

Price includes:

  • RT Flights Israel
  • 7 nights, Elite Byblos Hotel 5 * Dubai (TripAdvisor 2022 Travelers Choice)
  • Kosher Full Board (sandwiches for lunch). Dinners mostly chicken
  • Tips, for guides, Israeli, local and service staff
  • Entrance fees to sites listed in program
  • Air-Conditioned bus with bottled water
  • 4X4 Desert Safari
  • Folklore Show & BBQ Dinner
  • The new Future Museum
  • La Perl Extravaganza Show
  • Exclusive tour Burj Al Arab Hotel (7* Hotel)
  • Miracle and Butterfly Garden
  • Burj Khaliafa – tallest building in the world
  • Global Village
  • Palm “Jumeriah”.
  • The Dubai Frame
  • Exciting Marina Cruise and Show
  • Louvre in Abu Dhabi
  • Presidential Palace – Qasri al-Watan
  • Sheikh Zayed Mosque
  • Holocaust Exhibition
  • So much more!

Price Does Not Include

  • Any items of personal nature
  • Travel Insurance with Corona coverage
  • Visa Fee (if necessary)
  • Minimum participants required

Terms of payment: Upon Registration – 50%
By————-, final balance

Cancellation:
From time of registration until ——————–: 50% per person
From: ——————– to day of departure: 100%

Flight details:
Departure flight:
Return flight:

For details / reservations call Carole 02-5661181ext 310 or write to info@aaci.org.il

*Itinerary and timing subject to change