AACI’s In-Depth Kosher Dubai & Abu Dhabi
March 17-24, 2025
We will explore this small, diverse, and interesting country, United Arab Emirates UAE. 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. This vibrant metropolis has tall, modern buildings, huge shopping malls and endless attractions such as the Frame, Miracle and Butterfly Garden, the Burj Khaliafa (the tallest building in the world) and so much more!
Day 1: Monday March 17 -Tel Aviv to Dubai, Dubai River Cruise
We meet at Ben Gurion Airport for our 3-hour flight to the Emirate. 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.
We will enjoy a panoramic tour of the city, including views of landmarks including Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai Harbour, Atlantis’ The Palm Island and Souq Madinat Jumeirah.
We end the day with an enjoyable, relaxing, and fun canal cruise including a buffet dinner, as we view the impressive, colorful and towering buildings along the coastline.
Tuesday: Day 2: Tuesday, March 18 – Dubai with all its wonders
After breakfast, we will visit the Dubai Mall, the fifth largest mall in the world, with thousands of luxury stores, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, and food courts. 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.
We continue our tour of the Old City of Dubai, known as al-Fahidi district. It is 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. Then we will visit the Museum of Civilizations, with its exhibition commemorating the Holocaust that opened in 2021. It is the only museum of its kind in an Arab country.
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. This is brought to life by awe-inspiring stunts and special effects that will leave you speechless.
Day 3: Wednesday May 19 Emirate of Sharjah and Desert Jeep Tour
After breakfast, we 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 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 continue to visit one of the most beautiful places in Sharjah – the Blue Market with the blue and white 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, 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. We will enjoy hospitality, with a kosher BBQ dinner and a traditional show… At the end of the experience in the desert we will return to our hotel.
Day 4: Thursday March 20- Jumeirah, Atlantis Hotel
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. There we visit the Lost Chambers Aquarium, home to over 65,000 fascinating marine animals. Embark on an under-the-sea adventure and uncover Dubai’s favorite and most immersive themed aquarium.
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.
Stop at one 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.
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.
Day 5: Friday March 21: – Dubai Framework, Museum of the Future, Mall of the Emirates
We start the morning at 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 and virtual reality.
After the unique futuristic experience, we visit the huge Mall of the Emirates where there are plenty of brands and stores but also much more than that. The mall has several 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!
We will enjoy free time for shopping before returning to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat.
We will daven Mincha + Kabbalat Shabbat and have time to relax over a beautiful Shabbat dinner.
Day 6: Shabbat March 22
In addition to a beautiful and uplifting Shabbat with Tfillot and delicious meals we will have a chance to rest after our intense week of touring.
After Shabbat 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 and 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 has unique architecture, performances, restaurants and more.
Day 7: Sunday March 23 – Abu Dhabi
Today we will leave exciting Dubai and travel to Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate in the kingdom and also the capital city. Abu Dhabi is the residence of government and the offices of the Emirates government as well as the residence of the President of the Emirates. The city is built on the edge of an island, approx. 250 meters from the mainland. The population of the city is about 1.4 million of which 80% are foreigners. This magnificent city includes unique buildings, mosques, palaces, and beaches as well as famous museums and a variety of attractions for families and tourists.
We will enjoy a panoramic tour of the city, which will start along the impressive beach and promenade, which is dotted with hotels, cafes, restaurants, fine gardens, and various entertainment sites.
We will visit the Louvre Museum of Abu Dhabi which is the extension of the world-famous Paris Museum and features temporary and permanent exhibitions that combine culture, history and works by famous painters such as Picasso and others. The museum also has an ancient Bible dating back more than 500 years. This Bible was found in Yemen. The design of the museum is fascinating: it is covered with a decorated dome that looks as if it is floating above us. The branch of the French Museum in Abu Dhabi is a symbol of the United Arab Emirates’ vision of cultural progress, thought and openness.
After the visit to the museum, we will tour the business center 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 towers house offices, an entertainment floor, restaurants, and an observatory. We will see there the luxury hotel “Emirates Palace”.
Later we will visit the Great Mosque named after the father of the nation Sheikh Zayed. It is one of the largest and most spectacular mosques in the world and is built of marble and with many decorations. The mosque can accommodate up to 40,000 worshippers. The planning and construction work of the mosque was assigned to many artists and professionals from around the world and more than 3,000 employees were engaged in the construction work.
At the end of this busy day, we return to our hotel in Abu Dhabi for dinner.
Day 8: March 24 – Dubai – Tel Aviv
After breakfast we complete our tour in Abu Dhabi including the palace of the local ruler “Qasr al-Watan”, the presidential palace of the United Arab Emirates, where the residences of the President of the Emirates and Emir of Abu Dhabi Khalifa bin Zayed and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, the de facto ruler and strongman are located. The palace is popularly called “The White Citadel”.
After our morning tour, drive to the airport and fly directly to Tel Aviv. Our fascinating visit to the Emirates is over.
| Price without flights: $3,500 per person in a double room for AACI members $4,135 single person in a room$3,500 pp dbl / Single Supplement: $ 4,135 Flights registration. from Israel will be quoted once trip has a confirmed departure.$80 – pp addition for non AACI member or join AACI |
Flight details
Departure flight: LY971 Monday, Mar 16, 2025: Departing Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv at 06:00. Arrival in Dubai Airport: 11:45
Return flight: LY974 Monday, Mar 24, 2025: Departing Dubai Airport, at 19:15. Arrival in Ben Gurion Airport at 21:45
Flights subject to change
Price Includes:
- 7 nights, 5* hotels
- Kosher Full Board (sandwiches for lunch)
- Tips
- Entrance fees to sites listed in program
- Air-Conditioned bus with bottled water
- 4X4 Desert Safari
- Show & BBQ Dinner
- La Perle Extravaganza Show
Price Does Not Include:
- Air Fare
- Any items of personal nature
- Travel Insurance
- Visa Fee (if necessary)
- Minimum participants required
Payment Policy:
Once trip is confirmed with minimum participants, full payment will be charged.
Cancellation Policy:
From registration until Feb 22nd, 2025- 50%
Full cancellation from Feb 23rd 2025
For details: Carole 02-5661181 ext 205 or write to info@aaci.org.il
*Itinerary and timing subject to change