Things to Do with Kids in Dubai | Exploring The Green Planet at Citywalk

One of the things we still enjoy as a family, even after living in Dubai for many years, is discovering places through the eyes of our kids. This time, we spent part of our Eid Al Adha holiday at The Green Planet Dubai. Since it was a Friday and a holiday, we expected crowds—and yes, it was quite packed. Lots of families, lots of excited kids, and plenty of people trying to get a closer look at the animals. The nice thing about The Green Planet is that it doesn't feel like you're walking through a typical attraction. It feels more like entering a giant indoor rainforest. Within minutes, we were spotting animals in places we didn't expect—sloths hanging on the wires, colorful birds flying around freely, white lemurs jumping from branch to branch, and some really unusual reptiles that looked like they belonged in a nature documentary. What surprised the kids most were the animal interaction sessions. Normally, visitors aren't allowed to touch the animals, which makes sense. But during some supervised sessions, the staff let guests carefully interact with a few creatures. Cedie, Buybuy and Aya got to touch a corn snake and even a wild cockroach. I don't know who's braver—them or the adults standing nearby. The experience also became a little lesson in patience. Because of the holiday crowd, there were moments when we had to wait for a better view of an animal or take turns at certain areas. But that's part of visiting popular places during Eid. The kids didn't seem to mind. They were too busy pointing at birds, looking for hidden animals, and asking questions every few minutes. A small tip for families: Cedie was able to enter free because he has a POD (People of Determination) card, and one accompanying adult was also admitted free. We also availed of the promo where a child enters free with every paying adult if tickets are purchased online. Worth checking before your visit since offers can change. By the end of the day, what stayed with me wasn't really any particular animal. It was watching the kids react with genuine curiosity. In a world where they're usually looking at screens, it's nice to see them completely fascinated by the animals.