Overview
Take a trip to Burj Khalifa on your United Arab Emirates Vacation
At over 2,716 ft (827 m) high and more than 160 stories, the Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building. Dubai's historic landmark is twice the height of New York's Empire State Building and thrice as tall as the Eiffel Tower. Its design was inspired by a desert flower commonly known as a spider lily to maximize views of the Arabian Gulf and afford visitors panoramic views of the city and sea. Its facade is made of 26,000 glass panels, each painstakingly hand-cut to create a glass fortress spanning 17 football fields.
The Burj Khalifa is home to luxury apartments, upscale restaurants, corporate suites, gyms, swimming pools, and entertainment areas. It has two observatory decks, levels 124 and 125, and on level 148 the world's highest lounge, At the Top, which offers breathtaking views of the city skyline. After a heady experience on the decks, feast your eyes on the incredible works of contemporary art, sculptures, and installations in the tower's interiors and boulevards. For a lavish fine dining experience, head to At.Mosphere on Level 122 for a meal in the skies. The main entrance to the observatories is through the lower ground floor of the Dubai Mall. The best time to visit is just before sunset.
At a Glance
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For me, the best months are November to April. Anything in between that is too unbearably hot. Temperatures commonly reaching 50 degrees and higher are so unpleasant and even in Dubai, the little bit of humidity can make them dangerous. This is why even bus shelters on the streets are air conditioned, and very few people are actually outside during the daylight hours.
Directly opposite of Dubai, on the eastern Golf of Oman, in the Emirate of Sharjah, lies Khor Fakkan. This beautiful little gem has mountains, clear blue water with white sand beaches and coral reefs. Shark Island, right off the Coast of Khor Fakkan, has some of the best snorkeling in the UAE.
For that Instagram shot, nothing beats the symbol for the Emirates that is the Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai. This is generally one of the most asked after spots, and where people can get the best photos. In reality, from the ground it is lovely, however, photos from the air on a helicopter pass show just how amazing this structure is and the effort that went into the world's only 7 Star hotel.
I always recommend that people go to the Camel races on Fridays, at Al Mormoon Race Track. Over the start line, there is a overhead walkway where you can watch the camels line up for their heats. As there is no gambling in the UAE, here the winners are the camels rather than the owners, and the camels are awarded the gifts.
Eid Al-Fitr or Eid Al-Adha are celebrated with large gatherings and public events. These are always accompanied by smiling, happy people with loads of new foods to try and sample. As the UAE has over 150 varieties of dates, and it seems that every single kind is brought out to celebrations and they are delicious!!
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ExcellentBased on 5,219 ReviewsThe booking processs was really easy. Katie was very communicative and was very responsive. Every change we asked for, she quickly replied. The room arrangements had a small hiccupp but Katie fixed it within minutes! All the excursions were a blast and well planned.
The trip was a bucket list trip and was everything we hoped for. Alison MAllan Birkett at Goway has been an absolute godsend! Over the past year, he has helped me plan numerous vacations—especially honeymoons—and has been an incredible partner every step of the way.
He is always quick to respond, patient with my clients' frequent changes, and goes above and beyond to help whenever an issue comes up. His knowledge, professionalism, and dedication make my job as a travel advisor so much easier.
I truly appreciate everything Allan does and highly recommend him to anyone looking for exceptional service. Thank you, Allan, for always being thereBrooke EcholsOur 2-week trip to Normandy, Switzerland and Italy after we disembarked from the Queen Mary 2 in Southampton in mid-May was superb. Michael Keon did an amazing job of putting together highlights for us to see and visit with the short time we had. All the train reservations, private and small group tours and transportations were very well coordinated, on time, and usually exceeded our expectations. Drivers were courteous and knowledgeable. Mike did a wonderful job getting everything coordinated, in spite of our almost “last minute” booking. I booked a month-long trip through GOWAY back in 1989 for Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and they were superb then. So I tried them again, and found the entire organization to be even better. Mike was quick to respond to any questions that came up regarding booksings and times, regardless of the 6-hour time difference. Just superb! Although we had a nasty experience in Milan, GOWAY was very responsive and saw to our requests and our needs. Again, Michael Keon is the person who coordinated our travel. I will ask for Mike when I travel again with GOWAY. I recommend GOWAY highly. PJ WheelerA BIG THANK YOU to Goway Travel, Brooke Theron and all of the partners onsite. Our trip to Africa was incredible, memories that will last forever.
Everything planned and more went perfectly. The guides, the excursions, the accommodations, everything, was just spectacular. Fortunately, everything ran on time, no delays, no problems.
Thank you again!!
Linda IriasI have been blessed to have an amazing rep, Farooq Qaisar!
He has helped me find the best spots for my clients to experience and when I am looking for something and just can't figure it out, he is able to put together something better than I was thinking. He my go-to and I am thankful for all his help over the years!SherriGoway helped plan our two week trip to Peru and they (Virginia in particular) did a great job. The on-site logistics with Condor Travel went very smoothly, and the trip exceeded our expectations overall. They proactively suggested changes to our initial itinerary which were welcomed. I would recommend them and would work with them again in the future.Kate O'NeillWe entrusted Goway with every detail of our trip from start to finish and they came through for us superbly! Every single detail was smooth sailing. It was a joy to plan our travels with Goway!! We had an amazing trip of a lifetime!
E&DI recently went on an African Safari with my brother-in-law and sister and another couple who I knew. The entire experience was absolutely unbelievable. The complete details were flawlessly coordinated from the transfers to the breathtaking lodges. Our guides Peter showed us Kenya and Maulid Tanzania were very knowledgeable and very sharp eyes for finding the animals.
We were able to see the animals up close, learn a lot about the people, birds , vegetation etc.
We had several sundowners in the bush really added to a magical experience with beautiful sunsets.
I would highly recommend Goway to all my friends, they will not be disappointed.
Thank you to Bijal for the excellent African Safari that you put together for us. You were wonderful.Nancy HayWe enjoyed our trip very much. I was very pleased by the hotel, tours, and itinerary selections that Alice Teramoto made for us. It was all well organized and easy to follow.
Thank you very much for helping us have a great experience in Peru.INEverything was planned perfectly. The excursions were so small and personal. Ask for Mark! I have already planned another trip back to the Oregon wine country with Mark. Claire
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