Dubai Safari Park in United Arab Emirates, Sharjah

Dubai Safari Park is a large, modern wildlife park on the Al Warqa side of the city, built to replace the old Dubai Zoo and designed around open enclosures rather than cages. The site is organised into geographic villages - African, Asian, Arabian and an Explorer village - so the animals are grouped by the habitat they come from, with elephants, big cats, gorillas, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles and a substantial bird collection among more than a thousand animals. There are keeper talks and feeding sessions through the day, a Kids Farm for younger visitors, and a safari drive-through in the African village. Shuttle trains carry visitors between the villages, which matters because the campus is large and mostly open-air, though it is well planted and shaded in parts. Allow around three hours. Go early in the day when the animals are most active, wear a hat and comfortable shoes, and bring water. The park operates seasonally, so check dates before booking.