Auntie Anna's stopover in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Guest writer: Anna Nilsson Spets

The dream of sparkling Arabian nights was shattered as soon as I stepped off the plane in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The hot and polluted air lay like a blanket over my shoulders, my mobile phone sounded a smog alert.

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It's the middle of the night when I land after the Brussels-Istanbul-AD flight, I'm exhausted and take the first taxi to my hotel in town, check in and fall into bed. Hungry. I dreamed of a luxurious dinner. I was wrong.

The next day, my only full day in town, I realise that the hotel doesn't serve breakfast, and I head off to the nearest mall/shopping centre with shops full of gold and jewellery. I buy ... nothing.

A good sandwich with coffee was just to be forgotten, some noodles or burgers are unthinkable so I buy myself a bread and a take away coffee.

Taxi to Salukicentre, 30 minutes on motorway, view not impressive at all, new buildings and sand. 

A bunch of dogs greet me with happy curious barking and the guide barely knows a word of English, unfortunately. The dogs speak the dog language and say they are having a good time.

The Saluki is a type of greyhound, it is one of the oldest breeds in the world and is probably most associated with the Middle East where it is used for hunting and racing.

There are both long-haired and short-haired varieties.

The dogs hunt with what is known as 'hot pursuit', i.e. they chase the prey and put it down. Hunting with dogs is very important to the Bedouin and only the better-off are dog owners.

This centre is dedicated to breeding and maintaining pure bloodlines in the breed.

I continue to Falconhospital, the Falcon hospital located in the same area, where I booked a 2-hour tour that starts with a nice lecture on species and history.

In the United Arab Emirates, there are three different species, used primarily for hunting. We get to see various accessories such as gloves, falcon hoods, GPS and even falcon passports that all falcons must have.

A female falcon lays between 3-6 eggs and incubates for 29 days. When the bird is 1 month old, it is ringed and chipped. Capturing wild falcons is strictly forbidden and carries a prison sentence. The price of a falcon... well up to €20,000 or more.

The hospital treats around 10,000 falcons a year, most often for wings, saving wing pens from deceased falcons to use as replacement feathers.

Sometimes it's a haircut and manicure.

Falcons sitting with their hoods on don't see or hear anything and stay calm, but their sense of smell works.

This tour was extremely interesting, I finish with a coffee and take a taxi back into town. 

The last stop of the day is at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the largest in the UAE and the seventh largest in the world.

It's packed with people, queues everywhere and the dress code is very strict, I have to buy an abbaya and cover my hair.

It's like entering the Arabian Nights, impressive architecture, light shows and a real Middle Eastern touch.

The mosque can accommodate a total of 40,000 visitors, with the largest prayer room holding 9,000 people.

During prayer times, i.e. five times a day, non-believers are not allowed to enter the places where believers gather.

I'm pretty hard to impress but this stunned me, so beautiful.

My day in Abu Dhabi is over, new adventures await...

Good to know before your visit

• Hotel: Top stars hotel Price 120 dollars per night, one of the cheaper hotels. Fairly central, good rooms, no breakfast.
• Falcon hospital: Book in advance at www.falconhospital.com Walking tour 44 euros (2025).
• The Saluki Centre: Free entry, no pre-booking.
• Sheikh Zayed Mosque: Self-guided tours are free, but guided tours are available. Strict dress code but there are cheap accessories to buy.

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Anna Nilsson Spets

60+ year old lady with a lifelong love for Africa. Emigrated to Flanders in Belgium and works with plants on a daily basis. Writes, takes photos and tries to inspire others to budget travel on their own. Blogs on "Anna's mix" about travelling, work, plants, writing and much more.

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