Aventura Park
Aventura is an outdoor adventure park that has recently opened in
Dubai. It’s spread across 35,000 square metres of the Ghaf forest in Al Mushrif
Park. It is the first outdoor obstacle course
of its kind in UAE introduced by Dubai residents Hadi Fakhoury and Lina Malas.
It’s amazing to see an obstacle course nestled in nature.
Aventura offers the most daring circuits and
thrilling obstacles from tree-surfing and zip-lining to rope-climbing, you’re
bound to reach peak adrenaline rush. It’s the perfect place to ‘hang’ around.
The variety of courses allow people to push
themselves – there’s something for everyone’s level of fitness. From courses for
children, to those who are scared of heights, to the adrenaline junkies – there’s
something for everyone.
The park has 85 activities – including rope walks, log balancing, ladders and ziplines, the longest of which is 160 metres long and 10m high – split into six circuits, based on age of participants and difficulty level.
The park has 85 activities – including rope walks, log balancing, ladders and ziplines, the longest of which is 160 metres long and 10m high – split into six circuits, based on age of participants and difficulty level.
The Discovery and Rangers circuits
are designed for children, while the Explorador activity is an easy course that
can be done with the entire family. The Aventura, Thriller and Xtreme circuits
are more challenging, with 10-15 obstacles each, plus ziplines.
Once
the safety harness is latched on, an instructor gave a total 360 on the safety
procedures in detail. Every participant is given a
20-minute, compulsory briefing about the harness and safety equipment, and how
to navigate the courses.
The safety instructions seemed Latin and Greek
at the beginning, but as we continued with the instructions, carabiners became a common word. The precautions taken to ensure safety are very good , which had me at ease from the word go.
About 15 instructors and guides are spread throughout the park to assist with the more challenging climbs and activities, or if someone is stuck on an obstacle.
A couple of trials later,
we went off with Explorador to start off our adventure. Getting used to the
clipping and unclipping of the climbing carabiners becomes second nature as
one progresses through the activities
Explorador: With an average
height of 3 metres and 17 obstacles, Explorador is the perfect starting point for
your high ropes adventure. The course isn’t particularly difficult but it’s a
great way to find your feet and adjust to the carabiner system. It also
gives a good view out over the more difficult Aventura and Thriller routes,
allowing you to plot your next course.
Thriller: If you love zip
lines, then Thriller should definitely be up your ante. This circuit stands at
an average height of 8 metres and is filled with exhilarating zip-lines,
including the 160-meter long zip-line across the park. From ziplining
through the woods to climbing walls to surfing past trees to walking
across wobbly logs of wood, every single one was more thrilling than the
last.
Once you’ve raced
through Thriller you’ll be ready to test yourself in every sense of the word.
Rangers: This includes 19 fun obstacles, from 1.5
-2 meters high for children.
Aventura: Offering 15
challenges at around 5 meters high, and includes the chance to take on longer
and higher zip lines across a larger area of the park.
Xtreme: Unfortunately, we
were running short of time and hence couldn’t try the extreme, but it looked
amazing . The most daring circuit of them all, at 5-8 metres
high, and includes Aventura’s famous 25-meter Tarzan Jump.
We finished the course with aching
muscles (muscles that were non-existent also ached) and were sweaty and messy. However,
it was the most amazing experience we did have and we couldn’t have had a
better Friday morning. I’d rather spend 3 hours at Aventura than over a movie,
or stroll through a mall. Why stroll when you can zipline & jump in lush
green forest.
Though I did have a minor injury, it was
just so worth it. I’d always cherish the scar (literally) as a memory of having
stepped out of my comfort zone.
Though I was physically exhausted. It was a Friday morning well spent!
Contact:
Location: Mushrif park, Dubai.
Timings – 09:30 am to 18:00 pm
Cost: AED 300 for two
Contact: 0521787616
I was invited to Aventura Park and all views and images are © Urbanmodish, unless stated otherwise.
