UAE holidays,Dubai and Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates on the southern shore of the Gulf: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Six of them founded the country on 2 December 1971, now National Day, and Ras Al Khaimah joined in February 1972. Abu Dhabi is the capital and much the largest of the seven.

Arabic is the official language, but English is widely spoken, and road signs and shop signs are in both. For a visitor from Nairobi the practical differences are small. The country is an hour ahead, the weekend is Saturday and Sunday, and the three-pin plugs are the same as at home.

Most holidays here happen in two cities, and they are different enough to be worth choosing between.

Dubai or Abu Dhabi

Dubai was a small fishing village on the Gulf before it became the city it is now, as its tourism board likes to point out. Today it is two cities under one name: the creek and the old souks, where the city started and still trades, and Downtown, the malls and the beach at JBR. Emirates and Kenya Airways both fly there nonstop from Nairobi.

Abu Dhabi is the capital, a city on an island joined to the mainland by four bridges. You go for Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, for Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island, and for eight kilometres of Corniche with a Blue Flag beach. Beyond the city the emirate has the oasis town of Al Ain, a World Heritage site, and Liwa, on the edge of the Empty Quarter. Etihad flies there nonstop from Nairobi twice a day.

They are close enough to share one trip. Etihad Rail’s passenger trains are due to start between the two on 30 September 2026, with a journey time of 57 minutes, though the Abu Dhabi station is out in Mohamed Bin Zayed City rather than in the centre. We book it either way: one city, or a few nights in each.

When to go

November to March is when we would send you, in either city. Days are warm rather than hot, and the evenings are cool enough to eat outside. January is Dubai’s coolest month, averaging 21°C, and Visit Abu Dhabi puts winter days at around 24°C. October and April are shoulder months: Visit Dubai counts them in its season, and they work, but the afternoons are hot, so the beach goes in the morning. From June to September it is hot: Dubai’s July averages 36°C, and Abu Dhabi’s summer days reach 45°C and more.

December is a busy month in Abu Dhabi. The Formula 1 season ends at Yas Marina Circuit, on 4 to 6 December in 2026, and the Liwa International Festival runs for three weeks in the Empty Quarter. If your dates fall around either, book early.

During Ramadan, attractions and restaurants stay open through the day, and non-Muslims are not expected to fast. Eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight can still cause offence, so keep it to your hotel or a restaurant’s designated area.

Flights from Nairobi

Emirates flies Nairobi to Dubai nonstop, 21 times a week, and gives the flight time as 5 hours 5 minutes. Kenya Airways flies the same route direct in about 5 hours 15 minutes. Etihad flies nonstop to Abu Dhabi twice a day, and the flight takes about five hours. Qatar Airways and Ethiopian connect through Doha and Addis Ababa if their timings suit you better.

Practical notes

• Kenyan passport holders need a UAE visa arranged before they travel. It is applied for through an airline, a hotel or a travel agent, or online through the federal ICP or GDRFA Dubai portals; UAE embassies do not issue tourist visas. Since 25 June 2026, Kenyans with a valid residence permit from the US, an EU country, the UK, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada can get a 14-day or 60-day visa on arrival instead. Your passport needs six months’ validity from the day you arrive. We checked this in September 2026.
• Arriving from Kenya, you need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you are nine months or older.
• Some prescription and over-the-counter medicines need approval from the UAE Ministry of Health before you travel. Check yours before you pack.
• Dress modestly in public places such as malls; for women that means shoulders and knees covered. Drinking alcohol in public, or being drunk in public, is illegal everywhere in the UAE, and in Sharjah alcohol is banned outright. Kissing in public can lead to arrest, and you should ask before you photograph anyone.
• Internet voice and video calls are restricted on UAE mobile networks, so sort out how you will call home before you go.
• Entry requirements are confirmed for your passport before anything is held.