Since its development, Yas Island in Abu Dhabi has managed to position itself as a luxurious recreational destination with its assortment of tourist attractions. Right from the superior sports venue, Yas Marina Circuit to the whimsical Warner Bros and the famed Ferrari World, Yas Island is loaded with thrill-inducing, yet family-friendly theme parks. Having said that, if you are planning to take a holiday sometime during the upcoming vacation season, we list out the must-visit parks and experiences to help you plan your itinerary accordingly.
Need for speed
One of the premier tourist attractions nestled in the heart of this UAE Island, Yas Marina Circuit checks out everything from an F1 fan’s bucket list. We are talking swanky track and sports cars whizzing and drifting across right in front of your eyes. Here, you can get behind the wheel with a professional racing driver, get a sneak peek into the world of F1 and if you are a super fan, you can bring your car and put its performance to test. How exciting would that be? Having said that, you can make this experience even more exhilarating by holidaying at the W Hotel, a five-star property where rooms face this cutting-edge track.
Ferrari fever
A futuristic park that you need to visit, Ferrari World comes packed with thrilling rides for all those who identify as adventure enthusiasts. This is one of the largest theme parks in the world and earns its hype. During our tour, we hopped on rides such as the Flying Aces, the world’s highest roller-coaster loop; and the Turbo Track where we experienced a zero-gravity fall. But what introduced us to another level of adrenaline rush was the Formula Rossa, the world’s fastest roller-coaster with a speed of 240 km/h. It gets your heart pumping in 4.9 seconds. Thrill seekers, you need to hop onto this one and make sure you eat light the entire day, trust us! Before you leave for the day, board the Bella Italia, a ride where you get to drive a small-scale Ferrari 250 California, circa 1958.
Totally adorbs!
Next up, we have Warner Bros, one of the most endearing parks with rides and attractions spread across six different franchises such as the Flintstones Bedrock River Adventure, Fast and Furry-ous, Jetsons Cosmic Orbiter, Marvin the Martian Crater Crashers and Tom and Jerry: Swiss Cheese Spin. We started our day at this park at Cartoon Junction where we interacted with cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy the Duck and then we took our WB obsession to the beloved fictional dog, Scooby Doo and Shaggy. We also did some cheese hunting with Jerry, who by the way knows his way around Mammy Two Shoes’ house.
We also stopped by Gotham City where we rode the Riddler Revolution, a rocking and spinning ride. Furthermore, we also took a walk through the Joker House, an indoor maze which was just as twisted and challenging as the Batman nemesis himself. Our day ended with some splurging, which we would rather not talk about.
There’s more to sea…
One of the latest additions to Yas Island tourist attractions is SeaWorld, one of the first marine animal parks outside the USA. The motto here is ‘One Ocean’ and you get to experience that through your seamless transition from one realm to the other seven.
In the Arctic realm, you are transported to the impressive lands with walruses, puffins and sea otters. In the tropical realm, you get to watch flamingos in their natural habitat and even attend a special dolphin presentation where these aquatic mammals perform to the beats of djembe drums. The other realms offer quite a lot too, but we’ll let you discover that for yourself.