Sharjah Unplugged
Cityscapes, Culture, and Coastal Marvels Await
Sharjah, the third-largest of the seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates in area, is the only Emirate with access to both the Arabian Gulf Coast and the Gulf of Oman. Visitors can enjoy their holiday exploring its many heritage sites and museums, admiring its majestic mosques, discovering traditional souks, or visiting modern shopping malls. They can experience the natural beauty of the desert, mountains, mangroves, and sea rolled into one destination.
For those seeking a seamless connection between two vibrant worlds, Sharjah is merely a three-hour and thirtyminute flight away from India's capital, New Delhi. The accessibility is further enhanced by well-established direct flight connections from various cities across India to the well-connected Sharjah International Airport. This geographical closeness invites travellers to unlock the treasures of Sharjah's cultural, historical, and natural wonders with utmost convenience.
Sharjah City Vibes
For the uninitiated, Sharjah can be divided into three broad regions of interest: Sharjah City, the Central Region, and the East Coast, each concealing its own secrets and wonders waiting to be explored and unfurled. In contrast to its buzzing neighbours, Sharjah offers a relatively calm and relaxed pace of life, a perfect match for visitors to unwind and explore as they wish. The original city centre of Sharjah, which was once the hub of its merchant trade, has been transformed into a vibrant heritage and arts district. A day can be well spent exploring the art spaces and museums housed in its old, traditional buildings.
Cityscape, Culture, and Coastal Wonders
Here in the heart of Sharjah, heritage manor houses have been transformed into The Chedi Al Bait, Sharjah, a 65-key Emirati-themed luxury five-star hotel and resort. The unique collection, now called The Chedi Al Bait, was once occupied by eminent local families, and it exhibits the rich local cultural heritage of the bygone era to date seamlessly blended with modern sensibilities.
The heart of Sharjah district is situated just off the Corniche and 20 minutes from
Sharjah International Airport. The district hosts multiple annual events. Also located close by is the Al Majaz Waterfront, a perfect family destination. This waterside address features a mini-golf, a splash park, a minitrain, and several attractions suitable for children. Al Majaz Waterfront has a host of restaurants to choose from. The Sharjah fountain light and sound display is a hot attraction for everyone here.
The “Rain Room” in Sharjah is another unique installation that offers an aweinspiring experience for visitors. This interactive installation is centred around enveloping a person in water without getting them wet. The Rain Room uses sensors to pause the falling water wherever it senses motion. It offers an unparalleled experience and is a must-do on Sharjah’s visitor list. A visit here can be clubbed with a visit to the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, the Corniche, and a dining experience at one of the many restaurants nearby.
Sharjah, like its neighbours, was once renowned for the pearl trade; pearl divers fetched wonders from the depths of its surrounding seas, and its pearls were prized the world over. Ancient trade links existed with India, a very big market for the prized pearls from this region. Ancient caravan routes passed through Sharjah’s Central region to trade goods like dates and pearls.
Luxurious Desert Escapes
An hour's drive from Sharjah city will get you to the Emirate’s central region and its most important archaeological site, Mleiha. You can delve into pre-Islamic history or go trekking, dune bashing, or quad biking through the open desert and mighty sand dunes at Al Badayer and Mleiha. Stargazing is a great experience in the desert camps at Mleiha, where you can enjoy Arabic coffee with barbeque dinner and camp the night under the stars.
A great option to indulge in and spend some vacation time at Al Badayer is the magnificent “Al Badayer Retreat by Sharjah Collection." An ultra-luxury desert oasis experience inspired by a caravanserai heritage nestled among dunes, its luxurious private tents with private pools are perfect for couples and families to enjoy enchanting desert sunrises and sunsets. The resort hosts a spa, a family pool, and an amphitheatre and offers bespoke dining.
Sharjah Safari: A Conservation Oasis
An hour's drive from the heart of Sharjah lies the star attraction of “Sharjah Safari,” a great family destination located within the confines of 1824 hectares of protected land that not only shares a high degree of similarity in fauna, landscape, and topography with Africa but also seamlessly blends it in with the surrounding area.
Sharjah Safari is not just a great family recreational and educational initiative to bring you closer to wildlife and experience them live and thrive in the vast protected expanse, but a great effort to conserve and protect locally extinct or highly endangered species. The scimitar-horned oryx, now extinct in the wild, along with the endangered addax, also called the white antelope or the screw-horned antelope, can be seen during the safari, along with others like the lion, white rhino, black rhino, zebra, giraffe, kudu, waterbuck, and elephants.
An Ecotourism Odyssey at Kalba
Kalba, located on the east coast, offers great ecotourism opportunities where you can go wildlife spotting, trekking, kayaking, and scuba diving. Located in the Khor Kalba nature reserve, the Kalba Bird of Prey Centre has free-flying demonstrations, along with aviaries housing falcons, eagles, buzzards, vultures, and owls. It is a great opportunity to understand the different species, like the long-legged buzzard, Bonelli’s eagle, greater spotted eagle, lappet-faced vulture, and UAE’s national bird, the falcon.
The Khor Kalba Mangrove Centre provides an opportunity to experience and explore the unique ecological diversity within its mangrove forest. Located in the middle of an ancient stand of mangroves, visitors can see the oldest mangrove forest in the Emirates, with trees up to eight metres tall. This is also a great opportunity to watch many beach birds, such as the rare Arabian collared kingfisher, marine life such as green turtles, and many varieties of fish, crabs, and microorganisms.
The Kalba Waterfront Mall, located on the banks of a calm lake surrounded by mangroves, has many outdoor stalls, indoor shops, several restaurants, and a children's play area. Chartering a luxury boat for a private lake ride and enjoying the waterfront views of the city as you sail by creates a memorable experience. The crowning glory of a visit to Kalba is your stay at the Kingfisher Retreat, located close to the mangroves with a great view of the sea and private beach access. Wellappointed luxury tents with private pools and pampering by the resort’s chefs to delectable meals and world-class dining are sure to make your Sharjah visit a memorable one.