If you are planning a four-day-long trip to an international destination, then Sharjah is the place to be. Sharjah offers a lot in terms of history, culture, food, and shopping. A four hours flight to Sharjah from Delhi is an easy journey that is amalgamated with flavours of life in terms of hospitality and food. So, here we share our 96 hours journey to Sharjah.
We took the Air Arabia flight from Delhi to Sharjah and checked-in at the Radisson Blu Resort at Sharjah. We had a comfortable sleep at night and were all set to charge up for the amazing four-day tour.
On the day-1, the classic Car Museum at Sharjah was our first stop. The museum showcases more than 100 cars and motorcycles with the earliest model dating to 1917. This museum is an ideal destination for classic car lovers. The soeciality of the museum is that it displays classic cars manufactured in the early 20th century. The vintage classic cars of different brands such as Rolls Royce, Ford, Mercedes, Chevrolet, Bentley, Volkswagen, Corvette, and many more. You must check out the 1915 Dodge model which is also the oldest car in the Sharjah’s Old Car Museum, 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman. This car belongs to His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah. The unique feature of this car was hydraulic seat adjustment, windows, and doors control and this model displayed in the museum is bulletproof. If you are travelling with the kids, they are going to have the best of time.
After an amazing car museum experience, we enjoyed some tasteful lunch at the ‘Shooting Club.’ Then, we headed to Souq al Jubail. It’s the place that celebrates the local fishing culture and has provided a next-generation shopping experience for the citizens. It is famous for more than 100 colourful creatures. The fish souk is the part of the huge Souq al Jubail, which also includes a section for fruits and vegetables, dates and dry fruits and meat. Whether you looking to buy or just do window-shopping this thriving and bustling fish market is a must-visit for foodies and photographers.
A little ahead was the central souk popularly known as the Blue Souk. Beautiful blue tiles and a two-story-souk offers modern jewellery, watches and clothing on the ground floor and arts and crafts including handmade Persian carpets and colourful kilims from Afghanistan and Kashmir. Don’t miss the gold and diamond shops alongside precious stones and authentic Bedouin jewellery.
We ended the day with the Sharjah Aquarium and Maritime Museum. The aquarium is spread over two floors with 20 separate tanks and over 150 species. Whereas the Maritime Museum provides the window into the Persian Gulf marine life. The children would love to see the different varieties of fishes and can also learn about the Emirati peal diving, fishing and sailing traditions.
We signed off the day with local cuisine at Shababeek. It is a unique, contemporary Lebanese restaurant that offers a range of gastronomic delights in an authentic Arabic setting. Here, the must-try dishes include Zesty Tabouleh, Rkakat Cheese and Dry Figs, Mix Grill Platter, and Hummus and Pita Bread.
The day-2 began with breakfast at the Radisson Blu and we headed towards Al Noor Mosque. It is located on the Khalid Lagoon at the Buhaira Corniche. It is one of the three mosques open to the public. It is the first mosque in the Emirate to allow non-muslims. The mosque stands out for its initiative of cultural exchange and for its architecture at the same time. You can book a guided tour to experience the beauty of the space.
We then moved to the Al Noor Island and the Butterfly House. Surrounded by azure water, overlooking the towering skyline and blanketed by a canapé of lush trees, lies an enchanted land whose winding pathways spring surprises at every step. The Al Noor Island is a family destination, where you can enjoy the houses of exotic butterflies, artistic sculptures, maze garden, magical illuminations, literally treasures and more. Straight out of a fairy tale, this dreamy space-the Butterfly House, is where you can get up, close up personal with over 20 exotic species of butterfly. Tailed Jay, Emerald Swallowtail, Common Cruisier, Common Lime Butterfly, The Red Lacewing and the Common Mormon are the visual delights. We ended the afternoon trip with lunch at Sheraton.
After this, we headed towards Mleiha Archaeological Centre, where we ventured deep into the desserts of Sharjah and uncovered the secrets of the region’s ancient culture. This new visitor’s attraction blends history, nature, and culture that covers social order, diet and trade and commerce of the place. We ended the amazing day with the desert dune bashing along with desert safari, enjoyed the local cuisine at the dinner organized at the Mleiha camp and the stargazing through a telescope.
On the 3rd day, after our breakfast at the hotel, we had a long drive to the east coast. One of the highlights was the Al Rufaisa Dam. After this, the startling visit to Kalba, Birds of Pray Centre made us watch raptor species amongst historical landscapes including the barn, owls, short toad, snakes, eagles, greater spotted eagles and lappet-faced vultures. The Kalba, Birds of Pray Centre has free-flying demonstration along with aviaries housing owls, eagles, vultures, buzzards, and of course falcons.
A short distance away was the amazing Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre. This conservation centre is for endangered animals from mountain regions like leopards, wolfs, and reptiles.
Hosting about 30 mountain species, the centre offers unique viewing opportunities across large landscape enclosures and within indoor nocturnal habitats. Spread over 12 kilometres, this centre is home to 30 native mountain and desert species. Indoor exhibits with snakes, lizards, hedgehogs, and scorpions while large landscape enclosures for Arabian leopards, wolves, tahar, dessert lynx would be an amazing view to look for. If you are looking for some comfort, you can move around on golf carts and avail the service of trained guides to have an in-depth insight.
We could not have asked for a better ending of the day with the dinner treat at the Kalba Kingfisher Lodge. The Kalba Kingfisher Lodge is a boutique hotel featuring 25 luxurious tents with a private swimming pool for each tent. We enjoyed the evening filled with comfort and privacy, overlooking the Indian Ocean and a forest of the mangrove.
Our last day in Sharjah started with a visit to the Museum of Islamic Civilization. The museum completes its 10 years in 2018 and covers Islamic culture with more than 5000 artifacts from the Islamic world. Here the objects include calligraphy, carvings, ceramics, coins, glass, manuscripts, metalwork, and scientific instruments. The museum has a mission to reach maximum numbers of national and international visitors via displaying and interpreting Islamic relics and having research and making further developments in the collection. It is a must visit, because it includes the world’s first biological weapons, a copy of Uthman ibn Affan’s Quran in Kufi script, astrolabe, clothing and accessories, musical instruments of the Islamic period.
After the exciting dose of information, it was time to have some fun and definitely not a miss. The Sharjah Art Foundation presented ‘Rain Room’, for the first time in the Middle East. The installation is permanently sited in Al Majarrah. The Rain Room invites you to walk through a downpour of continuous rain without getting wet. Motion sensors detect the movement of the body, as visitors navigate through darken underground space, becoming performers in this intersection of art, technology and nature.
Later, we had an amazing lunch at the Al Majaz Waterfront. Located in the vibrant heart of the city of Sharjah, Al Majaz Waterfront has some stunning scenery overlooking the Khalid Lagoon. The iconic leisure destination boasts both breathtaking landscape and incredible architectural designs that reflect Sharjah’s rich cultural and historical heritage. The Al Majaz Waterfront hosts a variety of events and concerts but the Sharjah Musical Fountain is a must-see. We also enjoyed the lunch at Al Fanar Restaurant and Cafe. The ambience of the 1960s and the taste of authentic Emirati cuisine is a must-visit. And then, we spent some time at the Sahara Centre Mall, shopped some amazing stuff for friends and family and then left for the airport.
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