This one took about five minutes.

It was a Friday evening in Dubai, and I was browsing through things to do over the weekend. The new Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi had been popping up all over my social media, but I had been putting off visiting it, thinking I’d go some other time.

Then I thought…

Why not tomorrow?

I went ahead and booked my ticket without thinking it through.

• Museum admission: AED 70
• Immersive Theatre: AED 30

By the time Saturday morning rolled around, I found myself cruising down Sheikh Zayed Road, bound for Abu Dhabi, with a cup of karak tea in my hand and a completely open mind.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I simply hoped to stumble upon something fascinating, maybe catch a glimpse of some ancient fossils, and see where the day took me.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

First impressions

The drive into Saadiyat Cultural District already feels different.

Everything looks modern, clean and purpose-built, almost like you’re driving into a place designed around curiosity.

Then the museum appeared.

The building’s design really stood out to me. At first glance, it looks like huge rocks have been cut into perfect geometric shapes. It’s simple, yet really eye-catching, and seems to blend into the surroundings rather than overpower them.

As I walked towards the entrance, I noticed dinosaur skeletons sitting atop the welcome sign, catching my attention right from the start.

That should have been my first clue.

The real surprise was still waiting inside.

Walking into the lobby… and stopping in my tracks

The first thing that stopped me in my tracks. These incredible dinosaurs dominate the museum’s entrance hall.

The second security let me pass, I froze.

In the center of the lobby stood gigantic dinosaur skeletons that immediately transported me back in time.

Not one.

Several.

Towering over everyone walking underneath them.

Nothing could have prepared me for how enormous they were in person, no matter how many pictures I had seen online.

I spent a good ten minutes wandering around them, taking them in from every possible angle and looking up in complete awe…

Those claws, though!

They instantly took me back to watching the Jurassic Park films growing up, and I genuinely had chills running down my spine.

Standing beneath these giants made me realize just how enormous they really were.

One fact that completely blew my mind was learning from the guide that what I was looking at was around 80% original fossil, with only about 20% carefully reconstructed to replace missing bones.

Millions of years pass.

Bones disappear.

Predators scatter remains.

Weather destroys them.

When you see these dinosaurs, it’s not just the bones that are impressive. It’s the story behind them.

Scientists spend years piecing together the fossils they discover and using science to reconstruct the missing parts. You’re not just looking at giant skeletons. You’re looking at decades of research, discoveries and a puzzle that has taken years to solve.

It honestly felt like standing underneath creatures that shouldn’t exist anymore.

And yet…

There they were.

More than dinosaurs

I expected dinosaurs.

I didn’t expect to travel through the entire history of our planet.

The museum takes you on a journey from the birth of the universe all the way to Earth’s future, moving through ancient oceans, prehistoric life, early mammals, meteorites, minerals, evolution and the incredible biodiversity we have today.

Some of my favourite moments included:

Standing inches away from the enormous sabre-toothed cat skeleton was one of my favourite moments.

One of the museum’s most impressive prehistoric predators.

• Gazing up at a massive pair of jaws that completely dwarfed my head.
• Touching the bony frill of a Triceratops. As someone who grew up fascinated by dinosaurs and slightly obsessed with Jurassic Park, that was a proper goosebumps moment.
• Walking among fossil displays that are hundreds of millions of years old.
• Seeing ancient footprints preserved in rock.
• Realising just how much life existed on Earth long before humans ever did.

One of the most surreal moments came when I realised I could actually touch a piece of the Moon.

Not a replica.

An actual piece of the Moon.

I also got to touch several meteorites that had travelled through space before landing on Earth. Standing there with my hand on them, it honestly felt like I wasn’t just walking through a museum. I was travelling through time, history and even space.

There were moments when I completely forgot I was in Abu Dhabi.

It genuinely felt like stepping into another world.

The Immersive Theatre

I paid an extra AED 30 to experience the Immersive Theatre, and it was worth every dirham.

It’s not just about sitting back and watching a documentary. You’re completely surrounded by the experience.

It genuinely feels like you’re travelling through space and time. The visuals wrap around you, making you forget you’re sitting in a theatre and making you feel like you’re part of the journey.

Without giving too much away, it’s one of those experiences that is much better when you don’t know exactly what’s coming.

Just sit back and enjoy it.

My favourite part?

Oddly enough…

It wasn’t the biggest dinosaur.

It wasn’t the theatre.

It wasn’t even one specific exhibit.

It was the feeling.

That childlike sense of wonder that somehow disappears as we get older.

Walking underneath creatures that ruled the Earth millions of years before humans existed has a funny way of making your everyday worries seem very small.

You start thinking differently.

About time.

About nature.

About how tiny we really are in the grand story of this planet.

And somehow, that’s incredibly comforting.

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely.

No matter who you’re with, whether it’s children, your partner or simply yourself, like I was on a whim one Saturday morning, you’ll find something interesting around every corner.

I spent far longer there than I expected.

When you visit, set aside at least three to four hours so you can take your time and properly explore everything. This isn’t the kind of museum you want to rush through. There is so much to see, and every gallery has something that makes you stop, look and wonder.

Final thoughts

This wasn’t a trip I had planned.

There was no itinerary.

No checklist.

No months of anticipation.

Just a random Friday decision that turned into one of the most memorable day trips I’ve had in the UAE.

Sometimes the best adventures really do start with saying:

“Why not?”

So, if you’re in Dubai and wondering whether it’s worth making the drive to Abu Dhabi…

Trust me.

It is.

For AED 100, I travelled through 13.8 billion years of history, stood beneath giants that once ruled the Earth, touched a piece of the Moon, held meteorites that had travelled through space and walked away feeling like a curious child again.

Not bad for a trip I only decided to take the night before.

Until the next spontaneous adventure,

Jules 🌍🚗

Some book flights.

I drove to Sharjah to look at rocks.

Not exactly the most exciting answer when someone asks, “What are your plans for the holidays?”

But hear me out.

I’d heard about Buhais Geological Park a while ago, saved it on Google Maps like I do with hundreds of places I’ll “definitely visit one day”, and then completely forgot about it.

Until Eid.

Dubai was buzzing. Malls were overflowing, every café had a waiting list, and I just wanted somewhere… quieter.

So, I filled up the car, grabbed my sunglasses, put on a playlist I’d probably listened to a hundred times before, and pointed the Land Cruiser towards Sharjah.

About an hour later, I was sitting with a coffee, looking at hills that were once beneath an ancient sea.

Talk about changing your perspective.

This Place Doesn’t Try Too Hard

That’s probably what I liked most about Buhais.

It isn’t flashy.

There’s no giant sign screaming, “Instagram me!”

No souvenir shops every ten metres.

No loud music.

It’s just… peaceful.

The building almost disappears into the landscape. From some angles, it feels like the mountain simply decided to become a museum.

I ordered a coffee before going inside and sat on the terrace for a while.

No phone.

No emails.

Just silence.

Well… silence, apart from a few families enjoying their Eid break and the occasional bird.

I realised I hadn’t actually sat still like that for weeks.

Then I Walked Inside…

I’ll be honest.

Geology has never been my thing.

At school, if someone mentioned sedimentary rocks, my brain immediately switched off.

So, I wasn’t expecting much.

Five minutes later, I was reading every single information board.

How did that happen?

Instead of throwing complicated science at you, the museum tells a story.

It starts with oceans.

Not deserts.

Oceans.

Standing there, looking out at dry rocky hills through the huge windows, it felt almost impossible to imagine that everything outside had once been underwater.

Yet the fossils sitting in front of me proved it.

Millions of years ago, fish, shellfish and strange-looking sea creatures lived exactly where I was standing.

That completely messed with my brain.

My Favourite Moment Wasn’t Inside a Display Case

It was outside.

After finishing the exhibition, I walked back onto the terrace.

Now those hills looked completely different.

Before entering, I had just seen…

rocks.

Afterwards, I started noticing layers.

Colours.

Patterns.

The lines running through the mountains suddenly meant something.

It’s funny how learning even a little bit changes what you see.

The landscape hadn’t changed.

I had.

Imagine Explaining This to Someone 20,000 Years Ago…

One display really stuck with me.

It explained that during the last Ice Age, the Arabian Gulf wasn’t even there.

The sea level was so low that what is now the Gulf was mostly dry land.

You could probably have walked across places that today are completely underwater.

Then, as the climate warmed, glaciers melted and the sea slowly filled the basin.

I’ve lived in the UAE for years.

I’ve looked at the Gulf countless times.

I’d never once stopped to think…

“This sea is actually quite new.”

That little fact somehow fascinated me more than any fossil.

Time Is Weird

One room talked about events that happened 14 million years ago.

Another jumped back 50 million.

Then over 200 million.

Eventually, I stopped trying to imagine the numbers.

Because you can’t.

Our brains aren’t built for that.

Meanwhile, I still complain when the traffic light stays red for two minutes.

Perspective is a funny thing.

Was It Worth Going?

Without a doubt.

Not because it’s the biggest attraction in the UAE.

Not because it’s packed with flashy technology.

Because it made me slow down.

It made me curious.

It made me notice things I’d normally drive straight past.

And honestly, that’s becoming quite rare.

If You’re Planning a Visit…

Go early if you can.

Take your time.

Don’t rush through the galleries.

Grab a coffee afterwards and sit outside for a while.

The view is part of the experience.

You don’t need to know anything about geology before you visit.

I certainly didn’t.

You’ll leave knowing a little more than when you arrived.

And that’s kind of the whole point.

As I drove back to Dubai that afternoon, the city skyline slowly replaced the rocky hills in my rear-view mirror.

Just a tank of fuel, an open road, and somewhere that reminds you the world has been here long before us… and will be here long after we’re gone.