Rainforest in the Desert

If you do not like the weather in Dubai, you can go any number of places here where the weather is something different (like the ski slope in the Mall, like an enclosed island being built in the Persian Gulf where it will snow….really) and now Dubai has a tropical rainforest! But of course it does! And the world’s largest manmade tree inside! (It is hard not to use lots of exclamation points when you live in the city of superlatives!)

The tropical forest in a dome, Green Planet, is a striking attraction in City Walk – an area my husband Jimmy and I love for its walkability and people watching potential. So recently we decided to duck into Green Planet to see what was up there. Or down and around there. Birds up, sloths down, and snakes hanging around – in this rainforest habitat, there are lots of creatures to see everywhere that you look. I really liked that there were helpful guides throughout pointing out animals you might not have noticed (and aiding you in touching some of them) and answering any questions.

And it cannot escape attention or mention that it is COOL inside Green Planet – a definite plus in Dubai this time of year. Although the animals are interesting and extremely photogenic, the building itself is also strikingly beautiful. It is LEED certified (meaning it is designed in an environmentally conscious way) by Grout McTavish architects, who describe the building as a rainforest tube inside a protective origami cube.