The Yellow Boats | Abu Dhabi

“Our tours are perfect for world travellers, couples, families, and corporate groups alike.” The Yellow Boats

What better way to show visitors Abu Dhabi than from the water, perfect weather and great waterways lend themselves to cruising along and seeing the capital’s sights from a unique watery perspective. The lovely people at The Yellow Boats kindly invited me and my four guests to experience a 90-minute tour in their bright yellow high speed ten-seat rigid inflatable boat.

Located at the Emirates Palace Marina, The Yellow Boats offers guests two different tours taking in the top sites of the city including Sheikh Zayed Mosque that departs at noon and the more frequent but shorter 60-minute Corniche trips. After a slightly alarming but obviously necessary safety briefing from Captain Danny Zephyrin, we donned our ultra lightweight slim life jackets (I was in all honestly slight concerned by how miniature the lifejackets actually were as I was expecting the usual larger orange variety). As we left the dock, Danny mentioned the possibility of spotting some dolphins and right away we were greeted by a pod of humpback dolphins before we had even left the marina, how lucky was that!

We set off leaving behind the majestic backdrop of the Emirates Palace hotel making our way out to sea past the magnificent new Presidential Palace, various sandy islands, Al Bateen Marina and boatyard, several Royal Palaces that line the channel and finally the Armed Forces Officers Club, Shangri-la, Fairmont and Ritz Carlton hotels and of course the mosque. We travelled under both the bridges of the Al Khor waterway looping back for our return journey at the historic Al Maqtaa Fort.

Captain Danny, who originates from the Seychelles, was an excellent tour guide and host giving us lots of information and anecdotes. Operating everyday of the year, The Yellow Boats is a perfect family activity (children must weigh over 15kg to ride) but also offers 30-minute daredevil adult-only high speed thrill rides. The multiple award winning Yellow Boats also offers tours in Dubai departing from the Marina cruising along Palm Jumeirah and past the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel.

TripAdvisor lists The Yellow Boats as the number one outdoor tourist activity in the capital, I can confirm that cruising along the capital’s waterways at a speed of up to 30 knots is a perfect way to see the city and its ever changing skyline, whether you are a long-term resident or just visiting.