Abu Dhabi Pearl Experience

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A trip back in time on an authentic wooden dhow, offering fascinating insights into the UAE’s rich pearling heritage. For travellers interested in cultural tourism in Abu Dhabi, this experience is more than a tour — it’s a living connection to traditions that shaped the emirate long before oil.

Settle on an old wooden pearling dhow and enjoy a 90-minute cruise through the pristine waters of the Arabian Gulf as you learn about Abu Dhabi’s once thriving pearling trade. The emirate’s chief earner long before the discovery of oil, and central to life here for hundreds of years, pearl diving remains an important aspect of Emirati heritage, woven into songs, traditions and folklore, and this immersive tour brings it all to life, making it an engaging, memorable cultural experience and a highlight for anyone exploring historical places in Abu Dhabi.

The journey begins in Yas Bay, where you will step aboard a traditional wooden Jalboot, as pearling dhows were known, and settle on floor cushions for a traditional Arabic welcome of cardamom- flavoured coffee and dates. Then, as you cruise through Abu Dhabi’s mangroves, your knowledgeable cultural guide will take you on a trip through time via stories and anecdotes, describing pearling’s important role in the economy and how divers survived for months at sea. He will also demonstrate the tools of the gruelling trade and invite you to participate in activities that will help you connect with this timeworn tradition in a meaningful way. Finally, you will witness a live oyster opening, discovering a pearl embedded in its flesh, which you’ll be invited to taste, before heading back to base, sipping karak tea to a soundtrack of traditional pearling songs, offering a unique experience of cultural tourism in Abu Dhabi.