Adventure HQ

In April, Adventure HQ opened at one of the big malls here, Dalma Mall. Ever since I have promised the kids we were going to go there, but I wanted to wait for the school holidays, and the heat... Last night, after having been inside all day, I decided to take the kids to go check it out.

Adventure HQ is a first and foremost a retail store, specializing in kit for outdoor enthusiasts, selling everything from kayaks to camping equipment and cycling gear. But of course it wasn't the store that had got the kids excited - in addition to the shop, there is Adventure Zone, a huge indoor adventure park.

It’s actually the largest indoor adventure park in the region. It has five different areas of action: the Skate Park, which is designed to suit skaters and riders of all abilities; the Pump Track, which is another kind of circuit designed for BMX riders.

There is also Bouldering, an activity similar to rock climbing, but without the use of a rope or harness. The wall at Adventure Zone is 3.5m high and has over 50 marked routes for climbers to try to conquer, ranging from the very simple for kids to routes for the experienced and semi-professional climbers.

You book into Adventure Zone in 30 minute blocks, and have to stay at the same activity for the whole block of 30 minutes. The kids got an hour in there, and they chose to first do trampolining at the Trampoline Park, the first of its kind in the region. The trampolines are horizontal here, but they’re also vertical.

Then they tried the cable climb course, a high-rope obstacle course suspended over the entire Adventure HQ complex. It had 11 separate challenges high off the ground, quite challenging, but for everyone to do. The kids both liked this but thought it was a little bit scary. I didn't get any photos of them high up in the air unfortunately, because my phone had run out of battery by then.

The only downside with this place is that it's rather expensive. You pay Dhs50/30 min block. You can buy some kind of multi pass though, which I think might be worth while for us. It's nice for the kids to be able to burn some energy off in the hot months, and it is an amazing facility. We'll be back.