Emirates Bio Farm reopens for farm visits, from Dh50 on weekdays
The UAE's largest organic farm, in Al Shuwaib on the road to Al Ain, is open to visitors again for the cooler months, with animal feeding, barrel rides and a Sunday farm brunch.
Emirates Bio Farm, the organic farm in Al Shuwaib, has reopened for visits for the new season, What's On reported on Sunday. It is about an hour's drive from Dubai on the road to Al Ain, which makes it one of the easiest farm days out for families in the city now that the weather has turned.
The farm covers 250,000 square metres and grows more than 55 kinds of certified organic fruit and vegetables, according to Visit Al Ain, the emirate's tourism site. It farms with crop rotation, companion planting and natural pest control rather than chemical sprays, and much of what it grows goes into its own shop, its restaurant and a home delivery service.
Visitors walk the fields at their own pace, feed the farm animals and take a barrel train ride around the growing areas. There is a visitor centre with an Arabian tent that looks out over the fields and the dunes beyond, and a farm shop selling organic produce, plants and the farm's own merchandise.
On Sundays the greenhouse restaurant, The Farmer's Table, serves a buffet brunch built on the farm's seasonal produce. There are two sittings, from 9am to 1pm and from 1.30pm to 5pm, and the brunch includes access to the farm for the rest of the visit, with animal feeding, train rides, face painting and a children's play area.
A farm visit costs Dh50 from Monday to Friday and Dh75 on Saturdays, and children under three go in free. Dh50 of the ticket can be spent in the farm shop and the restaurant, except on public holidays and during private events, so the weekday ticket in effect pays for itself if you shop or eat. The Sunday brunch costs Dh140 for adults and Dh80 for children aged three to 12; under-threes are free. The farm is open from 9am to 5pm.
Book on the farm's website, emiratesbiofarm.com, where tickets for visits and the brunch are sold; the farm's number is +971 3 783 8422. Go early in the day for the animals and the cooler hours, wear closed shoes for the fields, and bring a cool bag if you plan to buy vegetables for the week. From Dubai, allow an hour each way by car.