What to Do in Dubai After Dark

Let Josh Gates of 'Expedition Unknown' guide you.

You only have 12 hours to explore a new city -- Dubai, to be exact. Would you rather bask in the sunshine of the Arabian desert during the day or stay cool in the cloak of darkness and bright city lights of Dubai’s skyline? If you chose the latter, read on.

Expedition Unknown host Josh Gates made his dream of exploring a new city after sunset come true with the new special Josh Gates: After Dark, premiering tonight at 11/10c on Travel Channel. In his first visit to Dubai, Josh allows himself 12 hours—from sunset to sunrise—to experience all that the vibrant and opulent city in the United Arab Emirates has to offer when the sun goes down.

Think New York City is the only metropolis that doesn’t sleep? Think again. Here are a few things you can try for yourself after sundown in Dubai, based on Josh’s own After Dark journey.

 Blow Your Life Savings on an Amazing Hotel Room

How much would you spend to live a serious life of luxury for just one night in one of the most opulent cities in the world? At Dubai’s Atlantis the Palm hotel—which sits on Palm Jumeirah, the largest artificial island in the world that is in the shape of a palm tree—you could have nearly 3,000 square feet to yourself in the Royal Bridge Suite for just $30,000 a night. As Josh points out in After Dark, even the soap provided here is made out of 14-carat gold.

 Visit One of the Largest Saltwater Aquariums in the World

The Lost Chambers Aquarium within the Atlantis the Palm hotel in Dubai holds more than 500 different species of marine life, including stingrays and sharks, and 65,000 fish total. So why visit after dark? Feedings happen at night, when the fish are naturally more predatory, and you can get a front row seat by having dinner at the adjacent restaurant in the hotel.

 Dine on the World’s Finest-Grade Sushi

Affectionately called the “Life of Nemo,” this sushi dish at JAAN the Penthouse is served in a mini aquarium complete with live goldfish and a butterfly on top. The sushi alone will set you back a cool $1,000.

If fish isn’t your thing, JAAN also cooks up grade 9 Wagyu, the finest beef in the world. Resting on a hibachi powered by an old time fan, it’s the restaurant’s most expensive dish at $350 per kilo. Josh called it the “best piece of meat I have ever eaten.”

 Hit the Souks

Souks—arabic for “narrow”—are outdoor markets in Dubai filled with every kind of food, souvenir, spice and fashion you could think of. While souk shopping, Josh gets fitted for a keffiya (a headscarf) to curb the brow sweating in the desert heat, and he also checks out a souk for gold, which can be found anywhere and everywhere in Dubai. In fact, more than 70 percent of the physical gold traded in the world was traded in the city.

 Go Clubbing

Dubai is world-famous for its vibrant nightlife, with plenty of places to get the VIP treatment and drink directly from the champagne bottle. Or you could just come for the dancing, like Josh.

 Take a Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride

What better way is there to get a view of the sun rising above the Arabian desert than from 4,000 feet up?

In After Dark, Josh accompanies a falconer and his falcon, who have been practicing for the first catch-and-release from a hot air balloon for months. Their hot air balloon can’t fly after the sun rises too high and heats up the day, but the falcon, Bomber, also needs a little sunlight to peform. Do they succeed? (Sorry, you’ll have to tune in for that one!)

The one-hour special Josh Gates: After Dark airs tonight after an all-new Expedition Unknown at 11/10c on Travel Channel.

5 Things to Do in Dubai After Dark
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