Dhow cruise · Dubai Creek
Dhow cruise on Dubai Creek
A Dubai Creek dhow cruise costs from AED 99 per person for two hours with dinner, which makes it the cheapest of the four routes and, for a first visit, the most worthwhile. It boards in Deira and runs between the old souks, the cargo wharfage and the Bur Dubai bank.
WhatsApp only — messages and calls
- Boards
- Deira, near Baniyas Road
- Sails
- 20:30, back by 22:30
- From
- AED 99 per person
- Passes
- Gold souk, dhow wharfage, Bur Dubai
The Creek is the reason Dubai exists. Everything on this stretch of water (the gold and spice souks, the wooden cargo dhows tied three deep along the wharfage, the abras crossing on a fixed line all evening) was here long before the Marina. From a dhow you see it at eye level and at walking pace, which is the right speed for it.
Cargo dhows still load along the Deira wharfage every night: sacks, air conditioners, car tyres, all stacked on the deck by hand and bound for Iran, Somalia and India. It is a working port and it does not perform for tourists, which is exactly why it is worth seeing.
The boats here are older and smaller than the Marina fleet, and that is part of the character. Expect a plainer upper deck and a slightly tighter buffet. Expect also to pay AED 30 less a head than the Marina.
What is included
- Two hours between the Deira and Bur Dubai banks of the Creek
- Buffet dinner with Arabic mezze, grills, biryani and dessert
- Unlimited soft drinks, water, tea and Arabic coffee
- Tanoura performance and live oud on most sailings
- Views of the working dhow wharfage and the souk waterfront
Worth knowing
- Deira boarding areas are hard to park at. A taxi or metro to Al Ras is easier than driving.
- The Creek is sheltered, so this is the calmest of the four routes. The one to pick if anyone gets seasick.
- Boats here are older than the Marina fleet. Book the Marina if a newer boat matters more than the view.
Why the Creek is the one to do first
This is where Dubai began. The Creek is a natural tidal inlet running fourteen kilometres inland, dredged in the 1950s and 60s so larger cargo could use it — the decision usually credited with setting up everything that followed. Before oil, the whole economy was what came in and out on this water.
The route runs between the Deira and Bur Dubai banks past the gold and spice souks, the abra crossings, and the wharfage where wooden cargo dhows still tie up two and three deep and load by hand for Iran, Somalia and India. Crews live aboard. It is a working port rather than a display, and it runs every evening whether or not anyone is watching.
At AED 99 it is also the cheapest dinner cruise in the city, which makes the value proposition unusually straightforward for a first visit.
Make an evening of it rather than just a cruise
The cruise is better if you walk the banks first, because you then recognise what you are passing. Start at the Deira spice souk around five — twenty minutes is enough unless you are buying — then the gold souk five minutes north, which is a different scale entirely.
Take the abra across to Bur Dubai for one dirham. The crossing takes about five minutes, you sit at water level with cargo dhows either side, and per dirham it is the best thing in Dubai. Walk the wharfage slowly, then board the cruise at eight.
Done in that order the whole evening costs under AED 150 a head and shows you the city that existed before the towers.
Boarding on the Deira side
This is the one practical weakness of the Creek route and it is worth planning around. Boarding is kerbside on a busy road, there are several jetties within a few hundred metres of each other, and parking fills from about seven in the evening.
Get the boarding point as a map pin and send it to your driver — "Dubai Creek" alone will not get you to the right jetty. The Green Line metro stops at Al Ras and Baniyas Square, both a short walk, and is the easier approach. If kerbside boarding and difficult parking matter to you, the Al Seef sailing runs the same water from a lit, level promenade with on-site parking for about AED 20 more.
What it costs
Per person including dinner. The cheapest dinner cruise in Dubai by a clear margin.
| Option | Detail | From |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, sharing | 2 hours with buffet dinner | AED 99per person |
| Child, 5 to 11 | Same cruise, half price | AED 50per person |
| With hotel transfer | Deira, Bur Dubai and Downtown pickup | AED 139per person |
Ask about Dhow cruise · Creek on your date.
Leave the date and the headcount and we will come back with what is free and what it costs. No deposit, and no obligation to book.
- No deposit to enquire
- A reply within a couple of hours
- Licensed boats, licensed crew, price all-in
WhatsApp only — messages and calls
Send an enquiry
Questions people ask
How much is a dhow cruise on Dubai Creek?
From AED 99 per person for two hours with a buffet dinner and unlimited soft drinks: the cheapest of Dubai's four dhow routes. Children five to eleven pay half and under-fives go free.
What do you see on a Dubai Creek dhow cruise?
The Deira gold and spice souk waterfront, the working dhow wharfage where cargo boats load by hand for Iran and East Africa, the abra crossings, and the Bur Dubai bank with Al Seef and the old wind-tower quarter behind it.
Where does the Creek dhow cruise depart from?
From the Deira side near Baniyas Road, a short walk from Al Ras metro. Parking around the boarding areas is difficult, so a taxi or the metro is the easier arrival.
Is the Creek dhow cruise suitable for children?
Yes, and it is the calmest of the four routes because the Creek is fully sheltered. Under-fives sail free, five to elevens pay half, and the buffet always has plain rice and grilled chicken.
What is the dhow wharfage in Dubai?
The stretch of Creek bank in Deira where working cargo dhows tie up two and three deep to load for Iran, Somalia and India. It is not a tourist site (it is an active port), and the dinner cruise passes directly alongside it.
The questions people ask before booking this
- Dubai Creek in one evening: the itineraryThis Dubai Creek evening itinerary runs about four hours: the Deira spice and gold souks from five, the abra across to Bur Dubai for AED 1, Al Seef and the old quarter at dusk, and a dhow dinner cruise at eight from AED 99.
- Booking a dhow cruise in Dubai, step by stepBooking a dhow cruise in Dubai takes about five minutes: pick one of the four departure points, confirm the date and headcount, and pay per person, from AED 99 on the Creek to AED 149 on the Water Canal, dinner included.
- What facilities does a dhow cruise have?Dhow cruise facilities are plainer than people expect and entirely adequate.
Tell us when, and we will tell you what is free.
Weekends and sunset slots go first between October and April. Leave the date and the headcount below, or message us on WhatsApp. If your date is close, WhatsApp is quicker than any form.
- No deposit to enquire
- A reply within a couple of hours
- Licensed boats, licensed crew, price all-in
WhatsApp only — messages and calls