Dinosaurs the Immersive Odyssey

We Walked Among Dinosaurs and the Kids Wanted to Go Back Immediately

Dinosaurs: The Immersive Odyssey at Dubai Festival City Mall is one of those experiences that genuinely delivers on its promise. It starts in a recreation of a natural history museum's behind-the-scenes reserves area — fossils, skeletal casts, palaeontology artefacts — before moving into a free-roam VR arena where you walk among life-sized dinosaurs, and then into a physical animatronic zone where the dinosaurs you encountered in the virtual world are waiting for you in full scale. The whole thing is guided, sequential, and brilliantly paced. We all absolutely loved it and wanted to go straight back in.

It works for a wide age range — engaging enough for older children and not frightening for kids as young as four. The whole experience runs 45 to 60 minutes, which is the perfect length — enough to feel immersive without anyone losing focus. Tickets start from AED 79, ages 4 and up, and children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. It is located on Level 2 at the North Entrance of Dubai Festival City Mall, open daily 10am to 10pm.

Insider tip: timed slots fill quickly on evenings and weekends — book in advance online. It is in the same mall as Beyond the Dome, so the two make a great combo for a full day out at Festival City.