Dubai Fountain Abra Lake Ride at the Burj Khalifa

Thirty minutes on Burj Lake in a traditional wooden abra, at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, while the fountain runs.

Everybody else watches the Dubai Fountain from the promenade, three deep behind a railing. From a boat on the lake you are inside the arc of it — the jets reach around 140 metres and the spray carries, which is part of the appeal — and the Burj Khalifa stands directly above you with Souk Al Bahar and the mall lit along the shoreline.

The abra is the same kind of wooden boat used on Dubai Creek, which makes for an odd and rather good contrast with the setting.

The fountain performs every half hour through the evening and each show is a few minutes long, so a thirty-minute ride will catch one and usually part of another.

Two practical notes. Evening slots are what everybody wants and they book out, particularly at weekends — reserve ahead rather than turning up. And you will get some spray depending on the wind and where the boat sits, which people either enjoy or should sit at the back to avoid.