St Edmund's

Day 5

This morning we made it to Floor 125 of the Burj Khalifa in the incredibly smooth and speedy lift. A couple of ear pops later we emerged onto the spectacular viewing deck and the group made themselves busy taking photos, selfies and explored the ‘At the Top’ shop. Completed in 2010, it’s quite incredible to see the dramatic change in the landscape since then, with desert areas transformed into stunning high rise offices, hotels, shopping malls and residential buildings.

We descended back into Dubai Mall for a spot of shopping before travelling back to the hotel for another delicious meal.

Our desert safari jeeps then whisked us off into the sunset for dune bashing and an evening of Arabic entertainment.

After a thrilling jeep adventure across the dunes, the group were excited to experience sand boarding and camel riding. There was much laughter and screaming, as you might imagine, as the camels rose to their feet to take us on a short excursion. And we marvelled at the skills of those few who managed to stay on their feet whilst surfing down the soft sand.

We then took our seats for the evening extravaganza of impressive fire throwers, glamorous belly dancers and the quite incredible Tanoura dancer, with his vibrant multi coloured and illuminated skirts. We were awestruck by his whirling and spinning skills, particularly when he set fire to his skirt!
The barbecue food was delightful and the pupils tucked in, enjoying some collective social time without the pressures of sports fixtures.
Tyres reflated, our lovely drivers drove us back our hotel for the penultimate night.