Dubai Creek, a natural seawater inlet that cuts through the center of the city, is the historic focal point of life in Dubai. A stroll along the banks of Dubai Creek evokes the city's centuries-old trading traditions.

You can also have an attractive view of the Dubai Creek and the dhows from an abra, one of the small water taxis which criss-cross the Creek from the souks of Deira to those on the Bur Dubai side. Abras are available opposite the Intercontinental hotel in Deira and the old souk in Bur Dubai.

Redevelopment work has transformed parts of the banks of the Dubai Creek. On the Deira side, a broad and well-lit, paved promenade extends from the Corniche, which faces on the Arabian Gulf, all the way to the attractive purpose-built dhow terminal constructed beside Maktoum Bridge. On the Bur Dubai side between Maktoum and Garhoud bridges, Creekside Park provides pleasant paved walks and extensive landscaped public gardens.

At the inland end of the Dubai Creek is a large, shallow lagoon, now a wildlife sanctuary that has become a haven for migrating shore birds. Some 27,000 birds have been counted here at one time during the autumn migration. The most spectacular are the many Greater Flamingos that have made the Dubai Creek their permanent home.