The Green Planet is a working tropical rainforest grown inside a glass bio-dome in Dubai — a genuine indoor jungle in the middle of the desert. Everything is built around one enormous artificial tree that rises through four levels, with plants, birds, fish and animals living at every height, most of them close enough to see clearly without a lens. You walk down through the canopy rather than up: the route starts at the treetops among the birds and descends through the mid-levels to the flooded rainforest floor. Sloths hang along the branches, toucans and blue-and-gold macaws perch in the open, fruit bats roost under the leaves, and lemurs move along the ropes overhead. Many of the animals are not behind glass — they move through the same space you do. A visit takes about two and a half hours at a comfortable pace, and the whole biome is enclosed and climate controlled, so it works in any weather and suits families with children. Keepers are on the floor throughout and there are scheduled feeding and encounter moments where you can get closer to individual animals. Good to know: the dress code is smart casual, outside food and water may not be brought in, children under 2 enter free and children aged 2 to 10 need a child ticket.