Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit is home to the final Formula One Grand Prix of the season every November, but for the rest of the year any Tom, Dick and Harry can have a go there. There are numerous driving experiences available, with wannabe Schumachers and Hamiltons allowed to take an Aston Martin GT4, Mercedes AMG or Chevrolet Camaro for a spin. See yasmarinacircuit.com

CYCLE THE CIRCUIT

Alternatively, there is a slower option. On Tuesday nights, there are no cars allowed on the Yas Marina Circuit. It is given over to cyclists, who can take on 5.5-kilometre laps relying on their own engine. It's a remarkable spectacle – thousands of cyclists from the serious Lycra-clad speedsters to families of trundlers turn out. Bikes can be hired by the circuit entrance. See yasmarinacircuit.com

On Tuesday nights, there are no cars allowed on the Yas Marina Circuit. Photo: Supplied

DESERT SAILING

Who needs water to play at being a yachtsman? At the Qasr Al Sarab Resort deep in the Abu Dhabi desert, it's possible to take out specially converted sail karts. To steer, position the sail in the right place for the wind to drive the kart. See qasralsarab.anantara.com

DUNE BASHING

To tackle the dunes with a little more grunt, take a Toyota LandCruiser with an experienced driver and prepare to be flung all over the place. Numerous companies – including Dubai Dune Bashing – offer such rollercoaster rides, pulling off spins in the sand and precarious plunges down the dunes for the benefit of slightly queasy passengers. See dubaidunebashing.com

To tackle the dunes with a little more grunt, inside a Toyota LandCruiser. Photo: Supplied

CAMEL RIDING

Another staple of desert tours, as sold by Viator and many others, is clambering on a camel and riding through the sands. The camels are obstinate beasts – they always like to go in the same order, and once they know a route they're quite content to do that every day rather than deviate. Expect a few lurchy bumps, when the camel rises to its feet then crouches again, but a tremendous feeling of being a desert adventurer. See viator.com

WHITE WATER RAFTING

Al Ain – a 90-minute drive from Abu Dhabi and Dubai – is optimistically known as the UAE's garden city. It's also home to the world's most unlikely white water rafting and kayaking facility. The toughest of Wadi Adventure's three man-made courses involves grade IV rapids, and an almost constant buffeting. The technicality is high enough for Olympian kayakers to use it as a winter training base. See wadiadventure.ae

DIVING

Only in Dubai could you learn how to dive inside a shopping mall – but Arabian Adventures will take beginners to the Dubai Mall for a go among the sharks. Somewhat less wacky is the beginners diving trip to Jebel Ali, where the warm, calm waters are suitable for getting to grips with the sport (albeit without too much in the way of underwater eye candy). See Arabian-adventures.com

MANGROVE KAYAKING

Just off Abu Dhabi's main island is a large patch of ecologically vital mangroves, which are cut through by a few channels and ripe for exploring in a kayak. Sea Hawk Water Sports takes paddlers, whether beginners or experienced, on guided tours. The guides are keen to point out the wildlife, from graceful white herons to legions of scuttling mangrove crabs. See sea-hawk.ae

Sea Hawk Water Sports takes paddlers, whether beginners or experienced, on guided tours. Photo: Jonathan Gibbons Photography

SANDBOARDING

Arabian Adventures also runs a morning dune drive tour which combines four-wheel-driving over the golden sand banks with sandboarding. For the uninitiated, this  is like snowboarding or sledging (depending on how outlandish you're feeling with the stance), but down a giant sand dune. You'll pick up speed rapidly going down, then curse every step of the strength-sapping hike back up. See Arabian-adventures.com 

JUMP OUT OF A PLANE

It's often hard to get to grips with Dubai's extraordinary skyline and palm-shaped reclaimed land megafeatures from the ground. But once you've stopped screaming during the freefall stage, a tandem skydive is a marvellous way to take things in properly from above. Skydive Dubai will happily strap you to someone who knows what they're doing, then send you plummeting to earth. See skydivedubai.ae

David Whitley was a guest of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority; see visitabudhabi.ae