Love Lake: two giant hearts in the Al Qudra desert

Updated 5 November 2026 · Emirates Spots

Somebody in Dubai decided the desert needed a pair of interlocking heart-shaped lakes, and instead of putting it on a mood board they actually dug them. Love Lake appeared at Al Qudra in 2018: two hearts of water visible from a plane window, ringed by thousands of trees, forty-five minutes from Downtown and free in every sense of the word. It has since become the city's favourite excuse to leave the city.

Entry

Free

Open

24 hours, year-round

Drive

~45 min from Downtown Dubai

Car needed

Any car; 4x4 not required

Facilities

Toilets, walking loop, BBQ zones

Swimming

Not allowed

Getting there without getting stuck

Set navigation to "Love Lakes Dubai" and approach via Al Qudra Road (D63). The last stretch leaves the tarmac for a graded sand track that any sedan handles at sensible speed. Two rules keep the trip boring in the good way:

• Stay on the compacted track. The temptation to cut across to a closer spot is how hatchbacks end up axle-deep while a Land Cruiser charges AED 200 for the tow.
• Arrive in daylight the first time. The track is unlit, and finding the car park at night on a first visit is a navigation exam you didn't sign up for.

No bus or metro goes anywhere near. It's a car, a ride-hail you arrange both ways (drivers won't be cruising the desert for your return trip), or one of the Al Qudra cycling-group car pools.

What it's like on the ground

From the shore you see a big pleasant lake; the heart shape only reads from above, so manage that expectation now. What you actually get on the ground is better than a gimmick: a 2.5 km walking loop around both hearts, surprisingly dense greenery with the word LOVE clipped into some of the hedges, swings and benches facing the water, and real quiet. On weekday evenings you can have entire stretches alone with the gazelles that wander down from the dunes.

The birdlife is the sleeper hit. Over 150 species have been logged here: flamingos pass through, black swans patrol the shallows, and at dusk the surface boils with fish nobody is allowed to catch.

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunset is the famous one, and it earns it: the dunes go copper and the hearts catch the last light. But sunset is also when everyone comes, especially Friday and Saturday. Sunrise is the resident's secret: cool air, mist on the water some winter mornings, gazelles still out, car park nearly empty. If you're deciding between a 5:45 am alarm and sharing the shoreline with two hundred phones, take the alarm once and you won't argue again.

BBQ, camping and the rules

Designated BBQ areas sit back from the water; bring everything including charcoal, water, and bags to carry every piece of rubbish out. Bins exist but overflow on weekends, and municipality patrols do fine litterers. Overnight camping in the general Al Qudra lakes area is tolerated in the open zones; pitching directly on Love Lake's manicured shoreline is not. No swimming, no fishing, no drones without a permit, no music loud enough to reach the next family.

Is it worth it?

As a half-day with the right timing, absolutely. It pairs naturally with the Al Qudra cycle track next door or a dune sunset, and it costs exactly nothing. Go at golden hour on a weekday, walk the full loop, and you'll get the rare Dubai experience that involves no receipt at all.