Boomah, The Owl Cafe

Boomah, which means owl in Arabic, is the UAE’s and the Middle East’s first owl cafe.

Located in Abu Dhabi, Boomah cafe allows having a drink while socializing with its adorable owls. At Boomah, they prioritize the owls’ well-being, so special owl trainers work in the venue to clean and train the animals on a regular basis.

These owl experts lead educational tours for visitors, giving a few safety instructions, such as staying quiet, to help the birds relax. Before tickling a tawny (or any of the other 10 species of owl), guests need to wash their hands with a special owl-friendly hand sanitizer.

The owls at the cafe were all raised by people, so they’re pretty comfortable around. Since the cafe doesn’t open until 2 p.m., the owls are free to fly at night, and they get a proper lie-in during the day (16 hours of freedom).