Overview
DAMAC Islands is a master community in Dubailand built around lagoons, waterfalls and a jungle river, with every cluster named after a tropical island. It is developed by DAMAC Properties, which is also the master developer: the first phase covers 30 million sq ft with 5,915 villas and townhouses, and DAMAC Islands 2 adds a further 20 million sq ft now on sale.
Key facts
- Developer
- DAMAC Properties
- Location
- Dubailand, Dubai
- Unit types
- 4-5 BR townhouses, 6-7 BR villas
- Prices from
- 2,990,000 AED
- Areas from
- 2,185 sq ft (203 sqm)
- Handover
- DAMAC Islands 2: Q4 2030 (4BR villas) and Q2 2030 (5BR villas); DAMAC Islands phase 1 5BR villas: Q4 2029
- Community size
- DAMAC Islands: 30 million sq ft, 5,915 villas and townhouses; DAMAC Islands 2: 20 million sq ft
- Phases on sale
- DAMAC Islands 2 — Bahamas, DAMAC Islands 2 — Tahiti, DAMAC Islands 2 — Bermuda, DAMAC Islands 2 — Barbados, DAMAC Islands 2 — Cuba, DAMAC Islands 2 — Maui, DAMAC Islands 2 — Mauritius, DAMAC Islands 2 — Antigua
Houses only, no flats
The community is built entirely of 4 and 5 bedroom townhouses, twin villas and 6 and 7 bedroom villas, so there are no apartment towers in the master plan.
Water is the master plan
Lagoon waterfalls, a jungle river, an aqua park, a water platform and a central fountain replace the golf course of the older DAMAC communities.
A long build ahead
The current clusters are sold off-plan with handover dates in 2029 and 2030, so the payments and the construction both stretch across years.
Status
Off-plan, selling; DAMAC Islands 2 (eight clusters) is the current launch, with Antigua described as the final limited townhouse release; phase-1 5BR villas still listed from AED 3,930,000
Location
DAMAC Islands sits inland in Dubailand, on the Al Maktoum airport side of the city rather than the coastal side: the water here is man-made and the sea is a long drive. The developer puts The Village Community Mall at 10 minutes, Studio One Hotel at 16, South View School Dubai at 18 and the Radisson at DAMAC Hills at 21. Al Maktoum International Airport is 23 minutes away while Dubai International Airport is 40, which tells you which half of Dubai this community belongs to. There is no metro line out here, and the roads and retail around the plot will keep changing while the surrounding Dubailand land is built out.
- The Village Community Mall10 min
- Studio One Hotel16 min
- South View School Dubai18 min
- Radisson Hotel Dubai DAMAC Hills21 min
- Al Maktoum International Airport23 min
- Dubai International Airport40 min
About the developer
DAMAC Properties was formed in 2002 as the property development division of the DAMAC Group of Companies. It reports 50,000+ units delivered, 54,000+ units in progress and planning, and 100+ million sq ft of project area in planning and progress.
DAMAC Islands is the company's largest current launch and follows the pattern it set in Dubailand with DAMAC Hills and DAMAC Lagoons: a themed master plan sold cluster by cluster, with water instead of golf at the centre. What is different here is transparency on price — DAMAC publishes a starting figure per unit type for the live release, so the community can be compared without a sales call, which most of its neighbours do not allow. What buyers accept in return is that almost nothing is built yet, so the judgement is on the developer's delivered record rather than on a finished address.
Why this project
- Prices are published per unit type: the project entry figure is AED 2,990,000, a 4 bedroom villa starts at AED 3,329,000 and a 5 bedroom at AED 3,559,000 in DAMAC Islands 2, while a first-phase 5 bedroom villa is listed from AED 3,930,000.
- The payment plan is on the record: 75/25, meaning 75% is paid in instalments during construction and the last 25% falls due at handover.
- These are family-sized homes: portal figures put a 4 bedroom townhouse at about 2,185 sq ft, a 5 bedroom at 2,830 sq ft, a 5 bedroom twin villa at 3,487 sq ft and a 6 bedroom villa at 6,276 sq ft.
- The amenities are water-led and unusual for an inland plot: lagoon waterfalls, a jungle river, an aqua park, paddling, a water platform and a central hub fountain.
- Scale gives the community its own gravity: 30 million sq ft and 5,915 villas and townhouses in the first phase, plus a further 20 million sq ft in DAMAC Islands 2 with eight island clusters.
Master plan & phases
The master plan is read as a set of islands. The first phase, 30 million sq ft with 5,915 villas and townhouses, is arranged as six clusters named Maldives, Bora Bora, Seychelles, Hawaii, Bali and Fiji. DAMAC Islands 2 adds 20 million sq ft as eight more clusters — Bahamas, Tahiti, Bermuda, Barbados, Cuba, Maui, Mauritius and Antigua — and is what the developer is selling now, with Antigua described as the final limited townhouse release. Each cluster carries its own prices, layouts and handover quarter, and a first-phase 5 bedroom villa is still listed alongside the new stock, so the phase you buy in decides almost everything about the deal.
Unit types, areas & starting prices
Published prices
- Project entry price (asterisked) — DAMAC Islands 2From 2,990,000 AED
- 4BR villa — DAMAC Islands 2From 3,329,000 AED
- 5BR villa — DAMAC Islands 2From 3,559,000 AED
- 5BR villa — DAMAC Islands (phase 1)From 3,930,000 AED
Published areas
- 4BR townhouse — DAMAC Islands 22,185 sq ft (203 sqm)
- 5BR townhouse — DAMAC Islands 22,830 sq ft (263 sqm)
- 5BR twin villa — DAMAC Islands 23,487 sq ft (324 sqm)
- 6BR villa — DAMAC Islands 26,276 sq ft (583 sqm)
Indicative, from public listings, not published by the developer
The entry figure carries an asterisk on the developer's page and is the project starting price for DAMAC Islands 2; the villa prices are per unit type, the 5 bedroom villa at AED 3,930,000 belongs to the first phase, and the areas shown come from a property portal because the developer publishes maximum sizes only.
Payment plan
75/25 — 75% during construction, 25% on handover (Antigua, DAMAC Islands 2)
75/25 means 75% of the price is paid in instalments while the home is being built and the remaining 25% falls due at handover; that plan is the one DAMAC published for Antigua in DAMAC Islands 2, so confirm the schedule for the cluster you are actually buying.
The honest drawbacks
What may not suit you, before you book, with the other side of each point.
Despite the name, there is no sea here. This is inland Dubailand: the islands are lagoon features, the beach and the marina are a long drive, and there is no metro station anywhere near the community.
CounterweightThe inland address is what makes a villa of this size affordable at all, and the water you use every day is inside the gates. Al Maktoum International Airport is 23 minutes, so the community is well placed for the side of Dubai that is still being built.
The wait is long. The current villas are scheduled for Q2 and Q4 2030 and the first-phase 5 bedroom villa for Q4 2029, which means years of paying for a home you cannot use and living beside construction if you move in early.
CounterweightA long programme is also a long payment runway: the 75/25 plan spreads three quarters of the price across construction, and off-plan money in Dubai sits in a project escrow account that is released against verified progress.
There is no cheap way in. The community is townhouses and villas only, the published entry figure is AED 2,990,000 and a 4 bedroom villa starts at AED 3,329,000 — a ticket that rules out buyers who would have started with an apartment.
CounterweightWhat the ticket buys is land and a house rather than a share of a tower, at a level that also sits at or above the current residence-visa investment threshold for most units. DAMAC prints a price per type, so you can weigh it against other villa communities before you speak to anyone.
The entry price is asterisked and the two phases are priced differently: the same 5 bedroom villa is listed from AED 3,559,000 in DAMAC Islands 2 and from AED 3,930,000 in the first phase, and the asterisk beside the headline figure has no published footnote.
CounterweightThe gap is not hidden — both figures come from the developer's own pages, so you can ask directly what the asterisk covers and why the phases differ in plot, position and delivery date before choosing between them.
Lagoons, waterfalls and an aqua park are expensive to run, and because nothing has been handed over yet there is no service-charge history for this community — you are quoted an estimate, not an invoice.
CounterweightDubai service charges are filed with and approved by the Land Department, and comparable DAMAC lagoon communities are already operating, so a realistic range can be checked before you buy. The cost is also shared across thousands of homes.
Handover will put a lot of similar homes on the market at once. With 5,915 villas and townhouses in the first phase and eight further clusters behind them, a seller in 2030 is competing with neighbours holding the same layout and with DAMAC's next launch.
CounterweightLarge communities are liquid ones: comparable sales make valuation straightforward and rental demand is deep. A differentiated plot — lagoon-facing, corner, or a cluster that completes early — is what separates your home from the rest at exit.
Amenities & services
The master plan is designed so the weekend happens at home. The lagoon waterfalls and the jungle river are the walking route, the aqua park and the jungle swings belong to the children, and the central hub fountain and the water platform give the community its meeting point. It is a family product built for long days outdoors, and it assumes you will drive for restaurants, offices and the coast.
- Central hub fountain
- Water platform
- Paddling
- Lagoon waterfalls
- Jungle river
- Aqua park
- Jungle swings
Who this project suits
- End-user families: houses with four to seven bedrooms and a private plot, a school 18 minutes away and water amenities inside the gates rather than a shared tower pool.
- Investors: a 4 bedroom villa from AED 3,329,000 with a 75/25 plan means most of the money is committed over years, and the exit is timed to a handover wave you can plan for rather than a single completion date.
- Upgraders from an apartment or a small townhouse: this is where the same budget buys a garden, a maid's room and a 5 bedroom twin villa of about 3,487 sq ft instead of a flat in a tower.
- Second-home buyers abroad: the 75/25 schedule suits a buyer paying from outside the UAE, and Al Maktoum International Airport is a 23-minute drive when you fly in.
Before you book: points to verify
- Establish first whether the offer is in DAMAC Islands or DAMAC Islands 2, then the cluster and the unit number — the phases differ in price, plot and handover quarter under one name.
- Get the contractual handover date written into the sale agreement; the published quarters range from 2029 to 2030 depending on the cluster and the unit type.
- Confirm the project is registered with RERA, that your purchase is recorded on Oqood at the Dubai Land Department, and that every instalment goes into the project escrow account named in the agreement.
- Ask for the service-charge estimate per sq ft in writing, and ask what is inside it: lagoons, waterfalls and an aqua park are recurring operating costs that fall on owners after handover.
- Check the premium charged for a lagoon-facing or corner plot, and read the resale clause: assigning an off-plan unit in Dubai normally requires a minimum percentage paid plus an NOC fee from the developer.
Gallery
Frequently asked questions
What is the starting price at DAMAC Islands?
The developer shows a project entry price of AED 2,990,000 for DAMAC Islands 2, with a 4 bedroom villa from AED 3,329,000 and a 5 bedroom from AED 3,559,000; a 5 bedroom villa in the first phase is listed from AED 3,930,000. The entry figure carries an asterisk with no published terms, so we request the official price list for your cluster and send it as issued.
What unit types are available?
Townhouses with 4 and 5 bedrooms, twin villas, and villas with 6 and 7 bedrooms. There are no apartments in the master plan. Portal figures put a 4 bedroom townhouse at about 2,185 sq ft and a 6 bedroom villa at about 6,276 sq ft, and the developer publishes maximum sizes on the project page.
When is handover?
It depends on the phase and the cluster: DAMAC Islands 2 shows Q4 2030 for the 4 bedroom villas and Q2 2030 for the 5 bedroom villas, while a first-phase 5 bedroom villa shows Q4 2029. Ask for the handover date written into the sale agreement for the exact unit rather than relying on the community page.
What is the payment plan?
DAMAC published a 75/25 plan for Antigua in DAMAC Islands 2: 75% in instalments during construction and 25% at handover. Plans differ by cluster and change between releases, so request today's plan in writing for the unit you are being offered.
What is the difference between DAMAC Islands and DAMAC Islands 2?
They are two phases of the same idea. The first phase covers 30 million sq ft with 5,915 villas and townhouses in six clusters; DAMAC Islands 2 adds 20 million sq ft in eight clusters and is the current launch, with Antigua described as the final limited townhouse release. Prices and handover dates are set separately for each.
Where is it and how far is the city?
It is in Dubailand. The developer puts The Village Community Mall at 10 minutes, Studio One Hotel at 16, South View School Dubai at 18, the Radisson at DAMAC Hills at 21, Al Maktoum International Airport at 23 and Dubai International Airport at 40. There is no metro station nearby, so plan on driving.
Can foreigners buy, and does a unit qualify for the golden visa?
The community is in a freehold area of Dubai, so buyers of any nationality can own outright, with off-plan purchases registered on Oqood at the Dubai Land Department. Separately, property at or above the current investment threshold set by the UAE authorities qualifies the owner to apply for long-term residence; the threshold is a government rule, so we confirm it per unit against the price and the payment stage.
What will the service charges be?
Nothing has been handed over yet, so there is no invoice history for this community; charges are set per community and approved by the Dubai Land Department. Ask the sales advisor to confirm the estimate per sq ft in writing and compare it with the approved rate at comparable lagoon communities.