Evening Desert Safari in Dubai
Six hours, hotel to hotel. You leave Dubai in the afternoon, watch the sun go down over the red dunes, eat dinner at a Bedouin camp and are back in your room by half past nine.
Your evening, hour by hour
- We collect youFrom your hotel lobby or your building, anywhere in Dubai. The driver calls when he is outside.
- Out of the cityForty minutes of motorway, then the tarmac ends and the dunes start. Tyres get deflated at the edge of the sand.
- Into the dunesAbout half an hour of dune bashing. If anyone in the car would rather take it gently, say so at the start — the driver will.
- The sunset stopHigh dune, low sun, and the half hour everyone photographs. Arabic dress is there if you want the picture.
- Arriving at campArabic coffee and dates as you walk in. Carpets, low tables, and the temperature dropping.
- Camel, henna, shishaShort camel ride, henna if you want it, sandboarding on the dune behind the camp. All at your own pace.
- The showsTanura, belly dance and a fire show, one after the other in the middle of the camp.
- DinnerBuffet BBQ, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, eaten outside. Unlimited soft drinks, tea and coffee.
- HomeDropped back exactly where we collected you.
What to wear and bring
Worth bringing
- Loose, comfortable clothes you do not mind getting sand in
- A light jacket from November to February — the desert drops about 10°C after sunset
- Flat shoes or sandals. Heels do not work on a dune
- Sunglasses for the drive out
- A power bank — phones die fast in the heat and you will take more photos than you expect
Leave behind
- Alcohol. It is not served at the camp and you cannot bring your own
- Heavy makeup — it is warm and there is a fire show
- Anything valuable you would hate to lose in sand
Who this suits
This is the standard shared safari and it is the one most first-time visitors book. Families join every day, and so do couples and groups of friends. You share the 4×4 and the camp with other guests, which is why it costs 125 AED rather than the price of a private car.
Tell us in advance if anyone is pregnant, has back or neck trouble, or gets motion sick. Dune bashing is genuinely bumpy. We will either put you with a gentler driver or take you straight to the camp and let the others go over the dunes — it costs nothing to skip that part, and plenty of people do.
What is included
- Hotel or residence pickup and drop-off
- Dune bashing in a 4×4 with an experienced desert driver
- Camel ride and sandboarding
- Henna painting
- Live Tanura, belly dance and fire show
- Arabic coffee, dates and unlimited soft drinks
- Buffet BBQ dinner, vegetarian and non-vegetarian
- Shisha in the majlis
- Quad bike — that is our Desert Safari with Quad Bike at 175 AED
- Alcoholic drinks
- Personal expenses at the camp
Questions people ask
Around 3:30pm, though it shifts by twenty minutes or so depending on where you are staying and where else the driver is collecting. We confirm your exact time the day before on WhatsApp.
About 45 minutes from most hotels. You are on the motorway for the first half and on sand by the end.
The drivers do it several times a day and the vehicles are maintained for it. It is bumpy by design. If you are pregnant, have back or neck problems, or get car sick, tell us when you book.
Yes, and it costs the same. Say so at pickup and you go straight to the camp while the rest of the group does the dunes.
Yes. The buffet always has vegetarian dishes alongside the grill. Tell us about allergies or a strict diet in advance and we will pass it to the camp.
No, and you cannot bring your own. Soft drinks, tea, coffee and water are unlimited and included.
The evening is identical. The 175 AED Safari with Quad Bike adds thirty minutes driving a quad yourself before the dune bashing starts. Everything after that is the same.
Up to six in a shared 4×4. If you would rather not share, the private car is 800 AED for up to six people.
June to September it is hot until the sun goes down, and the camp has fans and shade rather than air conditioning. Pickup is late afternoon for that reason. If you want comfortable weather, October to April is the better time.
No. You book now and pay the driver on the day, cash or card. Nothing is taken online.
Ready to book?
Tell us your dates and how many people. We will confirm your seat straight away, and you pay on the day.
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