A desert safari is the one thing almost every visitor to Dubai books, and the one most likely to be booked badly. The difference between a good one and a cheap one is not the camp, it is how far out you go and what time you leave. Here is what to expect, what to wear, and how to pick. The safari is one entry on our guide to things to do in Dubai, which places it against everything else worth a day.
Morning, evening or overnight
Evening, the standard
Pickup between 14:00 and 15:00, back around 21:00. Dune bashing in the late afternoon, a sunset stop on the sand, then a camp with camel rides, sandboarding, henna and a barbecue buffet with live tanoura, fire and belly dance shows.
This is the one to book if you are only doing one. The light is the best part of the day, dinner is included, and the heat has gone by the time you are out of the vehicle.
Premium desert safari with BBQ dinner, about six hours, from AED 100 per person.
Morning, for the heat and the quad bikes
Pickup around 07:00 to 08:00, back by lunchtime. Cooler air, firmer sand, far fewer vehicles. The emphasis shifts from dinner and shows to activity: quad biking, dune bashing, camel riding and sandboarding.
Choose this if you are travelling between May and September, if you have small children who will not last until nine at night, or if you want quad bikes without an add on charge.
Morning safari with quad biking, about four hours, from AED 195 per person.
Overnight, for the sky
The full evening programme, then everyone else leaves and you stay. Dinner, the shows, then quiet. Mattresses in an open sided tent or a private one, a fire, and a sky with no city light in it. Breakfast and a sunrise over the dunes before the drive back.
Sixteen hours door to door. It suits couples, photographers and anyone who has done the standard safari and wants the part that comes after the coaches go.
Overnight Bedouin desert camp from AED 399 per person.
What to wear
- Loose cotton. Long sleeves are more comfortable than short ones once the sun is low and the sand is moving.
- Closed shoes or trainers. Sand gets everywhere in sandals and the camp floor is sand. Flip flops are fine for the camp and bad for the dunes.
- A layer for the evening. From November to February the desert drops to around 12 degrees after sunset, and people who dressed for a 28 degree afternoon are cold by nine.
- Sunglasses and a scarf. The dune bashing kicks up fine sand and the windows are open at the photo stops.
- Nothing you mind getting sandy. Sandboarding puts you on the ground.
Women are not required to cover up in the desert. The camps are tourist venues, not religious sites, and ordinary holiday clothing is fine.
What is included in a proper safari
- Hotel pickup and drop off anywhere in Dubai
- Dune bashing in a four wheel drive with a licensed driver
- A sunset photo stop on open sand, not at the camp
- Camel riding, sandboarding and henna at the camp
- Barbecue buffet with vegetarian options
- Soft drinks, water and tea
- Tanoura, fire and belly dance performances
What is usually not included
- Alcohol. Most camps have no licence. Some sell it; assume not.
- Quad bikes on the evening safari. They are an add on, charged per twenty or thirty minutes.
- Private vehicles. The headline price is a shared basis, usually six or seven people in a Land Cruiser. A private car can be arranged.
- Tips. Not expected. Appreciated by drivers who do the route twice a day.
If you get motion sick, or your back is bad
Say so at pickup, not halfway up a dune. Every operator can seat you in the front, and most will tell the driver to take the softer line. The dune bashing is about twenty minutes and you can ask to stop at any point.
Anyone pregnant, anyone with a recent back or neck injury, and anyone with a heart condition should skip the dune bashing entirely. You can be driven to the camp on the flat road and join everything else. Ask when you book rather than on the day.
Food, honestly
The buffet is a buffet: grilled meats, rice, salads, hummus, bread, a vegetarian line and dessert. It is good rather than remarkable, and it is served in a desert an hour from a kitchen. Tell your operator about allergies and dietary requirements when you book, because the camp caters in bulk and cannot improvise at nine at night.
Eat something at lunchtime. Dinner is often not served until 19:30 or later.
Choosing an operator
Three questions tell you most of what you need to know.
- Which desert? Al Marmoom and Lahbab are an hour out. If the answer is twenty minutes, you are going to a lot beside a road.
- Who holds the licence? Desert camps operate under permits. An operator should be able to say whose camp you are going to.
- What is the pickup window? A vague answer usually means a long loop collecting other guests before you reach the sand.
We are a licensed Dubai tour operator (DET trade licence 1165750). Pickup is 14:00 to 15:00 from any Dubai hotel, you get a booking reference straight away, and our team confirms the pickup time with you. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup.
Pairing it with an evening on the water
Safari and dhow cruise are both evenings, so they cannot be done on the same day. The desert safari and dhow cruise combo books them on two dates you choose, AED 250 per person for both, on one booking and one confirmation.
