Desert safari
Dunes by four-wheel drive, sunset, dinner under canvas. Choose an operator that caps group size.
Duration
4 hrs – 6 hrs
Best time
Mid-afternoon departure
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
The dunes around Dubai are red sand, coloured by iron oxide, and they move: the Al Marmoom and Dubai Desert Conservation reserves are protected, and the number of operators inside them is capped.
A typical trip strings together dune bashing in a four-wheel drive, a sunset stop, then dinner under canvas with a show. Quality varies enormously between operators: what makes the difference is group size and access to a protected zone rather than ground crowded with vehicles.
Getting there
Hotel pick-up, usually around three, with a return about nine. No independent access to the protected reserves.
What the price covers
a trip sold by an operator, hotel pick-up included. Prices range fourfold depending on group size and whether the trip enters a protected reserve, and no public scale exists.
What to bring
- Cap
- Sunscreen
- Windbreaker
How to pay less
Booking directly with a Dubai operator rather than through the hotel avoids a thirty to fifty per cent commission.
Rules on site
Dune bashing is rough and not advised with back or neck problems or in pregnancy: ask for a vehicle that skips it. Camel rides and birds-of-prey shows vary widely in animal welfare — ask before booking.