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What are the best desert tours in Dubai? Your super detailed guide to the very best desert safaris and 4WD desert tours in Dubai with my reviews and all pros and cons of each tour. Are you in Dubai and want to see the desert? What is the best desert safari experience you can book to explore the desert dunes near Dubai? Are you looking for an excursion by private 4WD and a personal guide or do you wish to join a group tour? Guided safaris in Dubai include desert tours by 4WD, ATV quad and buggy excursions and camel rides into the dunes. Options are endless, you can book morning tours, afternoon excursions and evening safaris including dinner at a desert camp. There are tours that take you into the desert, guided self-drive 4WD tours and safaris for families with children. A comparison and detailed description of the 7 best private and group desert tours and safaris you can book in Dubai to see the desert, with my considerations, some suggestions, all the important things you need to know before choosing and direct links to book online by credit card.

Photo Credit: Land Rover Mena

What are the Best Dubai Desert Tours and Safaris?

Are you in Dubai and want to book a desert safari to see the red sand dunes of the desert? Do you have doubts whether to choose a group desert tour or an excursion by private 4WD with your own personal guide? You don’t know whether to book a 4WD tour, a camel ride or a quad guided safari? Do you want to explore the desert driving yourself in your own jeep?

• I have selected tens (maybe hundreds) of guided tours and desert safaris from Dubai organised by locally based travel suppliers and sold online, and have chosen 7 different desert tours. These are not the only ones you can book but in my opinion they are among the best and most complete desert tours and safaris in Dubai available on the market.  

• All tours are described below, in a very detailed way, with full descriptions, my considerations, some suggestions, all the pros and cons and all the important things you need to know before choosing. Have a look and see if there is a desert safari you like.

• You can book all these tours easily by credit card through Get Your Guide, Withlocals and Viator, for the great majority of tours you get instant confirmation, while for some, tour confirmation is subject to availability and will be given within 48 hours of your booking.

• Moreover, if you stay in Dubai for some days and want to visit Abu Dhabi on a day trip, leaving in the morning and coming back in the afternoon, or want to reach the fabulous Musandam Peninsula in Oman, please read my technical reviews of the most interesting and value for money day tours from Dubai in the page The Best Guided Day-Trips to Abu Dhabi and Oman from Dubai so that you can quickly get some idea of the several different options and book the tour that best meets your way of travelling.

Photo Credit: Robert Young

Important Things to Know

Aspects to Consider Before Booking a Safari to the Dubai Desert

Before examining in detail several tour and safari options that take you into the desert of Dubai I advise you to take a few important things into consideration.

• Do NOT expect to see grandiose, virgin Saharan sceneries nor the dunes of Sossusvlei in Namibia which are hundreds of meters high. The great majority of desert areas around Dubai offer small and medium size dunes tens of meters high. And on the horizon, more often than not, there is a pole, a fence or a construction to “spoil” the view.

• A tour into the Dubai desert is perfect as a first desert experience for someone who has never been into the desert before and wants to get there quickly and comfortably, protected from the heat and pampered by air conditioning and then go rapidly back to the hotel at the end of the tour.

• The Dubai desert is popular and many people go there. With a few exceptions, whatever tour you choose is likely to be a very touristic experience. This applies in particular to all multi-activity excursions and safaris combining dinner and a show at the bedouin camp.

• Take into consideration that very few bedouins still live in the Dubai desert. And, of course, you will not meet them in tourist camps located less than one hour’s drive from the big hotels and seaside resorts. If you are looking for authenticity and a real desert experience, forget it. You’ll be disappointed.

• Instead, if you are in Dubai for some days and want to admire landscape which is totally different from the one you live in and wish to spend a few fun hours without breaking your bank account, well you have endless tours to choose from.

Photo Credit: Kyle Taylor

Premium Red Dunes & Camel Safari with BBQ at Al Khayma Camp

This is the most classic and popular of all the desert safaris on offer in Dubai. A value for money desert excursion. But how is the tour carried out? You leave your hotel mid-afternoon, one hour’s drive to reach the start of the desert, a stop to deflate tyre pressure and then drive into the sand. About half an hour to 40 minutes of dune bashing in the Lehbab desert area that is known for its photogenic red dunes, then it’s time to try sandboarding, surfing down a steep dune. Arriving at Al Khayma Desert Camp you will be welcomed with Arabic coffee, sweets and dates. If you wish you can take a super short camel ride and pose with a falcon, this is a nice, unusual photo. While waiting for the food you can smoke shisha, dress Arabian-style – Kandora (for men) and Abaya (for women) or opt for some henna painting. You have dinner at the camp, sharing a table with other tourists and watching a Tanoura dance show with the stars above you. Finally, you travel back to your hotel arriving mid-evening. Instead of the afternoon departure with dinner you can book a lesser interesting tour with late morning departure and lunch included. Transportation is always by 4WD, usually a comfortable and air-conditioned Toyota Land Cruiser.

• Pick-up and drop-off: at your hotel in Dubai.

• Duration: approx. 6 or 7 hours depending on traffic, departure at mid-afternoon and return to your hotel in the evening.

• Guide: English speaking driver/guide.

• Features: there are several options you can choose and which can be combined. The first is about transportation: if you a family or a group of 5 maximum 6 people, select one of the private tours, book a group tour instead if you are travelling alone or if there are 2 or 3 of you so that you share the 4WD with other participants. The second option is dinner: a self-service buffet is cheaper, food and drinks on waited tables cost more. The third and last is the kind of dunes you want to reach: if you want to go to the extremely higher dunes there is a supplement. Just note that these so called “extreme dunes” are only a little bit higher than normal red dunes included in the standard and cheaper option. With the last update there is the additional option to book the desert safari only without lunch or without dinner, obviously it is cheaper.

• Price: in addition to 4WD air-conditioned transportation with cold mineral water in the vehicle the cost includes 30-45 minutes dune bashing, sandboarding, falcon experience, henna painting for ladies, a super short camel ride (less than 5 minutes), free shisha pipe, barbecue dinner with vegetarian/non-vegetarian options, unlimited soft drinks and Tanura and belly dancing show. Quad bike and dune buggy options and alcoholic beverages are not included and are to be paid extra on the spot.

• Pros: this is a super value for money tour, particularly if you book the cheaper option; considering that for a very reasonable amount of money you are picked up at your hotel, taken into the desert, have a buffet dinner and taken back to your hotel, it is hard to ask for more.

• Cons: whatever option you choose do not expect an intimate situation or to be alone silently admiring the vastness of the desert. Dinner and all activities are very well organised (the local provider of the service is OceanAir Travels, absolutely one of the very best in Dubai) and the reviews are in fact really excellent, but you will always be with lots of other people and the atmosphere is 100% touristic. It’s better you know this in advance.

• Good to know: don’t even think of seeing great Sahara dunes hundreds of meters high. With very few exceptions the great majority of desert areas near Dubai offer small and medium sized dunes tens of meters high; this is valid for the area known as extreme high dunes too. Children under 3 years old are not allowed in a car during shared dune bashing other than during a booked private tour.

• Recommended: as a first desert experience for someone who has never been into the desert before.

• Price, info & Booking: GetYourGuide | Premium Red Dunes & Camel Safari with BBQ at Al Khayma Camp

• Video: the full experience of the safari in the Dubai desert with OceanAir Travels is in this video by Perfect Little Planet, so you know exactly what happens/where you go/what you do/what to expect:

Heritage Desert Safari from Dubai | Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve

By far, this is one of the best desert safari tours in all the United Arab Emirates and one of the best and most intriguing Dubai travel experiences. In small groups, travelling in a legendary 1950s vintage Land Rover you explore the sands of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, the first designated protected area of UAE. After your wildlife drive you watch a sunset falcon show before reaching the bedouin camp (fake, obviously, as per all other camps, but very well furnished and lit by torch and traditional lamps) to have your dinner under the stars watching a cultural Emirati entertainment performance. The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve is one hour’s drive from Dubai, offers good opportunities to see local fauna and is open to a very limited number of travel agencies. The camp where you have dinner is inside the private retreat of a local royal family member, this is the same area where the prestigious Al Maha Desert Resort is located.

• Pick-up and drop-off: at your hotel in Dubai.

• Duration: 7 hours, departure from the hotel between 2:30pm and 4:30pm, return between 9:30pm and 11.30pm depending on the season/sunset; a reminder email with the precise pick-up time will be sent prior to your tour departure.

• Guide: Spanish, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian speaking driver/guide; usually the guides are very well-experienced.

• Features: small group tour.

• Price: is per person and includes air-conditioned minivan transportation from/to your hotel, wildlife drive through Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve in a open vintage Land Rover, sunset falcon show with sparkling date juice, henna tattoos, live bread making, Arabic coffee making and aromatic shisha pipe, a very short after-sunset camel ride in a lit area near the camp, dinner includes soup, salad, appetiser, main course, desserts, tea and non-alcoholic beverages and a cultural performance.

• Pros: exploring the desert in an open vehicle means getting fantastic views and a more thrilling experience; usually the Land Rovers proceed slightly interspaced from each other and the safari takes place inside a protected area, so you have a greater chance of seeing the desert fauna including Arabian Gazelles, foxes and if you are (very) lucky one of the rare 100 elusive Arabian Oryx living in the reserve.

• Cons: none, the price is higher than any of the other similar safari tours but worth the money; here everything, including the 4WD you use during wildlife drive, dinner and toilets at the bedouin camp is exceptionally good; compared to the previous tour and to almost all other safaris on offer in Dubai, the number of participants on this tour is lower and the camp is more intimate; however do not expect to be alone.

• Good to know: during Ramadan there is no performance either on this safari or on all the other desert tours offered in the United Arab Emirates; instead you will experience a lavish iftar (term for a meal after sunset during Ramadan) and spend the rest of the evening relaxing in a traditional majlis, trying top-quality shisa, admiring the stars in a professional Astronomy session.

• Recommended: if you want high level services, the local supplier of this safari is Platinum Heritage Luxury Tours & Safaris, very well-appreciated on TripAdvisor. They have handled lots of celebs, including Kobe Bryant, German professional footballer Thomas Muller and Australian singer Kylie Minogue.

• Price, info & Booking: GetYourGuide | Heritage Desert Safari from Dubai

• Video: a drone view of vintage open Land Rovers, falconry demonstration and the bedouin camp of Platinum Heritage in these images courtesy of Rebecca Emily Williams:

Dubai Quad Bike (ATV) Safari

Have you ever ridden a quad bike and would like to do it in the Dubai desert dunes? Well, it’s possible and without spending exorbitant amounts of money. You have the chance to try a new vehicle and admire the desert at the same time. You will be picked up from your hotel in Dubai and taken to the starting point of the tour where a guide will provide instructions on how to use and control your ATV quad bike. After being briefed on the rules and issued with safety gear it is time to take control of your own automatic quad bike and ride through the sand dunes. The excursion is scheduled with an early departure and a return to your hotel by late-morning, so you have the rest of the day free to do something else.

• Pick-up and drop-off: departure and return to your hotel in Dubai.

• Duration: 3 hours, leaving from the hotel early in the morning.

• Guide: English.

• Features: this is a shared tour with other participants; one hour to reach the desert, quad tour that lasts up to one hour plus one hour’s drive back to your hotel.

• Price: is per person; one quad for each person booked.

• Pros: the opportunity to have a look to the desert scenery around Dubai with a more active tour compared to other traditional excursions.

• Cons: don’t even think of going where you want to and riding over virgin dunes. The itinerary is pre-fixed, the guide leads the way and all participants must all follow in ordered, single file; apart from riding a quad bike, the tour does not include 4WD dune bashing; as for all shared tours at departure and arrival the pick-up and drop-off at different hotels means wasting time.

• Good to know: participants must be 16 years and over and should have a basic knowledge of driving; a minimum of 2 participants per booking is required.

• Recommended: if you have never driven a quad bike this is a good chance to try it, the riding path to follow is very easy, suitable even for families travelling with teens.

• Price, info and Booking: GetYourGuide | Dubai: Quad Bike (ATV) Safari Morning Tour

• The dinner option: the ATV quad bike ride lasts one hour but departure is in the afternoon and the tour includes a BBQ dinner in a desert camp, total duration is 6 hours with return to the hotel in the evening, this is the link to book GetYourGuide | Dubai: Quad Bike Safari with BBQ Dinner and Live Shows

• The Dune Buggy option: the same local supplier offers another variation of this tour, with a 2 seater dune buggy instead of the ATV quad bike, here is the link to investigate GetYourGuide | Dubai: Self-Drive Dune Buggy Safari; the age limit is 18 years old and over, bring your driving license with you; the price is much more attractive if two people share the same buggy and alternate the driving time.

Photo Credit: Club Paf

Morning Safari with Dune Bashing, Sandboarding & Quad Bikes Ride

Are you outdoorsy? Are you not interested in fake bedouin dinners at all? During your stay in Dubai you can only do a desert tour in the morning? In addition to admiring the beautiful desert scenery with this excursion you can try at lot of activities: not only experience the thrill of dune bashing but take a ride on a camel and try out your sandboarding skills surfing the sand. Plus, as an option, have the chance to ride your own quad bike for half-an-hour.

• Pick-up and drop-off: departure and return to your hotel in Dubai.

• Duration: 4 hours, morning departure, you leave your hotel between 8am and 9am, usually the day before the tour you will be notified of the exact pick-up time.

• Guide: English speaking.

• Features: there are several options, shared or private tour, with or without a quad; in addition to transportation from/to your hotel the tour includes 30 minutes of dune bashing in the middle of the Lahbab dunes, a very short camel ride plus sandboarding; if you buy the quad option you have a 30 minute quad bike experience, you drive your own quad on a pre-fixed itinerary.

• Price: is per person, you can book with or without a quad; just note that if you are not interested in the quad, well this excursion becomes an exceptionally good value for money tour, probably one of the cheapest ways to have a look at the Dubai desert, without investing too much time and money.

• Pros: the combination of the off road 4WD dune bashing plus the opportunity to personally drive your own quad.

• Cons: I would say none, just be aware that the camel ride is super short, no more than a few minutes; take into consideration that on the way back to your hotel there is usually a 20 min long stop at a fuel station in the middle of nowhere to inflate the tyres of your vehicle, so be patient.

• Recommended: if you want to see the desert and enjoy a multi activity experience.

• Price, info & Booking: GetYourGuide | Morning Safari with Quad Bikes, Sandboarding & Camel Ride

Photo Credit: Viator.com

Camel Safari with Dinner | Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve

Speaking about the desert, you cannot miss out on a camel tour. Actually, the excursion you find described below is probably the most expensive of all camel safaris offered in Dubai. Why? Because it is one of the best and well organised tours. It takes place inside the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve and the actual supplier of the service is the acclaimed Platinum Heritage, proprietor of the special high end camp where you have dinner and watch a show at the end of the safari.

• Pick-up and drop-off: at your hotel in Dubai.

• Duration: 7 hours, departure between 2pm and 4pm, back between 9pm and 11pm, the exact time changes according to the season.

• Guide: English, French and Arabic.

• Features: one hour shared minibus transfer to go, the same to get back; usually the camel ride is not on an individual basis but together with other tourists who have booked the same tour, generally this is a small group tour; you sit on a camel but you do not ride it, your guide walks in front leading the camel; dinner and show included.

• Price: is per person, children 5-11 years old have a discount.

• Pros: the chance to observe and take things at a slower pace; the slow rhythm of the camel’s stride allows you to appreciate the beauty of the natural environment and take in details that escape you when you travel by 4WD.

• Cons: even if the total duration of the tour is 7 hours, the camel ride only lasts 45 minutes, this is something you must know in advance in order to avoid disappointment; nevertheless, even though it is not a long camel ride, it takes place in the middle of the dunes in the actual desert and not inside a camp compound. Furthermore, it lasts much more than the 5-minute climb up/take pictures/get off camel activities featured in all other tours which include 4WD dune bashing/quad/dune buggy.

• Recommended: for families travelling with children of primary school age and above, in fact kids under 5 can not join this tour.

• Price, info & Booking: Viator | Camel Desert Safari with Traditional Dinner and Heritage Activities from Dubai

• If you want to spend less money: the camel ride always lasts 45 minutes but the camp where you have dinner and watch a show is more simple, it is located in a different area and accomodates more people, click here to get all the info GetYourGuide | From Dubai: Sunset Camel Trek with Shows & BBQ at Al Khayma; usually you have the option to book the more expensive private tour or the cheaper shared tour, value for money of the group option is really interesting; the local supplier is the excellent OceanAir Travels, reviews are very good.

Photo Credit: Land Rover Mena

Private Desert Adventure

This is a totally private tour, your driver/guide comes to pick you up at your hotel and takes you into the desert in his own 4WD. There’s only you and your guide in the car, without sharing with anybody else. The tour is 100% customised, ask your driver to take you to an area of the Dubai desert where there isn’t anybody, so that you can experience the beauty and the magic of the desert with no other tourists in sight. Dune bashing and sandboarding are already included in the price, as well as one bottle of water, if you want to try the quad experience you will have to pay extra. Anyway, take into consideration that if quad & sandboarding are what you are more interested in there are tours to book. There is an unusual, brief stop at Ras Al Khor Nature Reserve in the inner area of Dubai Creek before returning to your hotel.

• Pick-up and drop-off: any hotel in Dubai.

• Duration: 5 hours, usually departure is in the morning at 8:30.

• Guide: English and Hindi speaking driver/guide, you know the name of the guide at the time of booking.

• Features: 100% private tour with 4WD and driver/guide on an exclusive basis.

• Price: the real cost depends on the number of participants, starting from 4 people the price is fully competitive compared to the shared tours. Usually you pay a small deposit online by credit card and give the balance in cash to the guide on the day of the tour.

• Pros: a car on an exclusive basis; you can reach uncrowded, off the beaten track areas of the desert, where you can get out of the car and take a walk on the sand in absolute silence; the short stop to Ras Al Khor Nature Reserve (if things have not changed it’s closed on Friday) on the way back to the hotel, you will see pink flamingos with the skyscrapers of Dubai in background.

• Cons: none.

• Recommended: great for everybody but perfect for families and small groups of friends that can travel all together in a private 4WD without sharing a car with anyone else; this tour really gives its best if you clearly specify to your guide that you don’t care about quad & sandboarding, but instead you want to experience the true desert and are looking for a remote dune with nobody on the horizon.

• Price, info & Booking: Withlocals | One of a Kind Desert Adventure Experience

Photo Credit: Viator.com

Dubai Self-Drive 4×4 Desert and Dune Bash Safari

This is a brilliant tour. Crossing one of the most scenic areas of all the Dubai desert, far from where other companies go and remote from more or less fake bedouin camps. But above all, you drive from start to finish! Oh yes, this is not the classic desert safari where you sit as a passenger at the mercy of a driver. Instead, it is “You” Driving a modified Jeep Wrangler in a convoy, into the heart of the most beautiful dunes in the UAE, while following an experienced leader in a 4×4. You see the best of the Dubai desert and learn how to drive a 4WD in the sands. This is how the tour works: you are picked up at your hotel, 45-minute minivan transfer to reach the starting point of the excursion, here you get your fully modified Wrangler with lifted suspension, upgraded wheels and tyres. Then your experience starts with a detailed safety briefing. Your guide will explain how the 4×4 system in your modified Jeep works, various safety aspects of the drive and desert driving tips. Further instructions will be given using walkie-talkies as you drive. Once on location it’s hands on learning as you deflate tyres and prepare for desert entrance. As you enter the desert you will learn and practice various driving techniques which are important for keeping on top of the sand while avoiding getting stuck. During your long drive you stop several times to take pictures and reach one of the best viewpoints in the Dubai desert, Fossil Rock, high on the dunes. Then you start on your way back, stop to inflate tyres, drop-off your Wrangler and go back to your hotel by minivan.

• Pick-up and drop-off: at your hotel in Dubai.

• Duration: 5 and a half hours start to finish, departure around midday, back at the hotel at 6pm.

• Guide: English speaking who drives in front in his own jeep, you and other participants follow in a convoy, everybody driving their own 4WD, walkie-talkies in each vehicle to communicate with. The guide has a winch, a tow rope (if you get stuck in the sand) and a first-aid kit.

• Features: self drive 4WD tour; here you really see the actual desert, this tour includes at least 2 hours off-road driving on the sand in the middle of the dunes. You have control of a very special vehicle, equipped to tackle any terrain.

• Price: select the date and insert the number of people (from 1 to 4) to get the correct price; the cost includes transportation from/to the hotel, one Jeep Wrangler with all the necessary fuel for the trip and guide assistance; one driver plus maximum 3 other passengers, if there are 2 drivers there is a supplement; confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability.

• Pros: you see the most scenic area of the desert in the Emirate of Dubai and while looking at the dunes you learn how to drive in the sand. The local supplier of this tour is the acclaimed OffRoad-Zone, reviews on TripAdvisor are glowing, at least at the time of the update of this post.

• Cons: none, apart from the cost. No preliminary off-road driving experience is required and you do not go fast, here is what OffRoad-Zone writes in the website: The You Drive 4×4 Desert Experience will be technical and scenic but not at high speeds. The best way to learn to drive in the desert is to feel your vehicle and respond to the conditions.

• Good to know: the main driver must be at least 25 or over. 21-24 year olds can drive once in the desert. After booking you will receive all supplier contacts. You will be required to supply a copy with photo of a valid driver’s licence and passport copy by mail. Credit card must be Visa or MasterCard and is required for a security deposit against the 4×4 Jeep rental. Even though the jeeps are insured you are responsible for fast driving fines during road transfers to the desert, overtuning and any tyre and vehicle damage for incorrect driving in the desert, as well as any accidents that may occur. You will be required to sign a waiver form before starting the tour.

• Recommended: for couples or, better still, groups of two couples travelling together or families with grown children, in order to better share the total cost of the vehicle.

• Price, info and Booking: Viator | Dubai Self Drive 4×4 Desert and Dune Bash Safari

• Video: the full and fun experience of the excursion, starting from the detailed safety briefing, the instructions, the road transfer to reach the desert and the exciting off-road driving in the middle of the dunes in this video by You Drive Desert Experience; the tent you can see at the end of the video does not refer to this tour but a longer overnight camp tour offered by the same company:

Important!

• Before booking read the full description of the tour you like in the official page of Viator, Withlocals and GetYourGuide carefully, please check what is included and what is not, meeting points, times of departure and cancellation policies. After booking, if you have any queries or doubts, immediately contact Viator, Withlocals or GetYourGuide Customer Service in order to receive assistance.

• The day before the tour, please reconfirm the pick-up time with the local supplier. You receive phone and email of local supplier of the tour immediately after your booking. Maybe your hotel can help.  

• Read the reviews. If the majority of the reviews are positive that’s a good thing. And always check all the info you read here in the official page of each tour, things change and the official site provides the latest updates.

Last Update: February 1st 2020

 

Front cover photo credit: 4WD jeep into the dunes of Dubai Desert by Land Rover Mena, thanks for the nice shot. Viator’s photos come from Flickr: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic. All other photos come from Flickr: Creative Commons Attribution Licensed Photos. Terms of license are valid at the time of publishing this post.