Dubai Desert: Balloon Ride, Falconry & Camel with Breakfast

4.79

(226 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll never forget standing in that chilly sand before dawn, clutching my coffee while the balloon team unfurled this giant patchwork thing right in front of us. Our pilot, Ahmed, joked about “desert hair” as the burners roared to life—honestly, I was too busy gawking at the flames to care if my scarf was crooked. Once we climbed into the basket (I definitely needed a hand up), it all felt weirdly quiet except for someone’s nervous laugh and the hiss of gas. Then we were just… floating. The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve stretched out below like some endless golden rug—no traffic noise, just wind and an occasional birdcall that sounded almost fake.

The sunrise hit fast—one second it was grey and sleepy, then suddenly everything glowed orange and pink. Ahmed pointed out gazelles darting between dunes; I squinted but only caught their shadows at first (my eyes are hopeless before breakfast). We drifted up to nearly 4,000 feet—he said it depends on the wind—and you could see camels moving in these slow lines way below. Someone tried to take a selfie and nearly dropped their phone; everyone laughed and I think that broke the ice for good. It’s strange how peaceful it feels up there, even though you know you’re hanging in a basket over nothing but sand.

After landing (a bit bumpy, but nothing wild), we piled into jeeps for the short drive to camp. The smell of cardamom coffee hit me before I even saw breakfast laid out—flatbreads still warm, eggs with spices I couldn’t name. There was a falconer waiting; he let us hold his bird (Li laughed when I tried to say its name in Arabic—probably butchered it) and showed us how they train them. The camel ride after breakfast was less graceful than I’d hoped—I nearly slid off getting on—but honestly? It felt right just to wobble along with everyone else under that bright sky.