Dubai Desert: Morning Buggy Safari, Sandboarding & Camel Ride

4.98

(560 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect how quiet the Dubai desert would be at sunrise — just us, some birds somewhere out there, and our guide Hassan grinning as we climbed into the buggies. The sand was cold under my shoes, which felt weird for a desert. I kept thinking it’d be hot already but nope, just this cool air that smelled like dust and something sweet I couldn’t place. We got a quick rundown (Hassan’s English is solid but he still laughed when I mixed up “brake” and “break”), then off we went, engines rumbling louder than anything else around.

The buggy ride was wild — honestly, my hands were shaking after the first few dunes. You hit these little drops and your stomach flips but you’re kind of laughing at yourself too. Hassan kept waving us onward from his own buggy, pointing out where the sand looked softer or steeper. At one point we stopped at the top of this high dune and just sat there for a second. The sun was higher now, making everything look orange and sharp-edged. There’s this silence that’s not really silent — wind in your ears, your own breath loud because you’re still catching it.

Sandboarding came next. I wiped out immediately (no shame), sand everywhere — even in my teeth somehow? It’s trickier than it looks but also kind of addictive once you get the hang of balancing. After that we met two camels waiting nearby, chewing like they had all the time in the world. The camel ride was slow, almost meditative after all that adrenaline. Our guide told us their names (I only remember “Mariam” because she kept turning her head to check on me). I still think about that view from her back — endless waves of red sand stretching off into haze.