Dubai Desert Safari: Camel Ride, Sandboarding & Dune Bash

4.95

(409 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

First thing I noticed was how the city just faded behind us—one minute we were in Dubai traffic, next it was all open road and that weirdly quiet desert light. Our driver, Kareem, had this playlist of old Egyptian songs going (not what I expected), and he kept glancing back to make sure we were okay. The Land Cruiser felt sturdy but there’s always that little jolt in your stomach when you see those red dunes at Al Madam for the first time. They’re taller than I thought, kind of soft-looking but sharp at the edges if that makes sense.

Kareem handed us over to another guide for the camel ride. The camels looked so unimpressed by us—one kept chewing and staring like he’d seen a thousand tourists try to climb on. It’s a strange feeling, sitting up high while the camel lurches forward; my hands got sandy just holding on. There was this dry wind that smelled like warm stone and cardamom from someone’s thermos nearby. I tried to say “shukran” to our guide—Li laughed when I butchered it, but at least he smiled.

Then came the dune bashing part, which is honestly wilder than it sounds online. The 4x4 slid sideways more than once—my friend screamed (I might have too). Sandboarding after that felt almost calm by comparison, though I wiped out twice and got sand everywhere. There was a moment when we stopped at the top of a dune and everything went quiet except for the wind; you could see nothing but ripples of red sand stretching out. That view sticks with me.