Dubai Desert Safari: Quad Bike, Dune Bashing & BBQ Dinner

4.93

(158 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Hands gripping the handlebars tighter than I meant to, I could taste the dust before I even realized my scarf had slipped. The quad bike kicked up little clouds as we zigzagged across Lahbab’s red dunes — 30 minutes felt both longer and shorter than I expected. Our guide, Imran, just grinned every time one of us yelped or stalled out on a steeper bit. He said the sand here is softer than near the city. I believed him after my tires spun out twice (don’t worry, he helped me up). My shoes still have some of that fine sand stuck in them.

After that rush, we piled into a 4x4 for dune bashing. It’s a weird mix of laughter and holding your breath — like being on a rollercoaster but with more squeaking from the seatbelt. The sun was already dropping lower by then, turning everything gold and pink. There were camels waiting at the next stop; their eyelashes looked impossibly long up close. A kid in our group tried to feed one his juice box — didn’t go well. The camel ride was slower than I thought it’d be, but honestly kind of peaceful after all that noise.

I tried sandboarding too (badly), then wandered over to get henna painted on my hand by an older woman who barely spoke English but smiled every time she pressed my skin. The air smelled like grilled meat and something sweet — dates maybe? Dinner was barbecue under string lights while dancers spun and fire artists did their thing. I’m not usually into big shows but it felt right out there in the open air, everyone clapping along together. At some point I stopped worrying about sand in my food.