Dubai Desert Safari: Quad Biking, Camel Ride & BBQ Camp

4.95

(535 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t really know what to expect from a desert safari in Dubai — just thought it’d be hot and sandy (which, yeah, it was). But after our driver picked us up from the hotel and we headed out past the city’s edges, I started to get that weird little thrill you get when you’re about to do something totally out of your usual routine. The red dunes looked unreal under the late afternoon light, kind of like someone had turned up the color on everything. I could smell the sand — dry, almost metallic — and there was this constant wind that kept flicking grit into my shoes.

Our guide, Ahmed, had this way of making everyone relax right away. He handed out helmets for the quad bikes and gave us a safety talk that was half serious, half jokes about not racing each other (I definitely lost that bet). Riding over the dunes felt wild — sometimes you’d hit a bump and your stomach would drop for a second. We stopped so people could try sandboarding; I wiped out twice before I even got halfway down but honestly, it was fun just laughing with everyone. There were these moments where all you could hear was the wind rushing past and someone cheering in the distance.

The camel ride was slower than I thought it’d be. The camels made these deep grumbling sounds when we climbed on — Ahmed called them “desert complaints.” Sitting up there swaying along felt oddly peaceful after all the engine noise. One of the guides tried to teach me how to say thank you in Arabic (I think I butchered it), but he just grinned and gave me a thumbs up anyway. Afterward we ended up at Al Aweer Camp for dinner — smoky barbecue smells everywhere, music playing somewhere behind us while people danced or just sat around talking under strings of lights. I still think about that first bite of grilled chicken after all that dust and sun.