Dubai Desert Safari: Red Dunes, BBQ Dinner & Live Shows

4.80

(768 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We’d barely left the city behind when our driver, Ahmed, started telling stories about his childhood in Sharjah — something about racing his cousins down these same dunes. The skyline faded out quick, replaced by this reddish sand that looked almost fake at first. I kept sticking my head to the window just to watch it shift colors as the sun dropped lower. There was a weirdly sweet smell in the air — maybe date palms or just the desert itself? Anyway, I didn’t expect to feel so far from Dubai so fast.

The real chaos started once Ahmed let some air out of the tires and grinned at us like he knew a secret. Dune bashing is no joke — one minute you’re laughing, next you’re gripping the seat because you can’t see anything but sky and then pure sand. My friend shrieked every time we dropped over a ridge (I pretended not to be scared but honestly…). We stopped somewhere high up for photos; wind whipped sand into my shoes and there was this silence except for someone else’s laughter carrying over from another 4x4. That’s when I realized how big this place is — just endless red waves.

Later at camp, things slowed way down. A guy poured us tiny cups of cardamom coffee — he winked when I tried to say “shukran” right (probably butchered it). There were camels waiting for short rides; they look grumpy but their fur is softer than I thought. Tried sandboarding too… didn’t nail it but got a face full of sand for my trouble. The sun went down behind the tents and suddenly everything glowed orange. It felt good to just sit on those scratchy cushions with smoky shisha drifting around and watch people get henna tattoos or pose in those bright Emirati robes.

By dinner, everyone was hungry enough to pile plates high with grilled chicken and salads I couldn’t name (some kind of tangy yogurt thing?). The shows kicked off after dark: spinning dancers in neon skirts, a fire juggler who made half the kids gasp, and belly dancing that got a few shy tourists up on stage. It was loud and messy in the best way — not fancy, just fun. On the ride back to Dubai I caught myself replaying that moment on top of the dune, all wind and quiet and red light. Still sticks with me.