Dubai Red Dunes: Dune Buggy Safari & Sandboarding Pickup

4.99

(1466 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t really know what to expect when we got picked up in Dubai — I’d seen photos of the red dunes but they don’t prepare you for how the sand actually glows under your shoes. The drive out was quiet at first, just some chatter from our guide, Ali, who pointed out Fossil Rock as we rolled closer. He said it’s a favorite spot for locals to camp, which made me wish I’d packed a tent instead of just sunscreen. There’s this weird calm before you start — you hear nothing but wind and maybe someone laughing nervously (okay, that was me).

The dune buggy itself is louder than I thought — not in a bad way, more like an engine that means business. Once we started bouncing over the sand, my heart was pounding and I kept getting little bursts of grit in my teeth. You see the desert differently from down low; every time we crested a dune there was this wave of heat and then suddenly cool air as we dropped again. Ali kept checking if we were okay (I think he could tell I was gripping the wheel too hard), but he also let us go at our own pace. There were other groups nearby but it never felt crowded — just lots of open space and those endless reddish hills.

We stopped for bottled water at one point, and I remember sitting on the sand trying to shake it out of my shoes while watching a couple of kids try sandboarding for the first time. It looked easy until I tried it myself — turns out balance is not my strong suit. Still, sliding down felt weirdly freeing even if I landed halfway down with sand everywhere (Ali laughed but helped brush me off). The sun started dipping lower and everything turned gold for a bit. There’s something about seeing Dubai’s desert like that — not just from a car window but actually feeling it under your hands.