Dubai Desert Safari: Dune Bashing, Camel Ride & BBQ Dinner

4.76

(3710 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were already bouncing along the edge of the Lehbab Desert when I realized my knuckles were white from gripping the seat. Our guide, Ahmed, just grinned in the rearview mirror and said, “Ready?” I thought I was — but dune bashing is wilder than it looks on Instagram. The tires made this soft hissing sound as he let out air before we hit the red dunes. Honestly, my stomach dropped on that first big dip, but then you get used to it. Sort of. Sand everywhere — even inside my shoes somehow.

After a while, Ahmed stopped at what he called “the photo spot,” and everyone spilled out into the open desert. It was quieter than I expected — just wind and a far-off laugh from another group trying sandboarding (which is way harder than snowboarding, by the way). I gave it a shot and landed flat on my back. Some kid cheered for me anyway. There was an option to try quad biking too, but I just watched this time — maybe next trip.

When we finally reached the camp (Dream Night Tours, I think), they handed us tiny cups of gahwa and sticky-sweet dates. The air smelled like charcoal and spices from the BBQ getting started somewhere behind the tents. A woman painted a henna flower on my hand while I tried not to smudge it eating hummus. Camels shuffled around behind us — their big eyes always look kind of bored? Anyway, as night fell there were dancers spinning so fast their skirts blurred, fire performers who made everyone gasp, and two belly dance shows that had people clapping along under this weirdly huge sky full of stars.

The food was honestly better than I’d expected — kebabs right off the grill, salads so fresh they tasted cold even in the desert heat. Sitting there with sand still stuck to my ankles and music echoing across the camp… well, it’s one of those memories that sneaks up on you later when you least expect it.