Dubai Desert: Quad Bike, Sandboarding & Camel Ride with Pickup

Summary

Ride powerful quad bikes across Dubai desert dunes with sandboarding and camel safari included

You’ll ride a powerful quad bike through Dubai’s sweeping desert dunes with a local guide leading the way. Try your luck at sandboarding (it’s trickier than it looks), sip cold drinks under open sky, and take a gentle camel ride before heading back in an air-conditioned 4x4. It’s loud, sandy fun — but also strangely peaceful out there.

What’s the experience like?

“You sure you’ve driven one of these before?” our guide grinned, handing me the helmet. I laughed — honestly, I hadn’t. The air out here in the Dubai desert felt dry and sharp, like it could wake you up from the inside out. The quad bike was bigger than I expected, a 350cc Yamaha that rumbled under my hands. My friend nudged me — “Just don’t crash.” We set off, engines buzzing over the sand, and for a second all I could hear was wind and that low growl from the bikes. There’s something about seeing nothing but gold dunes ahead that makes you feel both tiny and weirdly bold at the same time.

Our guide — Ahmed, who grew up nearby — pointed out how the light shifted on the dunes as we rode. He told us stories about his cousins racing here as kids (he swore he never lost). At one stop, he handed around cold water from a cooler in the back of the Land Cruiser. It tasted almost sweet after all that dust. We tried sandboarding next; I fell twice before getting any kind of balance, which got a laugh from Ahmed and this older couple from Manchester who were somehow way better at it than me. The sand stuck to my shoes for hours after — still finding grains in my bag now.

Afterwards there was this short camel ride — not long enough to get sore but just enough to feel how slow everything gets when you’re up high like that. The camels made these deep snuffling sounds; one kept turning its head to check me out (or maybe it just wanted my drink). By then the sun was dropping lower and everything looked softer somehow. We piled back into the 4x4 for the drive back to town, still brushing sand off our arms and laughing about who’d wiped out hardest on the boards. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about those wide open spaces when things get noisy back home.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Quad bike tour and city introduction

• Meet experienced tour guides
• Receive city attractions briefing
• Ride 350cc Yamaha quad bike
• Explore rugged desert tracks
• Enjoy desert terrain highs and lows
• Experience sandsurf and refreshment

Top questions

How long is the quad biking part of this tour?

The quad biking experience lasts 1 hour on a 350cc Yamaha ATV.

Is hotel pickup included for this Dubai desert tour?

Yes, pickup and drop-off from your selected hotel or location are included by air-conditioned 4x4 vehicle.

What else is included besides quad biking?

The tour also includes sandboarding, a short camel safari, cold refreshments, and bottled mineral water during transfers.

Are there any health restrictions for this activity?

This tour isn’t recommended for pregnant travelers or those with spinal or serious cardiovascular conditions.

What type of vehicle is used for transfers?

A 4WD air-conditioned Land Cruiser or Sequoia is used for transportation to and from your hotel.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup and drop-off from your hotel in an air-conditioned 4x4 Land Cruiser or Sequoia, an hour riding a 350cc Yamaha quad bike across desert tracks with guidance from a local expert, time to try sandboarding down soft dunes, a short camel safari experience, plus cold mineral water and refreshments along the way before heading back to town.