Dubai Desert Safari: Camel Ride, Sandboarding & BBQ Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.95 (167 reviews) 95% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/29

Duration7h

GroupUp to 100

LanguagesEN · DE +7

PickupAt your hotel

Dubai red dunes adventure with camel ride sand surf & desert BBQ

You’ll feel Dubai’s desert come alive on this day trip: bounce over red dunes with a local guide, ride a gentle camel at dusk, and try your luck sandboarding (it’s trickier than it looks). Relax at a lantern-lit camp with henna painting and traditional dress before digging into a smoky BBQ dinner under the open sky.

Step-by-step itinerary

Desert Safari with Dune Bashing and Dinner

Pick up from accommodation
Drive 1 hour to Lahbab Desert
Rest and optional quad bike ride
Enjoy 30 minutes dune bashing
Relax and take photos
Try sand surfing (sandboarding)
Head to desert campsite
Dine at 5-star BBQ buffet
Watch traditional dance shows
Drive 1 hour back to city

The Experience

“If you scream, it’s good luck,” our driver Rashid grinned in the rearview as we buckled up for dune bashing outside Dubai. I didn’t know if he was joking — but by the third wild dip over those Lahbab red dunes, I was laughing too hard to care. The sand here isn’t just sand; it’s this soft, warm powder that gets everywhere (I’m still finding some in my shoes). We stopped at the top for photos and I swear the silence out there is almost heavy — except for someone’s ringtone echoing from another jeep nearby. The light turns everything coppery right before sunset.

After the wild part, Rashid handed us off to a guy with a gentle camel named Noor. Getting on was less graceful than I hoped (my partner still teases me), but Noor just plodded along like he’d seen it all before. There was this faint smell of cardamom in the air from somewhere — maybe the camp kitchen? Sandboarding looked easy until you try it; my landing wasn’t pretty but hey, soft landing. Some kids were better than all of us adults combined.

The camp itself felt like walking into someone’s backyard party — music playing, people chatting under string lights. We tried on those long robes (I think mine was backwards?) and got henna done while waiting for dinner. The BBQ smelled smoky and sweet; there was way too much food but somehow I kept going back for more grilled lamb. A dancer spun so fast her skirt blurred into stripes. On the drive back to Dubai, everyone was quiet — not tired exactly, just full in every sense. I still think about that hush after sunset out there.

What’s included

Your day includes air-conditioned hotel pickup and drop-off in Dubai, guided dune bashing across Lahbab’s red dunes with time for photos, a short camel ride at sunset, sandboarding fun (don’t worry if you fall), henna painting and Arabic dress-up at a lantern-lit camp, unlimited soft drinks plus coffee or tea throughout, and finally a generous BBQ buffet dinner before heading back to town in comfort.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availableNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Addax Tourism