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

The dunes drop fast enough to make your stomach flip, then a camel waits at the camp.

You get picked up from your hotel, spend thirty minutes in a 4x4 sliding down high dunes, then move to a traditional Bedouin camp where you ride a camel, watch live entertainment, and eat a five-course BBQ dinner under the stars. The whole evening is handled (transport, entry, food, and activities), so you show up and the desert does the rest.

Step-by-step itinerary

Desert safari with dinner and entertainment

• Pick up from hotel
• Drive to desert
• Enjoy dune bashing session
• Arrive at Bedouin camp
• Welcome with Arabic coffee and sweets
• Meet and ride camels
• Experience henna painting and shisha
• Watch live entertainment shows
• Have BBQ buffet dinner
• Return to hotel

The experience

The 4x4 leaves the hotel and heads straight into high dunes: thirty minutes of dune bashing with a trained driver who knows exactly how steep to angle the SUV before it slides down the sand face. It's the kind of thing that sounds wilder in the description than it feels in the moment, but your hands grip the seat anyway. After that rush settles, you're at the Bedouin camp in the middle of the desert, and the pace shifts completely. Arabic coffee and dates arrive first, then the camel ride: two hundred meters across the dunes, slow and swaying, nothing like the speed you just came down.

The camp itself is built to feel like it's been there longer than it has. Henna artists work at low tables, a shisha station sits in one corner, and musicians play traditional Arabic music as the light goes orange and then purple. You can wander between the activities or sit and watch the dunes change color. The live shows start as the sun drops: belly dance, tanoura spinning, a fire show that actually makes people lean back. It's the kind of entertainment that works better if you don't think too hard about it and just let the music and movement happen around you.

Dinner is a five-course BBQ buffet: grilled meats, chicken, fish, salads, bread, and rice. Vegetarian options are there if you need them, and the kitchen handles Jain requests too. Unlimited soft drinks, tea, and coffee come with it. The whole thing (pickup from your hotel, the drive, the dune bashing, the camp activities, the camel ride, the shows, dinner, and the ride back) runs as one evening, so you don't have to piece together transport or timing yourself. It's the kind of tour where the logistics are already solved, which matters more than it sounds when you're new to Dubai.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off across Dubai.
• thirty minutes of 4x4 dune bashing in high dunes with a trained driver.
• camel ride for two hundred meters (repeatable).
• Arabic welcome with coffee, dates, and Emirati sweets.
• henna painting, shisha, and Arabic tea at the camp.
• live entertainment including belly dance, tanoura spinning, and fire show.
• five-course BBQ dinner with vegetarian and Jain options available.
• unlimited mineral water, tea, coffee, and soft drinks.
• free sand boarding.
• camp facilities including toilets.
• campfire during winter months.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 15:00 and 16:00

AgesAdult (12 to 88 years) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (1 to 2 years): free

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Greek and Hindi

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancy

Operated by Al Arabian Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main desert experience (dune thrills, camel riding, live shows, and dinner) without arranging separate transport, entry, or timing. The pickup and fixed schedule handle all of that, leaving you to show up and move through the evening as planned.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Hindi and Greek.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (1 to 2 years): free.

Is the camel ride included?

Yes. The ride is two hundred meters across the dunes and can be repeated if you want to go again.

What if I'm vegetarian?

Vegetarian options are available at the BBQ dinner. Jain food is also available on request.

Do I need to arrange my own transport?

No. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. The tour picks up from hotels, cruise terminals, apartments, and residences across Dubai.

Is the dune bashing safe?

The tour maintains high safety and hygiene standards and uses trained drivers. It's suitable for all physical fitness levels.

What drinks are included?

Unlimited mineral water, tea, coffee, and soft drinks (Coke, Sprite) are included with dinner. Arabic coffee and dates are served when you arrive at the camp.

What is the sand boarding?

Sand boarding is free and available at the camp tent if you want to try it.