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

Ride dunes, then sit under stars with Bedouin culture and fire shows

An evening desert safari in Dubai combines dune bashing in an air-conditioned 4WD vehicle, a camel ride at the Al Khayma desert camp, and a barbecue buffet dinner with live entertainment including Tanoura dance and falconry shows. A guide picks you up from your hotel, handles all transport and camp entry, and the tour runs 6 to 7 hours from late afternoon into the evening. Sandboarding, henna painting, a falcon photo, and Arabic costume makeovers are included. Quad biking is available on request at extra cost.

Step-by-step itinerary

Desert safari with activities and dinner

• Pickup from hotel or location
• Drive one hour to desert
• Restroom break and vehicle preparation
• Optional quad bike ride
• Dune bashing for 30-40 minutes
• Try sandboarding
• Arrive at Al Khayma desert camp
• Welcome with dates, sweets, and Arabic coffee
• Camel caravan ride
• Watch sunset from dune (if possible)
• Enjoy shisha and henna painting
• Arab costume makeover and photos with falcon
• Watch Tanoura dance performance
• Dinner buffet with grilled food, salads, desserts
• Watch Ladies Khaliji Dance
• Return to hotel or location

The experience

You get picked up from your hotel within 45 minutes of your chosen departure time and ride an hour into the desert in an air-conditioned 4WD. Once there, the vehicle gets its tire pressure adjusted for sand, and you have time to use a restroom before the dune bashing starts. The driver handles the route and the vehicle. You sit back and feel the 30 to 45 minutes of the ride itself: the vehicle tilting over dunes, the sand shifting under you, the landscape changing as you climb and drop. After that, you try sandboarding on the dunes if you want to.

The safari then moves to Al Khayma, an open-air Bedouin camp where you're welcomed with dates, sweets, and Arabic coffee. You sit on low cushions and carpets in the Majlis style, and from there you ride in a camel caravan: a short ride, repeatable if you want another go. If timing allows, you catch the sunset from a dune near the camp. Back at the camp, you can try henna painting, smoke shisha, wear a traditional Arabic outfit for photos, and hold a falcon on your arm or shoulder for a picture. The evening fills with live performances: a Tanoura dance (spinning in colorful skirts), an Arabian horse show, a Bedouin camel show, and a fire performance. Dinner is an open buffet with grilled meats, salads, and desserts, plus unlimited cold drinks.

The whole group shares the camp and the buffet, so you're eating and watching shows alongside other travelers. Your driver brings you back to your hotel at the end. The tour runs about 6 to 7 hours total, though traffic in Dubai can shift the timing. If you want to ride a quad bike in the desert instead of or in addition to the camel ride, that's available on request and covered by your own travel insurance, not the company's.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• English-speaking driver.
• air-conditioned 4WD transport with dune bashing (30–45 minutes).
• sandboarding.
• camel ride at Al Khayma camp.
• welcome with dates, sweets, and Arabic coffee.
• shisha pipe.
• henna painting.
• traditional Arabic costume makeover with falcon photo.
• sunset view photo stop.
• live Tanoura dance, Arabian horse show, Bedouin camel show, and fire performance.
• open buffet barbecue dinner with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.
• unlimited soft drinks and mineral water.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 14:30 and 15:00Last departure this season: 7 Jan 2027

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (12 to 60 years) · Child (4 to 11 years) · Under 4: can't be booked

GroupUp to 100

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

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

Prices and times updated 17 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortInfant seats availableNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Is this one for you?The tour runs 6 to 7 hours with a mix of sitting (in the vehicle, at the camp) and optional activities like sandboarding and camel riding, so it suits travelers who want the desert experience without needing to drive themselves. The dune bashing is the most physical part. If you have back, neck, or heart concerns, or are pregnant, you'll need to skip that section and stay at the camp instead.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 11 years). Children under 4 can't be included in the booking.

What's the dune bashing actually like in the 4WD?

Dune bashing lasts 30 to 45 minutes in an air-conditioned vehicle with the driver controlling the ride over the sand dunes. You sit as a passenger while the vehicle climbs and descends, tilting at angles. It's a physical sensation but you're not driving or steering yourself.

What happens at Al Khayma camp?

Al Khayma is an open-air Bedouin camp where you sit on cushions and carpets, take a camel ride in a group, try henna painting and shisha, wear a traditional Arabic outfit for photos, and hold a falcon for pictures. You also watch live shows including Tanoura dance, Arabian horse and camel performances, and a fire show, then eat a barbecue buffet dinner there.

Is the sunset guaranteed?

The sunset view from a dune near the camp is included as a photo stop, but it's subject to weather and conditions, not guaranteed. If it happens, it's part of the camp experience before dinner and the evening shows.

What's included in the dinner?

Dinner is an open buffet with mixed grilled meats, salads, and desserts. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian options are available. Soft drinks and cold mineral water are unlimited. Alcoholic beverages are not included.

Do I need to arrange my own transport to the desert?

No. Pickup from your hotel is included, and you travel in the 4WD with the guide for the entire safari. The driver handles all navigation and vehicle adjustments for the dunes. You just need to be ready at your hotel lobby within the 45-minute pickup window before your departure time.