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

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.76 (250 reviews) 93% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/28

Duration6h

GroupUp to 999

LanguagesEN · AR

PickupAt your hotel

Evening dunes, camel rides, sunset photos and Dubai’s desert rhythms

You’ll bounce across golden dunes outside Dubai with an expert driver before catching sunset photos over endless sand. Try sandboarding or ride a camel as dusk falls, then unwind at camp with henna art, shisha, live shows and a buffet BBQ dinner under desert stars. It’s lively but there are quiet moments too—you’ll feel both thrill and calm out here.

Step-by-step itinerary

Evening Desert Safari Experience

Pick up from hotel
Drive to desert for dune bashing
Watch sunset over skyline
Enjoy camel ride
Try sandboarding
Relax with shisha
Watch five live shows
Have BBQ dinner in Bedouin setting
Return to hotel

The Experience

We lurched out of Dubai in a 4x4 just as the city haze started to turn gold. The driver—Ahmed, who’s lived here his whole life—grinned at us in the rearview before cranking up Arabic pop and steering straight for the dunes. I’d heard about this “dune bashing” thing but didn’t expect my stomach to drop like that on the first big dip. Sand everywhere, even in my shoes. Ahmed laughed and said it gets in your blood after a while. Maybe he’s right.

Somewhere between all that bouncing around and the sun starting to sink, we stopped for photos. The light was soft and weirdly pink, and the sand felt almost cold under my hands. There were camels waiting nearby—one of them snorted at me when I tried to pet its nose (I’m not sure if he liked me). Riding one is nothing like riding a horse; it’s slower, more swaying. I remember the silence out there, except for our group laughing when someone nearly slid off during sandboarding.

Back at camp, it smelled like grilled meat and sweet shisha smoke. We sat on low cushions while a woman painted henna on my wrist—she told me her name was Fatima and tried to teach me how to say thank you in Arabic (I butchered it). Dinner was a mix of things I can’t pronounce but tasted good anyway—especially those little fried dough balls with sticky syrup. Then came the shows: dancers spinning so fast their skirts blurred, fire flickering against the night sky. It felt both touristy and oddly real at once.

I still think about that moment when everything went quiet for a second—the stars just starting to show above the dunes—and realized how far from home I was. So yeah, if you’re looking for an evening desert safari in Dubai with dune bashing and all that chaos followed by calm, this is pretty much it.

What’s included

Your evening includes hotel pickup and drop-off by 4x4 car from Dubai, around half an hour of dune bashing through golden sands, chances for sunset photography, camel rides and sandboarding fun before reaching camp. At camp you’ll find henna painting, shisha pipes ready to try, Arabic dress photo ops if you want them, plus an international buffet BBQ dinner (with veggie choices) served alongside four different live shows—all wrapped up before your return around 9 pm.

Good to know

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

Operated by Atlanta Tourism