Dubai Desert Safari & Buffet Dinner with Dune Bashing

What happens when you trade the city for red sand dunes and a campfire under stars?

You get picked up from your Dubai or Sharjah hotel and driven into the desert for quad biking, camel riding, and 35 minutes of dune bashing with a licensed driver. At the traditional camp, you eat a barbecue buffet dinner, try henna, and watch belly dance and fire shows by starlight before returning to your hotel. Everything (transport, entry, food, entertainment) is included. You just show up.

Step-by-step itinerary

Desert adventure and cultural experience

• Drive 1 hour to desert meeting point
• Enjoy quad bike and camel rides
• Dune bashing in red sand dunes
• Photo stop and sand boarding
• Arrive at desert camp, welcome drink
• Camel ride and henna design
• Try local costumes and take photos
• Enjoy barbecue dinner and shisha
• Watch belly dance, fire, and tanura shows
• Return to hotel with traditional music

The experience

An hour's drive from your hotel takes you into the desert countryside of Arabia, where the day shifts into something else entirely. Your guide meets you at the meeting point, and before the dune bashing even starts, you're already moving: quad bike first, then a camel ride while the light is still good and your guide readies the vehicle. It's the kind of pacing that keeps you from overthinking it, which is probably the point.

The dune bashing itself is 35 minutes of the vehicle dropping and climbing the red sand, your seat belt fastened, the driver licensed and practiced at reading the slope. There's a photo stop in the middle of nowhere (just dunes, sky, and the light starting to turn gold), and then sand boarding if you want it, or just standing there taking in the scale of the place. The sunset photography happens here too, which is why the timing matters. You're not rushing through it on the way to something else.

By the time you reach the traditional desert camp, you're ready for what comes next. Arabic coffee and Legemat (the sweet pastry) arrive first, then you have time to wander: another camel ride if you missed the first one, henna designs on your hands or feet, photos in local costumes. The barbecue dinner is a full buffet with vegetarian and meat options, desserts, unlimited water and soft drinks, and shisha in the lounge area if that's your thing. After you eat, the entertainment starts: Tanura dance, fire show, two belly dance performances around the campfire. It's not subtle, but it's not trying to be.

The return drive to your hotel takes 55 minutes and includes traditional music, which gives you time to sit with what just happened. The whole experience runs about nine hours from pickup to drop-off, which is long enough to feel like you've left the city, not long enough to exhaust you.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off in Dubai or Sharjah, one-hour transfer to the desert, quad bike ride, camel rides (at least two), 35 minutes of dune bashing with a licensed professional driver, sand boarding, sunset photography, Arabic coffee and Legemat upon arrival at the camp, henna tattoo application, photos in traditional costumes, full barbecue buffet dinner with vegetarian and meat options, desserts, unlimited water, tea, coffee and soft drinks, free shisha in the lounge area, Tanura dance performance, fire dance show, and two belly dance shows around the campfire. The return journey includes traditional music.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 14:00 and 14:30

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (11 to 60 years) · Child (4 to 10 years) · Infant (under 4)

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

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

Operated by GOLDENSANDTOURS

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the full desert evening (driving, riding, eating, and entertainment) without arranging transport, timing the sunset stop, or figuring out where to eat in the dunes. The fixed schedule and included pickup mean you're not managing logistics. You're just showing up.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 10 years); Infant (under 4).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What time does the tour start and when do you get back?

Pickup is from your hotel in Dubai or Sharjah. The full experience takes about nine hours, including the one-hour drive to the desert and 55-minute return journey.

Is dune bashing safe?

The dune bashing driver is licensed and professionally trained. The vehicle is equipped with seat belts. The tour is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health.

What's included in the buffet dinner?

The barbecue buffet includes Arabic and international dishes, vegetarian and meat options, desserts, and unlimited water, tea, coffee and soft drinks. Shisha is free in the lounge area.

Can you do the camel ride and quad bike?

Yes, both are included. You ride a quad bike at the meeting point and can do another camel ride at the desert camp.

Is henna included?

Yes, small henna tattoos are free for ladies. You can also take photos in traditional local costumes.

What entertainment is there?

The camp offers Tanura dance, fire dance show, and two belly dance performances around the campfire in the evening.