Dubai Desert Safari: Vintage Mercedes & Camel Ride Al Marmoom

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/15

Duration6h

GroupUp to 24

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

The 1980s Mercedes Waits at Your Hotel — Then the Desert Starts

You get picked up from your Dubai hotel, driven 50 minutes to Al Marmoom Desert Reserve, then ride in an open vintage Mercedes through the dunes with photo stops and guide commentary. At the Bedouin Village you ride camels, watch traditional coffee-making and a falcon show, wear Arabic attire for pictures, eat a 5-course Emirati dinner, and finish with stargazing through a telescope before returning to your hotel. The whole evening takes 4 to 5 hours including transport.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Al Marmoom Desert and Bedouin Village

Travel to Al Marmoom Desert Reserve
Ride Vintage G Class Mercedes
Stop for desert photo and history talk
Arrive at Bedouin Village, receive gahwa and sweets
Enjoy camel caravan ride
Watch Arabic coffee-making session
Admire desert sunset and take photos
See Emirati lady make flatbreads and luqaimat
Have 5-course Emirati dinner
Experience traditional Bedouin entertainment
Dress in Arabic attire and pose with falcon
Stargaze with telescope in desert
Return to hotel in Dubai

The Experience

So you're standing outside your Dubai hotel at pickup time, and instead of a modern SUV, a vintage G-Class Mercedes pulls up — the kind that looks like it rolled out of a 1980s adventure film. That's the first signal this isn't a standard desert evening. The drive to Al Marmoom Desert Reserve takes about 50 minutes in an air-conditioned vehicle, and somewhere along the way the city noise just stops. When you arrive at the reserve, you swap into the open-air Vintage G Class for the real part — a 30 to 40-minute drive deeper into the dunes with photo stops where your guide talks through old Bedouin life and points out desert animals if you're lucky enough to spot them.

The Bedouin Village sits waiting with gahwa and dates before you even think about the camel ride. That's a 10 to 12-minute caravan through the dunes — you can do it twice if you want — and then you're back at the village watching someone make Arabic coffee the traditional way, sipping it while the sun actually does what sunsets do out here. A woman's making flatbreads and luqaimat (those fried pastry things) in front of you, and then comes the 5-course Emirati dinner, set menu, nothing fancy but real. After that there's a live falcon show and the chance to dress up in an Abaya or Kandura for photos — you return the outfit after, it's not a souvenir situation.

Once the camp lights go out, the telescope comes out. You're standing in one of the UAE's largest unfenced desert reserves, no city glow, just stars and the guide pointing out what you're actually looking at. The whole thing, pickup to dropoff, runs 4 to 5 hours depending on traffic heading back into Dubai. Not recommended if you're pregnant, have spinal issues, or cardiovascular problems — the terrain and the camel ride aren't gentle. Kids under 5 can come at the child rate but they can't ride camels, so they'd stay with an adult at the village or watch from the caravan.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and dropoff in a modern air-conditioned vehicle, ride in a vintage 1980s G-Class Mercedes through the desert, 30 to 40-minute guided drive with photo stops, camel caravan ride (10 to 12 minutes, repeatable), Bedouin Village entry, traditional Arabic coffee-making session, live falcon show, Arabian attire (Kandura for men, Abaya for women) for photos, authentic 5-course Emirati dinner, stargazing with a telescope, and Bedouin entertainment and stories from your guide.

Good to know

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

Operated by Al Marmoom Bedouin Experience

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the full Bedouin evening experience without arranging your own transport or timing — the fixed itinerary handles pickup, the reserve entry, the camel ride, dinner, and the drive back, leaving you to show up at your hotel and step into a 1980s Mercedes.