Dubai: Overnight Desert Safari & Hot Air Balloon Sunrise

Two Days in the Dubai Desert: Safari, Falcon Show & Sunrise from Above

You're picked up from your Dubai hotel in the afternoon, driven into the desert for a 60-minute safari and falcon show, then spend the night at a Bedouin camp with a four-course dinner and performances. The next morning you fly in a hot air balloon at sunrise, eat breakfast at camp, and return to the city by 10am. Everything is arranged—transport, meals, the balloon flight, the overnight stay—so you show up and go.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Desert safari and overnight camping

• Pick-up from Dubai hotels
• Arrive at Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
• Receive headscarf and water bottle
• Embark on 60-minute nature safari
• Watch sunset falcon show
• Arrive at Bedouin camp, enjoy welcome coffee and dates
• Experience live breadmaking, coffeemaking, camel rides, and shisha
• Enjoy four-course traditional dinner
• Watch Emirati drumming and Yola performances
• Overnight stay in Arabic stone dwelling

Day 2 — Sunrise balloon flight and return

• Sunrise hot air balloon flight
• Return to camp for breakfast
• Return to hotel in Dubai

The Experience

So you're standing in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve at sunset, and the falcon handler just released this bird right in front of you—wings spread, the whole thing—and you realize you're about to spend the night out here. The pickup happens between 2 and 4:30pm depending on the season, and once you arrive at the reserve, you get a headscarf and a stainless steel water bottle to take home. Then comes the 60-minute nature safari in a vintage Land Rover, driving through the reserve looking for gazelles, oryx, camels—the animals are actually there, not staged, which changes how you see the whole thing. The falcon show happens as the sun drops, and after that you head to the Bedouin camp.

The camp is torch-lit and feels like stepping into a different era, except the beds have actual mattresses and clean sheets. You get Arabic coffee and dates when you arrive, then there's live breadmaking, camel rides, shisha if you want it, and a four-course traditional dinner. There are also performances—drumming, Yola dancing—happening around the camp while you eat. You're sleeping in a stone-walled room with pillows and bedding, though there's no shower (running water and clean bathrooms, but that's it). The overnight desert safari in Dubai is the kind of thing where you wake up before dawn because the balloon is launching at sunrise, and the camp is only 15 minutes from the takeoff site.

The hot air balloon flight happens the next morning, and you're up there watching the sun come up over the Arabian Desert while the city is still asleep somewhere behind you. After you land, you head back to camp for breakfast, and then the return drive to your hotel happens between 9 and 10am. The whole thing—pickup, the safari, the dinner, the night, the balloon, breakfast, the drive back—is included. You don't arrange any of it separately. Children under 7 can't do the balloon part, and you need to bring a light jacket for the evenings, especially in winter, because the desert gets cool once the sun goes down.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in an air-conditioned vehicle.
• 60-minute nature safari in a vintage Land Rover through the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve.
• sunset falcon demonstration.
• torch-lit Bedouin camp with Arabic coffee and dates.
• live breadmaking and camel rides.
• four-course traditional dinner with live performances.
• overnight stay in a stone-walled room with mattress and bedding.
• sunrise hot air balloon flight above the Arabian Desert.
• breakfast at camp the next morning.
• headscarf and stainless steel water bottle as gifts.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Platinum Heritage Dubai

Is this one for you?Choose this if you want to experience the desert overnight without arranging separate transport, meals, or the balloon flight—the fixed itinerary and early pickup mean you move through the whole sequence without deciding what comes next.

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Top questions

What time does the pickup happen?

Hotel pickup is between 2:00pm and 4:30pm depending on the season. The exact time is confirmed around noon on the day of your safari.

Is the hot air balloon flight included?

Yes, the sunrise hot air balloon flight is included. It launches the next morning, about 15 minutes from the Bedouin camp.

What's included in the overnight stay?

You sleep in a stone-walled room with a mattress, pillows, and fresh sheets. There are clean bathrooms and running water, but no shower facilities.

Can children do this tour?

Children are welcome on the safari and at the camp. However, children under 7 years old cannot participate in the hot air balloon flight.

What should I bring?

Bring a light jacket and closed shoes, especially in winter when the desert gets cooler in the evenings. You can bring one backpack or piece of luggage up to 50cm in height.

What time does the tour end?

You return to your hotel between 9:00am and 10:00am the next morning, depending on the season and traffic.

Is there food included?

Yes. You get a four-course traditional dinner at the Bedouin camp and breakfast the next morning before returning to the city.

Are guides available in other languages?

Guides in German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Italian are available upon request and subject to availability.