Dubai Red Dunes: Morning Safari, Camel Ride & Sandboarding

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Free cancellation

1/8

Duration4h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Morning desert adventure with camel ride sandboarding & Arabic coffee

You’ll feel the rush of red dune bashing in Dubai’s Lehbab desert before trying sandboarding (and maybe wiping out like I did). Ride a camel with help from local handlers, sip Arabic coffee with sticky sweets at camp, and catch your breath under wide desert skies. The morning ends with hotel drop-off — but some of that desert dust might follow you home.

Step-by-step itinerary

Morning desert safari with activities

Pick up from hotel
Drive through Dubai city
Enjoy morning view of Dubai
Dune bashing in 4x4 Land Cruiser
Sandboarding with guide instructions
Photo session with falcons
Camel ride in desert
Enjoy Arabic sweets, dates, coffee
Drive back to hotel

The Experience

I didn’t expect my shoes to fill up with so much sand before breakfast, but that’s what happened. Our driver, Kareem, showed up right on time at the hotel — I was still half-asleep but the city was already buzzing outside. The drive out to the Lehbab desert felt quick; one minute you’re surrounded by glass towers, then suddenly it’s all red dunes and this weird peaceful silence. I kept trying to spot camels from the window (no luck yet).

The real surprise was how wild dune bashing actually feels. Kareem grinned as he cranked up the 4x4 and we started sliding over these steep red dunes — my stomach did flips a couple times and I may have let out an embarrassing yelp (he laughed). When we stopped, the air smelled dusty-sweet and there was this dry wind that gets everywhere. He handed me a sandboard and gave some quick instructions — honestly, I wiped out immediately but it made everyone laugh. My hands were gritty for hours after.

I finally got my camel moment too. The handlers barely spoke English but just gestured and smiled as they helped me climb up (awkwardly). It’s a slow sway, not at all like riding a horse — you see the desert differently from up there, more patient somehow. Back at camp, someone poured thick Arabic coffee into these tiny cups and handed around lukaymat sweets that stuck to my fingers. There was a falcon perched nearby for photos — I tried to look brave but it stared right through me.

On the drive back into Dubai, I kept thinking about that early morning light on the dunes — kind of gold but also pinkish? Hard to describe unless you’ve seen it. Even now, if I find sand in my bag, it makes me smile.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from anywhere in Dubai (or Sharjah/Ajman), an energetic session of red dune bashing in Lehbab desert inside a Land Cruiser driven by a skilled guide, time for sandboarding down those same dunes (with plenty of laughs), a short camel ride guided by local handlers, photo opportunities with a falcon during winter season, plus Arabic coffee and lukaymat sweets at camp before heading back to your hotel refreshed—and probably sandy.

Good to know

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

Operated by Oscar Knight Tours