One of the things that we are most looking forward to seeing in Dubai was the desert dunes and also the camels and the desert safari offered both things for us so we decided to do it.
There are a lot of options available from many different websites. We tried to choose one with a good review (4.9 out of 5 from more than 19k reviews) and affordable but not the cheapest one as we wanted to do a good tour because it was one of the main things that we are gonna do there.
We chose one that included dune bashing, sand boarding camel ride, quadricycle, and barbeque dinner with show and presentations. We bought it via getyourguide.com and the tour was operated by Amar Tours.
Description of the Dubai: Safari, Quad Bike, Camel Ride, and Buffet Dinner
quad (ATV) ride
The first activity was the quad bikes (ATV). On the tour, each of us went with an ATV and we followed a guide in some small desert dunes and stopped in the middle for some pictures. It was a really good experience and it was worth it for us. It was our first time in ATV and we really liked it. It is more difficult than it seems due to the sand and we recommend using some face protection as we didn’t use and it was a lot of sand.
JV in a ATV in the middle of the Dubai Desert Dunes
dune bashing
On this one, we stayed inside the 4x4 vehicle that picked us up and the driver (guide) drove us radically to the dunes. This was the worst experience possible. The car has 8 seats and unless you are the driver or the shotgun you almost cannot see anything and just feel the car shaking and moving as it goes via the dunes. We got motion sick, it was horrible. It was not the driver’s fault, it was the activity itself that was bad by design (for us at least).
desert view
The only good thing about the dune bashing is that it goes into the middle of the desert dunes and the desert view was really awesome. It was really what we were expecting from the desert. We stayed around 15 minutes in the desert appreciating the view and taking photos. We were expecting to spend more time there to enjoy and take photos, but it was what we had.
JV posing in the Desert Dunes
sandboarding
After we dune bash to the middle of the dunes, we had an opportunity to do some sandboarding. The hill was not so high but it was enough for me as I had never done it before.
camel riding
After sandboarding we returned to the road and drove for around 30 minutes to the camp where other activities would be performed and there they had the very expected camel ride.
We knew that it was supposed to be a short camel ride, but it was even shorter than we thought. It was less than 2 minutes and we had to argue with them to let each of us ride a different camel as they were pushing us to both be in a camel.
We were kind of disappointed with the camel experience as it was a lot shorter and not as expected and for us it was one the most important.
JV and May riding camels
sunset in the desert
The sunset photo is on the camp and not in the middle of the dunes. It is still a beautiful sunset but the desert is not that desertic with a lot of dunes. It has some green bushes and small dunes.
BBQ dinner
After all the motion sickness from dune bashing, it took me a while to be willing to eat something. The BBQ dinner was good. They have a buffet style for some dishes and you get some pieces of meat. It is nothing fancy but it is good and what we expected in the middle of the desert.
performances
While we ate there were 3 performances on the stage. One dance, one fire dance, and a belly dance. We enjoyed them.
Dance performance
henna, shisha, etc
They also had a free henna painting for women which May did and liked. The details were really good.
They also provided shisha for smoking at a place or they brought it to the table for a fee. We just went to the place to taste it and it was ok. We don’t smoke so it was just to try it out. We heard good comments about it.
sellers
There are a lot of people trying to sell you stuff at the camp. From photos to “gold” rings, etc. Be ready to say no a lot.
guide
Not sure if we were unlucky or something, but our guide was not very friendly. He was not rude, but not friendly as well. We would expect to be a place with a lot of tourism and that we paid a considerable amount of money that it would be more friendly and feel that they wanted us there. At some times, it looked like that it was a production line of tourism.
Also, he drove very aggressively in the city and in the road, mainly when going back. I am not sure if he was in a hurry or something, but it was very fast and aggressive to the point that it was not comfortable inside.
summary
What we liked the most was the view in the middle of desert dunes and the quad cycle experience. The camel ride was too short.
What we didn’t like was the dune bashing experience (it is horrible) and the guide service which was not friendly but maybe we were just unlucky.
Despite having some bad moments, we don’t regret it as it was the best desert view we could have and we did things that we have never done before, so in overall, we would do it again (just not the dune bashing).
Happy travels.