Jens De MaereDo you want to get away from the skyscrapers and hustle and bustle of the city? Then a Dubai Desert Safari is your way out. Leave the metropolis behind and venture in a four-by-four out into an ocean of sand! Enjoy watching the sunset on the horizon, ride a camel and enjoy a traditional dinner around the campfire.
One of the most popular adventures is the Dubai Desert Safari. Leave the city behind and, strapped into a four-by-four, be prepared for a roller coaster ride: go up and slide down or fly over the rolling dunes. Off-road driving in this sea of sand – whether in a four-by-four or a dune buggy – takes skills, courage and speed… Even if you are not driving yourself!
As does sandboarding. Head to Dubai’s Big Red dune – the Emirate’s ultimate ‘black run’. This monster of a mountain, just a 30-minute drive from Dubai towards Hatta, rises to 300ft and makes for a hell of a ride as the re-purposed snowboard slices across its surface.
Camping under a ceiling of stars is a memory that lasts a lifetime. With just the embers of the campfire to light the way, the desert is at its most mysterious and silent at night. Camping is the perfect Bedouin experience, but be sure to wake up for nature’s first show of the day – sunrise. This is when the desert is swathed in colors turning from yellow to orange and gold – a sight best experienced from the basket of a hot air balloon gliding on the morning breeze hundreds of feet high. Looking down on the desert provides a realization of just how immense and magical this landscape is.
You can easily book a Dubai Desert Safari at a local tourism agency, online or via the website of Visit Dubai. If you are not planning on spending the night, a half a day is more than enough to have some great desert fun!
