Dubai Excitement

A craggy and wild desert safari.

- Sudha Chandrasekaran

Roaring engines,  enormous sand trails and  deep tyre tracks in the dunes: a desert safari  is a popular excursion for visitors to Dubai.  Race across the blistering hot sand in a large four-wheel drive, or maybe ski down some sand dunes – anything is possible in Dubai!

I was a great admirer of Aladdin in my younger days and while watching that movie I always dreamt of being in sand dunes and gulping exotic drinks! Off we were to Dubai during the Shopping Festival season, when it is easier to get a visa to that country. No visit to Dubai would be complete without a trip into the desert. I was going there to make my dream come true! Such excursions, which are best organised as part of a group tour, offer a taste of the true heartland of Arabia.

While Bedouin food and crafts can be purchased anywhere in Dubai, the way to really get a feel for the Bedouin way of life is to head out into the desert on a 4x4 tour. The half-day afternoon Desert Safari and Dune Bashing with a barbeque dinner is the most popular one. The tour takes approximately six hours and the Safari price was around 70 USD per person. To avoid any hassle we booked our Safari tour tickets a day prior to the adventurous activity. We were advised to have a light lunch as dune bashing is very bumpy and can make some people feel nauseous.