Is the Dubai desert safari worth it?

Yes — once, and specifically the evening one. It is touristy, packaged and entirely predictable, and it is still one of the most enjoyable evenings in Dubai. The way to ruin it is to book the cheapest thing you find and say yes to everything at the camp.

What you get for AED 120

Hotel pickup in the afternoon, an hour of dune driving, then a desert camp with a buffet dinner, henna, camel rides and live shows, and a drop-off around 21:30. About six hours in total. That is the standard evening safari, and it starts from AED 120 per person in a shared 4×4.

Why the evening one and not the morning

The morning trip is cheaper — from AED 100 — and is clearly the lesser experience: dune driving and sandboarding, back by lunchtime, no dinner, no camp atmosphere, no sunset. Take it only if your evenings are already booked.

What to refuse

• Quad bikes (AED 100–250). Fifteen minutes on a fenced dust track, and usually the least enjoyable part of the night.
• Paying extra for sandboarding. It is normally included — ask before you hand anything over.

The falcon photo is a small fee and a genuinely good photograph. The camel ride is usually included as a two-minute walk, and is fine as it is.

How to avoid the bad version

Ask which camp. Al Marmoom and Lahbab are the main areas; the very cheapest trips use crowded camps holding 400 people or more. Ask the group size per vehicle — six is normal, eight means you are squeezed. And check the operator holds a DTCM licence.

Who should not go

Dune bashing is genuinely rough. It is not recommended in pregnancy or with back problems, and children under about six are often sick. Most operators run a no-dune-bashing option straight to the camp — ask for it, and tell the driver at the start if anyone is prone to motion sickness. Sitting in the front helps.

And do not book an overnight safari between May and September.

Full detail — the three types, the upsells, what to wear and what it really costs — is in the Dubai desert safari guide.

Prices verified August 2026. See our editorial policy.