Evening desert safari

The standard Dubai desert trip: hotel pickup mid-afternoon, an hour of dune driving, then a desert camp with dinner, henna, a camel and live shows, and a drop-off around 21:30.

What it costs: from about AED 120 per person for a shared 4×4, considerably more for private vehicles or premium camps.

Our advice: take the evening tour rather than the morning one — the light, the temperature and the dinner all make it the better trip. Refuse the quad-bike upsell at the pickup point; it is 15 dusty minutes for AED 100 or more. Say if you get motion sick, and the driver will go easier on the dunes.