Handpicked experience · Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE
The most important thing that happens all afternoon is letting the tyres down, and the camel ride is four minutes that no animal should be worked through heat for.
A demonstration of applied physics before the fun starts
Drivers reading a surface that changes hour by hour
Sunset from the top of a dune field
An evening meal cooked and eaten outdoors
A route back that arrives well after dark
Six hours from Abu Dhabi into the dunes: a 4x4 run over the sand, a sunset stop, and an evening at a desert camp with dinner and entertainment, returning after dark.
You will see the drivers stop and deflate the tyres before entering the sand, and it is the single most important thing that happens all afternoon.
A tyre at road pressure cuts into soft sand and digs in. Dropping it to a fraction of that pressure spreads the same weight across a much wider footprint, so the vehicle floats over the surface instead of ploughing into it. It is the difference between crossing a dune and being stuck on one.
Everything else follows from that: the momentum, the line the driver picks up the face of a dune, the way they turn before the crest rather than over it. Watching a good driver read sand is more interesting than the ride itself.
This is a rollercoaster on a soft surface. Vehicles pitch, slide sideways and drop down slip faces, and it is deliberately dramatic.
It also makes a substantial number of people ill, and the combination of heat, motion and a heavy meal afterwards is not kind. If you are prone to motion sickness, take something well before departure rather than at the first lurch, sit in the front if you can, and tell your driver — they can dial the intensity down considerably and will, if asked.
Seatbelts are worn throughout. Anyone with a back or neck problem, and anyone pregnant, should skip the dune section: most operators will happily drive you to the camp on the graded track instead.
The camel ride at the camp is short, slow, and led on a rope — a few minutes at walking pace, not a trek.
Camels are working animals here and a well-run camp treats them as such: shade, water, reasonable working hours, and rest between groups. That is worth looking for. If an animal appears distressed, is being made to kneel and rise repeatedly without pause, or is working in full afternoon heat without shade, you are entitled to decline the ride and say why. Nothing about a four-minute photo opportunity is worth an animal's afternoon.
Mounting is the awkward part: the camel kneels, you get on, and it stands back-end first, which pitches you forward sharply. Hold the front of the saddle and lean back.
The sand is hot enough to burn bare feet well into the evening, and shoes come off for some camp activities. Bring closed shoes and socks.
Desert evenings cool fast — after sunset the temperature drops sharply, so a layer is genuinely useful even in summer. Sand gets into cameras and phones; a bag that closes matters. The camp entertainment usually includes shisha and henna alongside the performances, and neither is compulsory.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
A tyre at road pressure cuts into soft sand and digs in. Lower pressure spreads the weight over a wider footprint so the vehicle floats over the surface.
Deliberately so. Vehicles pitch, slide sideways and drop down slip faces, and it makes a substantial number of people ill.
Take a remedy well before departure rather than at the first lurch, sit in the front if you can, and tell the driver — they can reduce the intensity considerably.
Yes. Ask at booking or on the day and the operator can route you to the camp directly rather than across the dunes.
A few minutes at walking pace, led on a rope. It is a short circuit rather than a trek.
Shade, water, reasonable working hours and rest between groups. If an animal appears distressed you can decline the ride and say why.
It kneels, you mount, and it stands back-end first, which pitches you sharply forward. Hold the front of the saddle and lean back.
Colder than you expect. Desert temperatures drop sharply after sunset, so bring a layer even in summer.