Premium Desert Safari with Desert Camp Buffet Dinner Dubai

Quad bike, dune bashing and sunset in the red dunes

The safari begins with the drive to the red dunes of Lahbab, about 45 minutes south-east of Dubai, where iron oxide colours the sand a deep orange-red. At the first desert stop you have a break and, in this default option, a 35-minute self-drive quad bike ride on the dunes after a safety briefing. Children under 16 cannot ride alone, and quad biking is at your own risk and not covered by the provider's insurance.

Your licensed guide then takes the air-conditioned 4x4 over the red dunes for 30 to 45 minutes of dune bashing, with stops for photos and sandboarding down a smooth slope. As the light softens, the group pauses at a sunset photo stop on a ridge, the best moment of a red dunes safari in Dubai, before driving on to the camp.

Heritage desert camp welcome

The desert camp is laid out like a traditional Emirati settlement, with palm-frond shelters, majlis seating on carpets and cushions, lanterns and an arena for the shows. You are welcomed in the old way with gahwa, the light Arabic coffee spiced with cardamom and saffron, along with dates and local sweets, and you can watch the coffee being prepared over the coals.

Before dinner the camp is yours to explore. Have a henna design painted, relax in the shisha area, help yourself to unlimited water and soft drinks, and try the snacks at the live station. This is one of the most complete desert camp experiences in Dubai, so allow time to wander between the stations and the arena rather than staying in one place.

Camels and the falcon experience

The camp keeps its own camels, and you can take a camel ride across the dunes, repeat it if you wish, and feed the camels by hand. Children under 12 ride with an adult, and guests aged 60 and over or with back problems are advised to enjoy the camels from the ground.

The falcon experience is one of the highlights. Falconry has been practised in the Emirates for thousands of years and is recognised by UNESCO as living heritage; the falcon is the national bird of the UAE. A falconer explains how the birds are trained, lets you hold a falcon on a leather glove for photos and shows how they respond to the lure. It is a rare chance to see this tradition close up on a desert safari with falcon show in Dubai.

Three buffets: Emirati, Moroccan and Arabian

Dinner is the reason many guests choose this premium safari. Instead of a single grill, the camp serves three halal buffets side by side. The Emirati buffet brings dishes such as machboos, spiced rice with meat, harees and sweet luqaimat dumplings with date syrup. The Moroccan buffet adds slow-cooked tagines, couscous and harira soup, and the Arabian buffet covers mezze, salads and classic grills.

Alongside the buffets, live BBQ stations grill meat and chicken to order and bakers make fresh flatbread at the traditional bread station. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices are clearly available, and the menu suits most diets. Take your time: the dinner runs alongside the evening shows, and you can go back to the stations as often as you like.

Evening shows and stargazing

As night falls, the arena comes alive. The fire show opens with flames spinning in the dark, followed by an Arabian horse show, a Bedouin camel show and the Yola, a traditional Emirati dance in which performers spin and toss decorated rifles to the rhythm of drums. The shows are family-friendly; dance performances are not held during Ramadan and on some religious days.

Later, the lights go down for stargazing. Far from the city glow, the desert sky is full of stars, and a high-power telescope lets you look at the moon's craters and the brightest planets while a guide points out constellations. Stargazing and the fire show run on evening departures. You are back at your hotel about seven hours after pickup.