Desert Safari in Abu Dhabi

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Abu Dhabi is an amazing city, absolutely breathtaking! I wanted to take in as much of this place as possible, which is why I decided to go on a desert safari in Abu Dhabi.

Only having a stopover of two and a half days required doing some research in advance and figuring out where I wanted to go while I was here.

I arrived early in the morning so I decided to go on a desert safari in the afternoon. They will take you to the desert and you will drive around the sand dunes in 4WD’s while hoping the car isn’t going to fall over. It sounded like a lot of fun.

Desert Safari in Abu Dhabi: Costs and what is included?

I booked the tour online on a site called GetYourGuide in advance and paid 54 euros.

The tour includes: Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel in Abu Dhabi, the ride on the sand dunes, visiting a camel farm, several activities of your choice (e.g. Taking a picture with a camel, getting a henna tattoo, trying out traditional Arabic clothing or smoking shisha). As well as a belly dancing performance and dinner.

The tour lasts a total time of 5-6 hours from around 3.30/4pm to 9/9.30pm.

What to bring to a desert safari?

There is nothing really that you have to bring with you but I would suggest bringing:

Water, Sunscreen, Camera, & money in case you want to purchase alcoholic drinks.

Desert Safari in Abu Dhabi: Pick up

On the day of the Desert Safari I had just arrived in Abu Dhabi sometime in the morning and I was really tired, which probably explains why I fell asleep in the car and do not really remember how long the car ride to the desert was in total. But probably around 1,5 hours with a 20 minute break.

I was supposed to wait in the lobby sometime between 3:45pm and 4pm but my driver already arrived at half past 3 and they called up to my room. I was a bit in a hurry then and scared that I forgot something but it all went well.

After, we picked up some other people and made our way towards the sand dunes of Abu Dhabi.

Desert Safari in Abu Dhabi

After arrival in the desert, which was really impressive, all the 4WD cars gathered around and kind of lined up in a row. And then we started driving up and down the sand dunes, which honestly was so much fun. It was kind of like being on a rollercoaster.

From what our driver has told us, you need a special license to be able and allowed to drive on these dunes. It was a little terrifying at first but no car fell over. And apparently did not in the last nine years (according to the driver).

On the way we stopped to take some pictures. And we also stopped at a camel farm.

Desert Safari in Abu Dhabi: Arrival at the camp

I’m just going to call it the camp because I don’t know how else to call it. It is this huge collection of little huts in the middle of the desert with a stage in the middle and sitting areas around it.

Here we could decide for our own what we wanted to do before having dinner a little later. I decided to get a henna tattoo, which was so beautiful. And also tried traditional Arabic clothing, as well as took a picture with a camel.

There were also free soft drinks available for everyone. And free tea and coffee as well.

Desert Safari in Abu Dhabi: Dinner and Performances

After all the activities it started to get dark and we lined up for dinner, which was an actual buffet. There probably was something available for everybody’s tastes and preferences.

Everyone took their dinner to the sitting areas that were set up around the stage in the middle of the camp. While enjoying our dinner there was a belly dancing performance on the stage and after, this traditional dance where this guy just spins around and holds up plates or something. I’ve seen that before but no idea what it is called, so if you do let me know! It was really fascinating to look at.

In the end, they shut down the lights for a couple of minutes, so everyone laid down and watched the stars. Such a nice view!

Finally, we made our way back to Abu Dhabi city, where we got dropped off at our accommodations. I fell asleep again but it just took a little longer than an hour I believe.

Would a desert safari in Abu Dhabi seem interesting to you? Have you been to Abu Dhabi before and would you like to go?

Talk to you later x

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