Our week in Dubai saw us celebrating both our 17th wedding anniversary and Shae’s 40th birthday. For her birthday I booked an Arabian desert safari excursion with OceanAir Travels which included camel riding, sand boarding, dune bashing, a Bedouin tent dining experience, henna tattoos and much more.
The whole experience was a ton of fun from start to finish, so Shae wanted to help write this post as well. It’ll therefore be a little bit like our Best And Worst Of posts we do for each state on our road trip where we each share our thoughts, although in this case everything’s going to be more like a ‘Best Of’ post as it was all awesome!
The Vehicle
Stephen – I booked our tour with OceanAir Travels using Viator and during the booking process it asks for your hotel so they can pick you up – you don’t have to go to their office or anything like that. Niki picked us up on time in a Toyota Land Cruiser, then we went to another hotel to pick up the other couple who were on our tour.
Just one of the many great things about the tour is that because you’re in a Toyota Land Cruiser, you get a more intimate experience than being in a giant minibus driving around with a dozen other people. The vehicle was clean and very comfortable, so it was a great way to ride.
Shae – Our guide, Niki (Nishad is his real name but he goes by a nickname), was wonderful. One of the most meaningful discussions I had with him was about how he was doing his dream job. He’d been working in another country, came for a visit and saw the dune driving. Then he went back, quit his job and moved to Dubai. He got his drivers license and as soon as the 3 year requirement expired, he applied for his dune driving license and has been doing it since 2008.
You may notice the tires in the picture look a little low. This is because we were getting ready to go dune riding and you need lower tires to make for a smoother ride and put less strain on the engine.
Quad Biking
Stephen – It took about an hour to get to from downtown Dubai to the Lahbab desert to the southeast. Our first stop was at a quad biking park where you can drive around the dunes.
This is an optional experience which costs extra – 150 AED per person which is about US$41. We’d never gone quad biking before, so it was well worth it for us.
Even if you’re experienced quad bikers, I’d say it’s worth paying the extra because how often do you get to say you’ve gone quad biking in the desert?!
We got to ride around for 20-25 minutes which was more than enough time in the desert heat as it was about 110° F (43° C) that day. Whose bright idea was it to head into the desert in the height of the Dubai summer?! Oh, it was mine.
Shae – It’s worth noting that while you may think I’m very adventurous, I really don’t like going fast so I was a bit iffy on the idea of the quad bikes, but then I decided that this was a “can’t miss” opportunity and jumped on board. It was amazing.
One thing – it might have just been my bike but it was *really* hot on my legs by the engine. You may want longer pants with you to cover your legs. It didn’t seem to matter if I put my legs out or up, it was still really hot.
They offer head wraps but there is a separate price for those. They will go to put them on you and then ask for money. You can say no and give back the wrap but I loved the look and really wanted the “full” experience so we got them for ~90 AED which is about $25 USD each.
Dune Bashing
Stephen – Once we were done quad biking, Niki let some of the air out of his Land Cruiser. That’s because our next stop was further into the desert to go dune bashing.
One piece of advice – take some Dramamine before going dune bashing. I’d brought it along but completely forgot to take some beforehand which was a mistake. I was perfectly fine at first, but as the experience went on I started to feel a little nauseous. Having said that, I think some of that nausea was just from still being so overly hot from the quad biking.
Despite the nausea towards the end, dune bashing was so much fun. Niki drove us around up, down and along sand dunes in a way that was extremely exciting but which still felt safe. My description doesn’t really do it justice, so here’s a video from OceanAir Travel’s website advertising the tour we took – the first 20 seconds show dune bashing in action.
One car got a little unlucky though. They got stuck in the sand, then it started sliding down the side of the dune a little. Everyone seemed OK and another vehicle went back to help them, so I’m assuming they got back on their way.
Shae – Oh man, this was amazing! Unfortunately for Stephen, when he drives I get really anxious so I was afraid I’d be as nervy while Niki was driving. But it was really fun and exhilarating. It was the right mix of exciting and really cool. Up and down the dunes we went! There are handles and roll bars in the vehicle so you’re able to hold on if you need to.
Sandboarding
Stephen – After dune bashing for a while, we came to a stop on top of a dune so we could go sandboarding.
Sandboarding is just as it sounds – it’s like snowboarding but down a sandy dune than a snowy mountain.
I did better than I expected, although there seemed to be a tire track in the sand at the bottom and so the board got stuck in that to end my run.
Shae – Another fast and fun experience! Having learned to snowboard it wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be, but one time on my feet was enough so I went sitting down like on a sled for my second run. And two runs was enough since what goes down must haul itself back up the sandy dunes!
Al Khayma Camp
After we were done sandboarding, we drove on to Al Khayma Camp which is a Bedouin-style camp with all kinds of other activities.
Camel Riding
Stephen – I’d gotten to ride a camel in the past as we did that when visiting Tunisia when I was 10. That was more than 30 years ago though, so it was fun having another opportunity to ride one.
After our camel ride we got to take a quick photo with him.
Shae – Oh my. This was just the most amazing. I know I keep using that word but it’s true every time. I appreciated the opportunity to ride a camel without it being too long. We always want to experience all the animal fun in as ethical way as possible for the animals. The knitted masks are anti-spit/drool muzzles. We went along the dune and back and it was just perfect.
Camel Feeding
Stephen – There was a separate camel you could feed, so we both went over to give him some grass/hay. Seeing as Shae’s all about animal experiences, she went for an experience that few other people would think of or dare to do – she fed the camel from her own mouth!
Shae – Oh man, this was so fun too. I figured I’ve fed a llama and a reindeer with my mouth… why not a camel. Well… one reason is those other two ate cookies and this required me to put hay in my mouth, but I was game so here it is! I got to look right into his little eyes nostrils while I fed him. It was magical.
Henna Tattoo
Stephen – While waiting to have dinner, there were several other activities we could participate in. One of them was getting a henna tattoo; I passed on this, but Shae went ahead and got one. The henna tattoos were free, but the henna tattoo artists accepted tips.
Shae – This is Asma. She learned the art of Henna from her mother. She, her sister, mother, father and three brothers all participate in the evening. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Asma and also sitting in companionable silence while she worked. It took less than 15 minutes for this intricately beautiful design she did especially for my birthday. I asked Asma what the significance was and she said it’s positivity and good fortune for the woman – usually on her wedding day or other special days and so this fit perfectly.
Falcon Holding
Stephen – Once Shae’s tattoo was done, we headed over to one of the other tents to hold a falcon which also let us pet its chest.
Shae – This was a relatively quick experience, but no less special. Being so close to a bird of prey was really incredible. His feathers were soft and his eyes alert. Watching them look around and focus was really interesting as well.
Dinner
Stephen – Before holding the falcon and getting a henna tattoo, we were greeted with Arabic coffee and tea and some dates. I’m an English breakfast tea kinda guy, but the Arabic tea was better than I expected. They also had lots of complimentary chilled water and soft drinks available in a cooler which we could help ourselves to.
Later on a buffet dinner was served and it was delicious. There were a few different types of flavored rice, chicken and beef skewers, beef kofta with sauce, chicken legs, vegetables, Arabic bread, salad, a curry soup and more. So much food and so tasty.
Dessert included freshly cut fruit, bread pudding and some other kinds of Arabic desserts. The bread pudding wasn’t my favorite thing ever, but I was so full from dinner anyway that it didn’t matter.
Shae – I don’t care for tea or coffee but when I’m given an experience to try I jump right in. The coffee is unsweetened but you drink it while eating dates to provide the sweetness. It worked!
I just said “yes” to everything on the buffet and tried it all. My favorites were the paratha (a type of flat bread), the orange rice that was flavorful without being too spicy and a couscous dish that was delicious!
The little cake saved dessert since I firmly believe that “fruit isn’t dessert.”
Entertainment
Stephen – The camp put on a show while we ate. First up there was a Tanoura dancer who was impressive if for no other reason than the dude could spin in a circle endlessly without getting dizzy, not to mention doing all kinds of other stuff during the dance. Check out the video I took below to see how impressive his dance was.
Later on there were a couple of ladies Khaliji dances. Just one of the reasons our tour guide Niki was awesome is that he arranged for Shae to get called up to dance with her. That might have been embarrassing for some people, but Shae’s a good sport and enjoys that kind of thing.
The final entertainer of the night was a guy who put on an impressive fire display.
Shae – I missed the first dance because of getting my henna tattoo with Asma, but the other two dances were incredible. Thankfully, I’m all about being the center of attention so I happily went upfront, but I don’t want to hear anyone complain about having a sombrero on their heads at a Mexican restaurant at home LOL.
Shisha Smoking
Stephen – After dinner and between some of the entertainment, another activity that was available was shisha smoking.
I quit smoking almost 20 years ago and don’t want to do anything that might encourage me to start it up again, so I gave it a miss. Shae tried it out though, so I’ll let her share what it was like.
Shae – Not being a smoker, it turns out I wasn’t quite doing it right at first LOL. But the guide came over, refreshed my coals and got my hubble bubble going. Hubble bubble was the flavor which was like spearmint and bubble gum. I thoroughly enjoyed it as a one off experience and would recommend giving it a try to anyone who takes this tour. They had individually wrapped mouth pieces and replaced the pipes between guests.
Stargazing
Stephen – The night ended with the camp turning off the lights so that we could all stargaze for 5-10 minutes out in the desert. This was great in theory, but unfortunately there only seemed to be a couple of stars visible that night, so there wasn’t much to see.
Shae – I enjoyed the stargazing. I could see a few more stars than Stephen but I’d have loved it to be a bit darker so you can see the sky better. It’s really dark, but we were nearer the bathrooms so the lights for safety were left on there which took away from the ambiance a little bit.
Final Thoughts
Stephen – I had a wonderful time on our tour, from quad biking to camel riding to dune bashing to delicious food and much more. If you’ll be visiting Dubai, I highly recommend this tour if you’d like a fun experience for an afternoon and evening.
Shae – While I’m under no illusions that this was an “authentic” Bedouin experience, it was a wonderfully-done taster of all the amazing experiences you can have in the desert. It was just “touristy” enough while not being obnoxious. I loved Nishad and Asma – meeting them made an already great experience exceptional.
How To Book This Tour
I booked our ‘Premium Red Dunes & Camel Safari with BBQ at Al Khayma Camp’ experience with OceanAir Travels through Viator – here’s a link to the tour. It cost us $66.12 per person which was great value, along with another ~$41 for the quad biking.
You can also book the same tour directly with OceanAir Travels on their website, although it looks like it might be a little more expensive doing it that way.
n.b. This isn’t a sponsored post or anything like that – we paid for the tour ourselves and OceanAir Travels didn’t know we were going to be writing about our experience.
Check Out All The Posts From Our Dubai/Egypt/Jordan Trip
- It’s Time For Shae’s Secret Birthday Extravaganza!
- Flight Review: Emirates First Class – Chicago (ORD) To Dubai (DXB)
- Hotel Review: Grand Hyatt Dubai (1 Bedroom Grand Suite)
- Awesome Dubai Desert Safari For Shae’s 40th Birthday
- 1 Week In Dubai: Here’s What We Did
- Hotel Review: Ramses Hilton In Cairo, Egypt
- Exploring Babylon Fortress In Old Cairo, Egypt
- Visiting The Pyramids Of Giza In Cairo, Egypt
- Hotel Review: Marriott Mena House In Cairo, Egypt
- 6 Days In Cairo, Egypt – Here’s What We Did
- Our Dead Sea Experience: Floating, Mud & Tequila Shots!
- Hotel Review: Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa, Jordan
- 10 Tips For Driving In Jordan
- Visiting Petra In Jordan – One Of The New 7 Wonders Of The World
- Hotel Review: Petra Marriott, Jordan
- 1 Week In Jordan – Here’s What We Did
- Flight Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class – Istanbul (IST) To Chicago (ORD)
- Hotel Review: Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport, IL
- Spending Breakdown: 3 Weeks In Dubai, Egypt & Jordan – Here’s What It Cost
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