Land Cruiser dune bashing through the red dunes on a Dubai desert safari

Evening and night safari

Evening desert safari in Dubai, dunes, dinner and the shows

The safari almost everyone means when they say desert safari. Afternoon pickup, dune bashing while the light is still good, then a Bedouin camp for dinner and the shows after dark.

7 to 8 hoursShared 4x4Free Dubai pickupDinner and shows included
Pickup windowAround 3pm
Back at hotel9pm to 10pm
Dune drive40 minutes
Price basisPer person

01 / Choose your evening

Three evening safaris, and the difference is the camp.

The dune drive and the route are the same on all three. What changes is where you sit at the camp, what is on the buffet, and whether a quad ride is bundled in.

Shared 4x4

Evening Desert Safari Dubai

The classic evening desert safari Dubai: red dune bashing in a shared Land Cruiser, a sunset stop, then a Bedouin camp with halal BBQ dinner and live entertainment.

AED 99 Per person
Check availability
Shared 4x4

VIP Evening Desert Safari

The evening safari upgraded. VIP seating at the camp, a better dinner spread and a quieter section away from the main crowd.

AED 150 Per person
Check availability
Shared 4x4

VIP Evening Desert Safari + ATVs

VIP camp treatment plus a quad bike session, the fullest shared evening safari we run.

AED 250 Per person
Check availability

02 / Included

What is included before you book.

Included on this safari

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off, free anywhere inside Dubai
  • Dune bashing in a 4x4 with a trained desert driver
  • Sunset photo stop on the Lahbab red dunes
  • Camel ride and sandboarding at the camp
  • Halal BBQ dinner with vegetarian options always available
  • Belly dance, tanoura and fire show after dinner
  • Arabic coffee, dates, shisha and henna at the camp

Check before booking

  • Tell us the ages in your group. Children join every package and the camp seats them with you.
  • Say if anyone is pregnant, has back trouble or gets motion sick, and the driver takes a calmer route.
  • Flag allergies and dietary needs at booking so the camp knows before the buffet is set.
  • Confirm your pickup point. Hotel pickup and drop-off within Dubai is free on every booking.
  • Ask us to price shared and private side by side if your group is four or more.

03 / How the day runs

Afternoon pickup to the drive home.

The evening safari runs 7 to 8 hours door to door. This is how it is sequenced.

  1. 1Pickup around 3pm

    A Land Cruiser collects you from your hotel or address. The window shifts through the year because it is timed to sunset, not to the clock.

  2. 2Dune bashing at Lahbab

    Roughly forty minutes across the red dunes with the tyres let down. You are a passenger, which is the entire point of a safari.

  3. 3Sunset photo stop

    The driver parks on a crest while the light is good. This is the photograph people actually keep.

  4. 4Camel ride and sandboarding

    At the camp, both included. Sandboarding is free and the camel ride is short, more a photograph than a journey.

  5. 5Halal BBQ dinner

    Buffet with grills, salads and vegetarian dishes. Seating is on carpets and cushions in the majlis.

  6. 6Shows, then home

    Belly dance, tanoura and fire show under the lights, then the drive back. Most groups are at the hotel between 9 and 10pm.

04 / Why this one

Why the evening one is the safari people mean.

It carries the whole programme. The morning safari is quieter and shorter, the overnight one adds a night in the camp, but the evening safari is the one with the dune drive, the sunset, the dinner and the shows in a single trip.

05 / Safety and fit

What to know before the day.

Nothing on a safari starts until the briefing is done and the group knows the plan.

Drivers

Desert-trained drivers only

Dune bashing is done by our own drivers on a route they run daily. Guests do not drive on this package.

Comfort

Tell us if it is too much

Say the word during the drive and the driver flattens the route. Nobody is talked into carrying on.

Children

Children are welcome

Children join every evening safari and usually enjoy the drive most. Tell us their ages so the camp seats you together.

Your own cover

Check your travel policy

Check that your travel insurance includes desert sports and off road activities before you travel. Many standard policies exclude them.

Q01

What is the difference between an evening and a night desert safari?

They are the same trip. The pickup is in the afternoon, the dune drive happens in daylight, and the camp part runs after dark, so it gets described both ways. If you have seen a night desert safari advertised in Dubai, this is the package it means.

Q02

What time does the evening safari finish?

Most groups are back at their hotel between 9pm and 10pm. The pickup is timed to sunset rather than to a fixed hour, so both ends of the day shift through the year. We confirm your exact window when you book.

Q03

Is the price per person or per vehicle?

The three evening packages on this page are per person, because you share a Land Cruiser with other guests. If you would rather have the vehicle to yourselves, the private safaris are priced per vehicle instead and often work out cheaper for four people or more.

Q04

Can I do the evening safari without dune bashing?

Yes. Tell us when you book and the driver takes a calmer route to the camp. Guests who are pregnant, have back problems or simply do not enjoy it take this option regularly, and everything at the camp is unchanged.

Q05

Is the BBQ dinner halal?

Yes. Vegetarian dishes are always on the buffet. Tell us about allergies or dietary needs when you book so the camp knows in advance rather than being asked on the night.

Q06

Do you pick up from the hotel?

Hotel pickup and drop-off within Dubai is free on every booking. Outer emirates are quoted before you book. We confirm the pickup point and the window the day before.

Q07

Do I pay a deposit?

Cash, card and bank transfer are all accepted, and you can pay on the spot at the base. Nothing is due when you book. Cancel more than 24 hours before your slot and you get a full refund. Inside 24 hours we will always try to move you to another date rather than charge you.

What guests say

Rated 4.9 by guests who came with us.

Real Google reviews, alongside our TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice award.

  • Glauco Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    The service offered by Ali is exceptional, very fun and safe. I recommend it to everyone visiting Dubai. The desert tour is fantastic! Don't miss it!

  • Rupang Shah Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Great experience with them at the Dubai Sand Dunes - Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique experience in Dubai!

  • Camso Diallo Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Very good ride. We enjoyed it. Thanks

  • jamal hakim Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    nice experience with such a bumpy and challenging route with beautiful sunset!!

  • Yusuf Slaimankhel Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Was a really good and amazing experience, staff was also nice and helpful

  • Nalin Chandika De Silva Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    The best ride we ever had. Best service. Highly recommended. Love from Sri Lanka

  • Baby Alhamdou Ibrahim Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Today I went to desert I did bike riding with my family it was good experience i will recommend for all tourists

  • Vaibhav Sharma Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Today I booked for quad bike and it was a very good experience. Very good service and great bike. Thrilling and great experience.

  • amar powar Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Had amazing experience on desert safari! Everything perfectly. Highly recommended. Mr Watto was best for pickup to drop off

  • Folashade Agbeke Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Today I went to desert I did bike riding it was good experience I recommend you to book with them. Very friendly and worth every penny. I'll definitely come back again with my friends.

  • Adnan Khan Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Today i booked the buggy tour and it was amazing. Cannot recommend this enough. Our driver Ali was kind and courteous and we were well looked after

  • Mike Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Well arranged. Good support, good buggies. We really enjoyed ourselves.

  • jubin vaidya Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    It was a great experience with buggyrents.com. The driver was very pleasing and entertaining. They have new buggies and I recommend everybody to book and enjoy

  • abiola awobokun Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Went with my kids and we had a lovely experience. Professional staff, safe and exciting. We had fun and will definitely come back.

  • Pervaiz Muhammad Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    It was very good experience with them. They are too much cooperative. I recommend all guys to book from them, you will remember this tour.

  • FAUSTIN KAMBERE Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    It was good experience buggy was they given me good service I recommend plz book tour with this company

  • INFORMATION CENTER Google review
    Posted on Google
    ★★★★★

    Very professional team and a well organised desert experience from pickup through to drop off.

Choosing an evening safari

Which evening package is actually worth the difference

The three evening safaris run the same route with the same driver. The money buys camp treatment and, on one of them, a quad ride.

The standard evening safari

This is the one most people book and it is the one most people should book. Hotel pickup, the dune drive at Lahbab, the sunset stop, camel ride, sandboarding, the halal BBQ buffet and the full show programme. Nothing on the itinerary is missing compared with the more expensive versions.

What you get for the lower price is standard camp seating, which means carpets and cushions in the shared majlis with everyone else. For most groups that is the correct answer, and the upgrade money is better spent on a private vehicle if you want one.

What the VIP upgrade actually changes

The VIP evening safari buys separate seating away from the main majlis, a longer buffet and the full entertainment programme rather than the short version. The route, the driver and the drive are identical.

It is worth it if your group wants to eat without sharing a table, or if you are marking something. It is not worth it if what you actually want is a quieter desert, because the camp is the same camp. For quiet, book the morning safari instead.

Ready to lock in a date? Send your group size and we will confirm availability the same day.

Adding a quad to the evening

The VIP evening safari with quads bundles a quad ride into the camp stop. If riding something yourself is the part you are looking forward to, that bundle is the cheapest way to get both in one evening, and it is covered properly on the quad bike desert safari page.

If the driving is the main event rather than an add-on, a quad from AED 75 or a buggy from AED 300 on its own gives you far more time on the machine, and both are priced per vehicle.

When to book the private version instead

Shared safaris are per person, so a group of six pays six times. Private safaris are per vehicle, so the same six pay once. The maths flips somewhere around four people, and it flips harder the larger the group gets.

The other reason to go private is control. A private driver works to your pace, waits while you take photographs, and skips the dune drive entirely if someone in the car has had enough. On a shared vehicle you are travelling with five or six strangers and the route is the route. Ask us to price both and pick from the numbers rather than the label.

Book your Dubai desert safari

Send the date and how many of you there are, and we will come back with shared and private totals so you can see which one works out cheaper.

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