Inside the Desert Safari Experience: A Preview
A sturdy 4x4 comes to collect you from your accommodation - be it an apartment, hotel, or the airport. You are leaving the city with its familiar view of tall skyscrapers and buildings behind you. Nothing new, until the landscape starts changing. At a point, the driver stops to cut the tire pressure by nearly a half. Once the weight distribution is balanced, you are on your way to enter a world you never knew was so vast and mesmerizingly forlorn - the realisation strikes when you’re soon surrounded by a sea of endlessly rolling sand dunes. A stark departure from the cosmopolitan Abu Dhabi you’ve started from. And this is where you buckle your seatbelts.
Soon, your vehicle’s movement harmonises to that wavy rhythm of the terrain under. They say, the dunes have authority, and you can only ride with it. And not against it!
Time for Dune Bashing
In a matter of minutes, the vehicle starts climbing towering dunes and cutting through dicey ridges, where balance is astonishingly regained every time with the steep plunges and near-flips; how the drivers see a map through the dunes, or at what limit is their audacity, are thoughts too far for the action packed in these adrenaline-pumping minutes. You feel the landscape in your stomach, and dunes under your feet. And watch the sand swirling outside your glass window, like a storm.
Our highly-experienced drivers are more than equal to the task of conquering these rugged terrains. They possess an intimate understanding of the machines they command, and possess skills to navigate dunes of all forms, sizes and nature.
Off to a More Tranquil Side of Things
Enjoy serene mornings, soaked in calm, as you patiently await the sun’s ascent in half-light. And if you are lucky, you might even hear the gentle whisper of the wind howling by. With the sun’s arrival, the once shadowy contours around you transform into mounds of glistening red, orange and gold. Witness every granule of sand majestically come to life.
The offerings of a desert safari doesn’t end there. Grab a sandboard and ride the dunes like they are ocean waves. While camel rides might sound conventional, these tall, lugging rides hold a tradition deeply connected to the heartlands of ancient Arabia. Moreover, the prospect of a picture on a camel top, dressed in Arab attire, never fails to elicit a smile.
There are thrilling motor-sports activities like the quad-bikes you can hire - here you can go on and bash the dunes on your own terms. Chances are, if you are lucky, you might even get to engage in friendly races if there are enough contestants. Great advantage: the drivers who accompany you on your trip have a keen eye for remarkable photos and videos; immerse yourself fully, while the drivers can document your adventure for you.
Arabic Coffee, Bedouin Camp, and Belly Dance
A host of activities, rich in cultural heritage, await the tourists at the traditional bedouin camp at night. You can try on traditional Arab attire. Indulge in a sumptuous barbeque dinner to savour the rich flavours of the authentic Arab cuisine. The delicacies don’t end there: brace yourself for performances by world-class belly dancers. A show of unparalleled elegance and charm.
While you groove to the beats of the Arab music, and enjoy your tranquil stay, there are also other interesting activities to explore at the camp. Choose to adorn yourself with a henna tattoo. You can try sheesha in its true essence, or even have a falcon perch on your arm for a couple of great photos. The crowning moment is when at night - sometimes the lights are put out for this reason - you gaze up at the sky and see the cosmos in all its starry glitz beaming down on you.
