Activity · Al Khatim desert
Sandboarding in Abu Dhabi
A board, a waxed base and a dune you have to walk back up. It is slower than snowboarding, easier to learn than snowboarding, and it comes free with every safari we run. If you want an hour of it rather than twenty minutes, there is a tour for that.
- Free with every safari
- Dedicated tour AED 350
- Boards and wax provided
- No experience needed
- Stand up or lie down
Children from about five with a parent. Independent runs from around eight.
Two ways to do it
Free with your safari, or an hour of proper board time
Almost every safari in Abu Dhabi lists sandboarding as included and then never says for how long. Ours is a real session at the camp, and you can go back up as many times as your legs will take. The dedicated tour exists for people who want the boarding to be the point of the day rather than one activity among six.
| Included with a safari | Sandboarding Tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | AED 350 |
| Board time | As long as you want during camp time, alongside everything else | Around an hour, uninterrupted |
| Instruction | Someone shows you and then you get on with it | Proper coaching — stance, turning, stopping |
| The dune | The slope beside camp | Chosen for the day’s conditions, away from the camp |
| Best for | Trying it, having a laugh, photographs | Actually learning to ride down standing up |
Boards, wax and instruction are included either way. The evening safari at AED 250 already has sandboarding in it — you are not paying extra to try it.
Expectations
Sand is slower than snow, and that is the good news
People arrive expecting to come down a dune at snowboard speed and are briefly disappointed. Here is why that does not happen: dry sand has far more friction than snow, and it does not melt under the board the way snow does. There is no natural glide at all.
What glide there is gets manufactured — a hard laminate base and a paraffin wax rubbed on before almost every run. That is why a snowboard is useless out here and why the guide keeps stopping to wax your board.
The upside is the one nobody mentions. You are moving at a speed you can handle, you land in something soft, and falling off does not hurt. Almost everyone gets the basics inside half an hour, which is not true of a ski slope.
The part that actually tires you out
You cannot put a lift on a sand dune. Every run ends with walking back up it, in soft sand, which is the real workout of the day. Four or five runs is a lot for most people, and there is no shame in stopping there.
Technique
Standing, sitting or flat on your stomach?
All three are legitimate and all three are fun. Operators tend to only picture the standing version, which puts off exactly the people who would enjoy the other two.
Standing
Feet strapped in, knees bent, back straight, weight slightly forward. You steer by shifting weight and you stop by sitting down backwards into the sand, which is painless. Expect to fall over several times before it clicks.
Lying on your front
Grip the edges, head up, feet trailing behind as rudders. It is basically foolproof, it is the fastest of the three, and it is what most guests end up doing by the third run.
Sitting
Sit on the board, feet forward, hands on the edges. Good for children, good for anyone who does not fancy the walk back up more than twice, and the easiest to control.
Sandboarding or sand sledding?
Strictly, standing on a bound board is sandboarding and lying or sitting is sledding. Everyone in this market calls all of it sandboarding. We do too — just know that when you book, both are available.
Where
Al Khatim, not Liwa — and why that matters
Search sandboarding in Abu Dhabi and the official tourism pages will show you Liwa and the Empty Quarter, with dunes over 200 metres. Those are real and they are spectacular. They are also two and a half to three hours from the city each way, which makes them a full day or an overnight trip, not an afternoon.
Al Khatim
Out along the Abu Dhabi–Al Ain road, roughly 45 minutes to an hour from the city. Rolling dunes in the fifteen to forty metre range — long enough for a proper run, short enough that you will actually climb back up more than twice.
Liwa
Two to three hours each way into the Rub’ al Khali. Enormous faces, including Moreeb at around 300 metres. Worth doing once in your life, and worth planning as its own day rather than bolting onto an evening safari. Ask us and we will quote it.
A dune that is too big is not more fun
A 300-metre face is a photograph. A 25-metre face is a run you can do eight times. First-timers who insist on the biggest dune available usually do it once, walk back up, and then sit down for the rest of the afternoon.
Safety and heat
The two things that actually hurt people
- Hot sand, not the boardingSurface sand in an Abu Dhabi summer gets far hotter than the air — well past what bare feet can stand. Closed shoes are not a suggestion in June, July and August, they are the rule.
- Firm sand after rainCounter-intuitive but well documented: soft dry sand cushions a fall. Sand that has been rained on and dried hard does not. We move the session or change dune when that happens.
- The climb, in heatWalking up a dune is harder work than it looks and it is where people get in trouble on a hot day. Water on you, not in the car.
- Sunglasses and gogglesSand coming off the board goes straight up at your face on a fast run. Bring eye cover.
- Nobody is pushedTry it, decide it is not for you, sit down and watch. It costs nothing and nobody makes a thing of it.
October to March is the season. In the four hot months we run boarding at sunrise or after sunset only, and we shorten it. The morning safari is the sensible summer booking.
Abu Dhabi vs Dubai
Should you just do this in Dubai instead?
If you are already in Dubai and you only want thirty minutes with a board, yes — standalone sandboarding there is sold cheaply by the hour and there are far more places doing it. We would rather say that than pretend otherwise.
Do it in Abu Dhabi if…
- You want it free as part of a safari rather than as a separate paid activity
- You would rather not queue behind four other groups on the same slope
- You are staying in Abu Dhabi and the drive to a Dubai dune lot makes no sense
- You want the camp, the food and the shows in the same evening
- You care about the photographs — Al Khatim sand is not churned flat by mid-afternoon
Do it in Dubai if…
- You are staying in Dubai and want it done in an evening
- Board-only rental by the hour is what you are after
- You want the cheapest possible price and do not mind a busy lot
- You need same-day availability in peak season
We do collect from Dubai. It adds travel time and it changes the price, so message us with where you are staying and we will give you the real number rather than a headline one.
FAQs
Sandboarding in Abu Dhabi — your questions
Is sandboarding included in the desert safari?
Yes, on every safari we run, at no extra cost. Boards, wax and someone to show you how are all included, and you can go up and down as many times as you like during camp time.
How much is sandboarding in Abu Dhabi?
Free with any safari on this site. The dedicated Sandboarding Tour, which is about an hour of board time with proper coaching on a chosen dune, is AED 350.
Do I need experience?
No. Most people are managing something respectable inside half an hour. Lying down on the board works immediately and needs no skill at all.
Is it hard?
Standing up is genuinely tricky for the first ten minutes and then it starts to click. Sitting or lying down is easy from the first run. You will fall over, and it will not hurt, because you are landing in sand.
Is it faster than snowboarding?
No, and this catches people out. Dry sand has much more friction than snow and there is no natural glide, which is why boards use a hard base and paraffin wax. You move at a speed you can control.
Can I use a snowboard?
It will not slide. Sand needs a laminate base and wax, which is why the boards look different and why the guide re-waxes yours every run or two.
Are boards provided?
Yes, including wax and the guide. You bring closed shoes and sunglasses.
What should I wear?
Closed shoes, long trousers, sunglasses or goggles, and a hat. Long sleeves save your arms from sand abrasion on a fast run. Sunscreen in every month.
What is the minimum age?
Around five with a parent nearby, and independent runs from about eight. Younger children usually have more fun sitting on the board and being pushed a couple of metres.
Is there a weight limit?
Nothing formal. If you are a larger adult, tell us and we will make sure you get a full-size board rather than a short one.
Is sandboarding dangerous?
Not particularly, and the risks are not the ones people expect. Hot sand in summer and firm sand after rain cause more trouble than the boarding itself. Soft dry sand is a forgiving thing to land on.
How many runs will I get?
However many you can climb. Four or five is a good day for most people — the walk back up is the real work.
Where do you go?
Al Khatim, out along the Abu Dhabi–Al Ain road, roughly 45 minutes to an hour from the city. Not Liwa — that is two to three hours each way and a separate trip.
Can I sandboard in summer?
At sunrise or after sunset only, from June to September, with shorter sessions. The sand surface gets far hotter than the air and closed shoes become essential.
What happens if it rains?
Rain is rare here, but wet or recently-dried firm sand kills the glide and makes falls harder. If conditions are bad we move the session or change dune, and we tell you the day before.
Do I pay in advance?
No. Cash or card at the camp on the day, VAT included, free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup.
Board is waiting
Send us your date and how many of you there are. If sandboarding is the main reason you are coming, say so and we will point you at the tour rather than the safari.
More to read: Evening Safari · Morning Safari · Quad Biking · Camel Rides