Timings & season
Desert safari timings in Abu Dhabi
Sunset here moves by an hour and forty minutes across the year, so a pickup time that is right in December is more than an hour wrong in July. This page has the month-by-month sunset table nobody else publishes, and what it means for when we collect you.
- Sunset 17:33 to 19:15
- Evening safari ~6 hours
- Morning ~5 hours
- Pickup confirmed the day before
Looking for prices? They are on the price and timings page.
The core table
Sunrise and sunset in Abu Dhabi, month by month
Every timing decision on a desert safari flows from these two numbers. Times are for the middle of each month and vary by about ten minutes either side across it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour starts | Dark by | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:08 | 17:55 | 17:22 | 18:20 | 10h 47m |
| February | 06:56 | 18:17 | 17:46 | 18:40 | 11h 20m |
| March | 06:32 | 18:31 | 18:01 | 18:54 | 11h 59m |
| April | 06:01 | 18:44 | 18:14 | 19:07 | 12h 43m |
| May | 05:39 | 18:58 | 18:27 | 19:23 | 13h 19m |
| June | 05:34 | 19:12 | 18:39 | 19:38 | 13h 38m |
| July | 05:43 | 19:14 | 18:41 | 19:39 | 13h 31m |
| August | 05:57 | 18:57 | 18:26 | 19:21 | 13h 00m |
| September | 06:09 | 18:27 | 17:57 | 18:50 | 12h 19m |
| October | 06:20 | 17:57 | 17:26 | 18:20 | 11h 36m |
| November | 06:38 | 17:36 | 17:04 | 18:00 | 10h 58m |
| December | 06:58 | 17:36 | 17:03 | 18:01 | 10h 38m |
The earliest sunset of the year is around 17:33 on 1 December. The latest is around 19:15 on 1 July. That is a swing of an hour and forty minutes, and it is why a single fixed pickup time cannot be right all year.
Pickup
When we actually collect you, by season
The aim is to get you to the camp with about ninety minutes of daylight left — enough for the dune drive, the camel and the sandboard before the light goes. Working back from the table, that means the pickup moves through the year.
| Months | Evening pickup | Sunrise safari pickup | Back in the city |
|---|---|---|---|
| November – December | ~15:10 | ~06:00 | Around 20:30 |
| January | ~15:30 | ~06:15 | Around 20:45 |
| February – March | ~15:50 | ~05:45 | Around 21:00 |
| April – May | ~16:25 | ~05:00 | Around 21:30 |
| June – July | ~16:45 | ~04:45 | Around 21:45 |
| August – September | ~16:15 | ~05:15 | Around 21:15 |
| October | ~15:30 | ~05:30 | Around 20:45 |
Why we confirm your time the day before
Because the table above is a starting point, not your pickup time. Where you are staying can move it by three quarters of an hour, and traffic on the Al Ain road on a Friday afternoon is its own variable. You get a real time on WhatsApp the evening before, not a generic one at the moment of booking.
Where you are staying
Your hotel changes your pickup by up to 45 minutes
Corniche, Saadiyat, Al Reem
Furthest from the desert road. Expect to be picked up first, around twenty to thirty minutes before the mainland guests, and to be dropped last on the way home.
Yas Island, Al Raha, Khalifa City
Convenient for the Al Ain road. Usually the last stop on the way out, which means the least sitting in a vehicle.
Mussafah, Shabiya, Mohammed Bin Zayed City
Closest to the turn-off. If you are here you get the shortest journey of anyone.
Dubai or the airport
Possible, but it adds an hour and a half each way and changes the price. Message us with your hotel or flight and we will work out a real schedule rather than guess.
On a shared vehicle you may be first or last on the run, and being first means waiting while others are collected. If that matters to you, say so — or take the private car, where your pickup time is simply the time you asked for.
Where the hours go
What “six hours” actually covers
Roughly an hour and fifty minutes of a six-hour evening safari is driving. That is not a criticism — the desert is genuinely an hour away — but it is the reason people occasionally feel the trip was shorter than advertised.
- ~55 minutesOut to Al KhatimMotorway, then the city thins out and the sand starts.
- 20–25 minutesDune bashingTyres down at the edge, then the ridges. Intense rather than long.
- 15 minutesCamel rideThe short one, included. Longer rides are an add-on.
- 20 minutesSandboardingOr longer if your legs will take the walk back up.
- ~45 minutesSunset and free timeHenna, costume photos, Arabic coffee, and the light doing its thing. The best part of the evening and the part nobody schedules.
- ~50 minutesDinnerServed right after sunset — which means 17:45 in December and 19:20 in July.
- ~40 minutesThe showsTanoura, fire and belly dance.
- ~55 minutesHomeBack where you started.
The morning safari is about five hours with no dinner and no shows, and the sunrise trip is roughly four. Full durations and prices are on the price and timings page.
Ramadan
Timings during Ramadan, explained properly
Iftar is Maghrib, and Maghrib is sunset — so the sunset column in the table above is also the iftar timetable. Everything on a Ramadan safari is built around that single moment.
- Pickup moves laterBy roughly half an hour to forty-five minutes, so you reach the camp shortly before iftar rather than sitting there waiting for it.
- The active part comes firstDune bashing, camel and sandboarding all finish before Maghrib.
- Nothing is served before sunsetNo food or drink is served publicly until the call. If you are not fasting that is understood, but the camp keeps to it.
- Dinner is iftarDates and water first, then the buffet. It is a better meal than the usual one, and the atmosphere is different in a way that is worth experiencing.
- Earlier finishTours wrap up around 20:30 to 21:00 so people can get to Tarawih. Live shows and music are usually suspended for the month.
Ask us for the exact schedule for your date — it shifts every day of the month as sunset moves.
Photography
The photographer’s timetable
Golden hour in the table above is when the light turns. Blue hour is the half hour after sunset, and in the desert it is arguably better than the sunset itself — the sand goes violet and the sky is still bright enough to hold detail.
- Best monthsNovember to February. Clearest air, and golden hour lands between about 17:00 and 17:55, so you are shooting in comfortable temperatures.
- Best twenty minutesThe stretch from golden hour to sunset. Ask to be walked along a ridge rather than across it — the silhouette is the shot.
- Blue hourRoughly 25 minutes after sunset before it goes properly dark. Most guests are eating by then, which is exactly why it is the quietest time to be out on the sand.
- Sunrise insteadFlat clean light, no tyre tracks anywhere, and almost nobody else in the desert. Harder to get out of bed for and better in every other way.
- AvoidMidday, any month. Flat overhead light, washed-out sand, and no shadow to give the dunes shape.
Season and booking
Peak dates, holidays, and how far ahead to book
December to January
Peak season. Cool days, cold nights, busy camps, and hotel rates well up. New Year’s Eve and the National Day weekend at the start of December fill fastest of all.
October, November, March
The best value in the year. Comfortable weather, camps noticeably quieter than the Christmas fortnight.
June to August
Quiet, hot, and morning or sunrise only. If you want the desert nearly to yourself and you can handle a 4:45 AM pickup, this is when.
Eid and public holidays
We run on every public holiday including both Eids and National Day. Demand is high on those dates, so give us more notice than usual.
Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest nights of any week, year round. A Tuesday in the same month is a completely different, quieter evening at the same price.
FAQs
Desert safari timings — your questions
What time does the evening desert safari start?
It moves with sunset. Around 15:10 in November and December, 15:30 in January, and as late as 16:45 in June and July. We confirm your exact pickup on WhatsApp the evening before, because where you are staying shifts it too.
What time does it finish?
Between about 20:30 in midwinter and 21:45 in high summer, back at the place you were collected from.
How long is a desert safari?
Evening around six hours door to door, morning about five, sunrise roughly four, overnight sixteen to seventeen. Of the evening six, close to two hours is driving — the desert really is an hour away.
What time is dinner served?
Right after sunset, which means about 17:45 in December and 19:20 in July. If you have young children who eat at six, feed them before you leave in the winter months.
What time is the morning safari?
Pickup around 6:00 to 6:30 AM and back in the city before noon. In summer we move it earlier still.
What time does the sunrise safari leave?
From about 04:45 in June to 06:15 in January. It tracks the sunrise column in the table on this page.
Can I see the sunset on an evening safari?
Yes — that is the point of the timing. You should be at the camp with roughly ninety minutes of light left, which puts you on the sand for golden hour and sunset both.
Can I see the sunrise on a morning safari?
On the standard morning safari, usually not quite — it leaves after first light. The sunrise safari is the one built around it.
Do timings change during Ramadan?
Yes. Pickup moves later by around 30 to 45 minutes so you arrive close to iftar, the active part happens before Maghrib, nothing is served until sunset, and the evening finishes earlier for Tarawih. Shows are usually suspended.
What time is iftar in Abu Dhabi?
It is Maghrib, which is sunset — so the sunset column in the table on this page is your iftar time for any date.
Do safaris run during Eid or on National Day?
Yes, every public holiday. Those are among the busiest dates of the year, so book further ahead than usual.
How far in advance should I book?
Three to four weeks for December, January, Eid and National Day. About a week for October, November and March. A day or two in June to August.
Which is the quietest time to go?
A weeknight rather than Friday or Saturday, in the shoulder months, or any sunrise trip. Sunrise is the quietest thing we run by a wide margin.
What is the best month?
For weather and photography, November to February. For value and quiet, October, November and March. For solitude, midsummer at sunrise, if you can face the heat.
Does my hotel affect my pickup time?
By up to forty-five minutes. Corniche, Saadiyat and Al Reem get collected earliest and dropped last. Mussafah and Shabiya have the shortest run of anyone.
Where can I see the prices?
On the price and timings page, which lists every package side by side.
Tell us your date and we will give you a real time
Not a range, not “afternoon” — the actual pickup time for your hotel on your date, sent the evening before.
More to read: Prices & Timings · Sunrise Safari · Morning Safari · The Al Khatim desert