Alcohol and the Desert Safari: The Clear Answer
There is no alcohol at the camp — not served, not sold, not permitted to bring, and none in the cooking. Here is why that is the policy, what you drink instead, and where a drink fits into an Abu Dhabi evening.
- 4 min read
- Dry camp, by design
- Unlimited soft drinks included
People ask this from two directions. Some want a sundowner with the sunset and need to know before they book. Others are choosing this camp precisely because they want an evening with no drinking crowd in it. Both deserve the same clear answer, so here it is once, without hedging.
The policy, completely
Not served. There is no bar at the camp and no drinks list with an alcohol page.
Not sold. Nobody will offer it quietly for a price, and if anyone out there ever does, that is not us and we want to know.
Not permitted to bring. A bottle from the hotel does not come to the camp, sealed or otherwise. Leave it in your room and it will be there when you get back.
Not in the cooking. No wine in a sauce, no beer in a batter. This matters to guests avoiding alcohol on religious grounds, and it is absolute.
The policy has no VIP exception and no private-car exception. The luxury tier buys better seating and quieter hours — it does not buy a different rulebook.
Why the camp is dry
Partly it is respect: the camp is Emirati ground, the evening is built around Emirati hospitality, and alcohol has no place in that tradition.
Partly it is what the policy buys everyone else. An alcohol-free camp has no loud table in the corner, no group getting braver as the night goes on, and no edge to the atmosphere after dark. Families notice it. Women travelling alone tell us it is one of the reasons they were comfortable — there is more on that on the safety page. It is not a restriction we apologise for; it is part of what makes the evening what it is.
And practically: the desert at night, soft sand, open fires and quad bikes are a poor mix with drinking, whoever is doing it.
What you drink instead
Nobody goes thirsty. Water, soft drinks, tea and Arabic coffee are unlimited, from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave, at no charge and with nobody counting.
The one to actually try is the gahwa — Arabic coffee from the long-spouted dallah, lightly roasted with cardamom, poured into small cups and served with dates the moment you arrive. It is on UNESCO’s heritage list for a reason, and it belongs to this evening the way wine belongs to a French dinner. Karak tea, strong and sweet with evaporated milk, is the other one worth a cup as the night cools.
The full spread, course by course, is on the food and BBQ menu page.
Where a drink does fit in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is not a dry city. Licensed venues — hotel bars, restaurants and clubs — serve alcohol to guests aged 21 and over, and visitors drink there without any paperwork. What the law does not allow is drinking in public places, and a desert camp is not a licensed venue.
So the workable plan, if a drink matters to your evening, is simple: the safari first, a nightcap at your hotel after. Most guests are back around half past nine, which leaves the night open. What does not work is arriving at the pickup already several drinks in — the dune drive and the camp are family space, and a driver can decline to take a guest who is clearly drunk.
Alcohol questions, asked and answered
Is alcohol served on the desert safari?
No. The camp is completely dry: no bar, nothing sold quietly, nothing permitted to bring in, and no alcohol used in the cooking. Water, soft drinks, tea and Arabic coffee are unlimited and free instead.
Can I bring my own drinks to the desert camp?
Soft drinks are already unlimited at the camp, so there is no need. Alcohol cannot be brought, sealed or otherwise — leave it at the hotel and it will be waiting when you are back around half past nine.
Is there alcohol on the VIP or private safari?
No. The VIP and private tiers buy better seating, a better vehicle and quieter hours of the day — the alcohol policy is the same on every package, with no exceptions.
Is the food cooked with alcohol?
No. Nothing at the camp is cooked with wine, beer or spirits, and there is no pork either. The meat is halal-sourced under UAE regulation; the full detail is on the food and BBQ menu page.
Can tourists drink alcohol in Abu Dhabi at all?
Yes — at licensed venues such as hotel bars and restaurants, for guests aged 21 and over. What is not allowed is drinking in public places, and a desert camp is not a licensed venue. The workable plan is the safari first, a drink at your hotel after.
Why is the camp alcohol-free?
Partly respect — the evening is built on Emirati hospitality, where alcohol has no place. Partly everyone else’s evening: no drinking crowd is a large part of why families and solo travellers are comfortable at this camp after dark.
Read next
What is actually served, course by course, is on the food and BBQ menu page, and the coffee ritual has its own corner of the majlis page. Why the dry camp matters for atmosphere is part of is it safe?. Everything else worth checking first is on before you book.
If the answer changes your plans, better to know now
Ask us anything about how the evening runs before you commit — a real person replies in minutes, and nothing is paid until you are at the camp either way.