Desert Activities in Abu Dhabi: What’s Included and What Costs Extra
Five of the seven activities on this page are already in the price of a standard safari. Here is which five, what the other two actually cost, and which one to spend on if you are only spending once.
- 8 min read
- Al Khatim Desert
- Prices fixed before you travel
Most of what people picture when they imagine a desert safari — the drive over the ridges, the camel line at the camp, a board down a slope, the shows after dinner — is already paid for. It is the two loud ones, the quad bike and the buggy, that sit outside the package price. Those are also the two we get asked about most.
This page puts all seven side by side: what each one is, whether you are already paying for it, and what it costs if you are not. The prices below are ours and they do not move with the season.
Included, or extra?
A standard safari at our camp carries five of the seven without you doing anything. There is no wristband system at the gate and nobody comes round the carpets selling upgrades between courses.
| Activity | In a standard safari? | If you want more of it |
|---|---|---|
| Dune bashing | Yes — on the way in and the way out | Extra session AED 150 |
| Camel ride | Yes — short ride at the camp | Longer ride AED 300 · Camel Trek AED 390 per person |
| Sandboarding | Yes — boards are at the camp dune | Coached tour AED 350 |
| Live shows — tanoura, belly dance, fire | Yes | — |
| Arabic coffee, dates, BBQ buffet | Yes | — |
| Quad bike | No | From AED 100 for thirty minutes |
| Dune buggy | No | AED 800 for the buggy, two seats |
| Falcon photo | No | AED 30 |
| Sheesha at your table | No | AED 80 |
| VIP majlis seating | No | AED 50 per person |
Nothing in that right-hand column appears on your bill unless you ask for it. You tell us on WhatsApp before you travel, we add it to the total, and the number you agree at home is the number you pay at the camp.
The seven activities
Dune bashing
Tyres down to fifteen psi, then twenty minutes of ridges and drops. It is the part of the trip nobody forgets, and it is already yours.
Quad biking
Thirty minutes, helmet and briefing first. The camp track is flat and fenced; the open-dune session goes out past it with a guide leading.
Dune buggy
Roll cage, harness, no licence needed, drivers from sixteen. The price is for the buggy rather than the seat, which changes the maths when there are two of you.
Camel rides
A short ride at the camp comes with the package. If you want the ridge line rather than the loop, the longer ride covers up to two riders.
Sandboarding
The boards sit at the camp dune and cost nothing to pick up. The paid version is an hour on a chosen slope with someone teaching you to carve.
Abu Dhabi city tour
The mosque, the Corniche, Qasr Al Watan and the Louvre if you want them. Staying a few days makes this the natural other half of the trip.
Dubai day trip
Ninety minutes up the E11 and back the same evening. Shared works out cheaper up to three people; four and the private car wins.
If you only pick one
You have never crossed a dune before. Then you already have the best thing on the list. Dune bashing is in the price, it happens twice, and first-timers rarely want anything louder afterwards.
You want the adrenaline and you are paying for one thing. Take the quad out to the open dunes at AED 200 rather than the AED 100 lap of the camp track. The track is flat and fenced and does its job for beginners; the open session, with a guide leading, is the one people describe to their friends.
There are two of you. The buggy stops looking expensive. AED 800 is for the vehicle, so it is AED 400 each — against AED 300 for a double quad on the open dunes, for a heavier machine with a cage around you.
You are bringing children. The camels and the boards. Both are free, both move at walking pace, and both give you the photographs. Send us the ages on WhatsApp before you decide on anything with an engine.
You care about the pictures. Skip the paid list entirely and spend the money on the private car instead. What you want is time at the sunset stop and the camel line at golden hour, and a private vehicle is what buys you that.
Every price, side by side
| Activity | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Quad — camp track, single | Thirty minutes, marked area | AED 100 |
| Quad — camp track, double | Thirty minutes, two up | AED 150 |
| Quad — open dunes, single | Longer, further out, guide leading | AED 200 |
| Quad — open dunes, double | Longer, further out, guide leading | AED 300 |
| Dune buggy | Around thirty minutes, two seats, one price | AED 800 |
| Longer camel ride | Ridge line rather than the camp loop, up to two riders | AED 300 |
| Camel Trek | Per person, refreshments included | AED 390 |
| Sandboarding Tour | About an hour of board time with coaching | AED 350 |
| Extra dune bashing | A second session beyond the drive in and out | AED 150 |
| Falcon photo | A falcon on your arm, photographed | AED 30 |
| Sheesha | Brought to your table at the camp | AED 80 |
| VIP majlis seating | Raised private seating, per person | AED 50 |
| Professional photography | Shot through the evening, edited | AED 50–150 |
The safari itself starts at AED 35 if you drive yourself to the camp and AED 100 with hotel pickup. Every package and pickup time is set out on the prices and timings page.
Three things worth checking first
1. A buggy advertised at AED 300 is not the same product. You will see that number in this market. Before you take it, ask three questions: what engine, how many minutes, and is it a single-seat machine on a fenced loop. Thirty minutes in a two-seat cage on open sand costs what it costs, and we would rather explain the gap than quietly match a number we could not honour.
2. Check whether the price is per person or per vehicle. Ours are mixed and we say which is which. The buggy at AED 800 is for the buggy. The longer camel ride at AED 300 covers up to two riders. Quad prices are per bike, which is why the double at AED 150 is the cheapest way for two people to ride.
3. On city tours, a low headline price usually means the tickets are extra. Below roughly AED 100 a head, assume nothing is included. The Grand Mosque is free to enter. Qasr Al Watan is AED 65 and the Louvre AED 63, per person, on top of whatever the tour costs. We quote the car and the driver, and we tell you the ticket prices separately rather than folding them into a number that looks better.
Away from the camp
Two of the seven are not desert activities at all, and we have kept them on this page because they answer the same question: you have a spare day, what do you do with it.
The Abu Dhabi city tour is AED 499 for the half day and AED 599 for the full day, per vehicle, with a Land Cruiser at AED 799. The Grand Mosque, the Corniche and the Heritage Village need no tickets. Qasr Al Watan and the Louvre do, and Ferrari World is a full day on its own rather than a stop on someone else’s.
The Dubai day trip is AED 300 a head shared, or AED 950 for a private car holding six. The break-even sits at four people. At three, shared is still cheaper and we will tell you so. Burj Khalifa and the Museum of the Future need timed tickets booked days in advance, so decide on those before the morning of the trip rather than at the door.
Activity questions we get on WhatsApp
Which desert activities are included in the price?
Dune bashing, a short camel ride, sandboarding, the live shows and the BBQ buffet are all in the price of a standard safari, from AED 35 per person. Quad bikes, the dune buggy, sheesha, the falcon photo and VIP seating are the extras, and none of them is added without you asking.
How much is a quad bike in Abu Dhabi?
AED 100 for thirty minutes on the marked track at the camp, or AED 150 for a double-seater on the same track. Out on the open dunes with a guide leading it is AED 200 single and AED 300 double. Prices are per bike, not per rider.
Is the dune buggy price per person?
No. AED 800 is for the buggy, which has two seats. Two of you go out for AED 400 each. That is worth knowing before you compare it against a quad, where AED 100 buys one rider one bike.
Can children take part in the activities?
The camel ride and the sandboarding are the two the whole family joins, and both are already in the price. For anything with an engine, send us the ages on WhatsApp first and we will tell you what is allowed on the day rather than promising it here.
Do I have to book the activities in advance?
You do not have to, but it is better. Tell us what you want before you travel and the whole total is agreed at home, so nothing is negotiated at the camp. Nothing is charged until you arrive either way.
Is sandboarding free on a desert safari?
Yes. The boards sit at the dune beside the camp and you can use them as much as you like. The AED 350 Sandboarding Tour is a different thing: about an hour on a chosen slope with someone coaching you.
Where to go next
Each activity has a page of its own: dune bashing, quad biking, the dune buggy, camel rides and sandboarding. If you are still choosing a package, every price and pickup time is on the prices and timings page, and the best time to go guide compares all twelve months. First trip? Start with the first-timer’s guide.
Tell us which activities you want and we will price the whole evening before you travel
Send us how many of you there are and what you fancy trying. A real person replies, usually within a few minutes, with one number that covers the safari and everything you have added. If something is not worth the money for your group, we will say so.