Desert Safari Abu Dhabi for Russian Visitors: New Year Dates, Language and the Cold Nights
The last week of December books out first. Here is how far ahead to message us, what we can and cannot promise about language, and why nobody warns you how cold a January night in the desert gets.
- 6 min read
- From AED 35
- No deposit
The Russian winter holidays land on the busiest fortnight the Abu Dhabi desert has. From the last days of December through the first week of January, the popular start times go early — and the guests who message us two days before are the ones who end up with a time they did not want.
That, the language question and the temperature after dark are the three things worth knowing before you book. The rest of the evening looks after itself.
Book the New Year week two or three weeks out
From roughly the twenty-eighth of December to the eighth of January, the desert is at its busiest and its best — the weather is perfect, the light is perfect, and every visitor in the Emirates wants the same evening you do.
There is no holiday surcharge. The price on the thirty-first is the price on any other night. What runs out is availability: the good pickup windows, the private cars and the VIP bays go first, and by the last week of December we are turning people away rather than raising prices on them.
Message us two to three weeks ahead for those dates and it is a non-issue. Nothing is paid to hold it — no deposit and no card details — so booking early costs you nothing and cancelling stays free to twelve hours before pickup.
Outside that fortnight, November through March is the whole comfortable season, and a few days’ notice is plenty.
What we can promise, and what we cannot
We will not tell you there is a Russian-speaking guide waiting, because we cannot guarantee one and you would find out at the wrong moment.
What we do instead works better. Everything that matters is agreed in writing before the day, on WhatsApp: your exact pickup address, the time window, how many people, which package, and one total price. Written text translates cleanly on any phone; a conversation through a car window at dusk does not.
At the camp itself, the evening needs remarkably few words. Camel, sandboard, buffet, shows, fire, home. Nobody explains the sunset to you.
One practical tip: send us your hotel name and room-block address as text, not as a voice note or a photograph. If it is written down, the driver has it in front of him.
January after dark is genuinely cold
The desert does the same thing every winter and it catches out every group that packed for a beach holiday. The afternoon is a comfortable low twenties. Then the sun goes down, there is no cloud, no buildings and no sea to hold the heat, and by nine o’clock the camp is in single figures.
Bring a jacket in the car. Not for the drive out — for the two hours after the fire show. Everyone who brought one looks pleased with themselves; everyone who did not stands near the grill.
Closed shoes. Sand and open sandals are not friends. The what to wear page goes month by month.
Summer is a completely different question. June to August runs above forty degrees and the honest version of that is on our summer page.
A halal camp, no pork, no alcohol
The camp is halal and there is no pork anywhere on the buffet. The live grill runs chicken and lamb; alongside it are rice, curries, hot vegetable dishes, a full mezze table with hummus, mutabbal, falafel and fresh bread, salads, fresh fruit and sweets. A vegetarian guest eats extremely well without asking anyone for anything.
There is no alcohol. None is served, none is sold, and you cannot bring a bottle in — alcohol in the UAE is licensed to hotels and restaurants, and a camp on open desert land holds no licence. Arabic coffee, karak tea, juice, soft drinks and water are unlimited and included all evening.
The full station-by-station list is on the BBQ menu page, and the vegetarian detail on its own page.
Prices, payment and getting there
All prices are per person unless the row says otherwise, and the same eighteen inclusions apply to every standard package — you are paying for transport and comfort, not a better evening.
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Self-drive | AED 35 | Cheapest. We send a pin and an arrival window. |
| Shared coach | AED 50 | Fixed city pickup points and departure. |
| Shared 4×4 | AED 100 | Collected from your hotel, sharing the vehicle. |
| Private car | AED 599 total | Whole vehicle, your own timings. |
| VIP majlis | +AED 50 | Front bay, seating with a back. |
Nothing is paid in advance. No deposit, no card details, no payment link. One total agreed on WhatsApp, paid at the camp in cash or by card, VAT already included. Free cancellation to twelve hours before pickup.
The camp is at Al Khatim — about an hour from the Corniche hotels, forty minutes from Zayed International. Door to door the evening is roughly six hours and most guests are back by half past nine.
Visas belong to the UAE authorities, not to tour operators. Check the current position with the ICP or your airline before you fly — rules change without anyone telling us.
What Russian visitors ask us
Do your drivers speak Russian?
We cannot promise a Russian-speaking driver, so we do not pretend otherwise. Everything that matters – your pickup point, the time, the head count and the total – is agreed in writing on WhatsApp beforehand, which removes the part where language actually matters. At the camp, the evening needs almost no words.
How early should I book for the New Year holidays?
Two to three weeks for the last days of December and the first week of January. It is the busiest fortnight of our year and the popular start times go first. There is no surcharge for the date – the problem is availability, not price.
Is there alcohol at the desert camp?
No. None is served or sold and you cannot bring your own. Alcohol in the UAE is licensed to hotels and restaurants, and a desert camp holds no licence. Arabic coffee, karak tea, soft drinks, juice and water are unlimited and included.
Is the food halal, and is there pork?
The camp is halal and serves no pork at all. The grill runs chicken and lamb, with rice, curries, mezze, salads, fruit and sweets alongside, and a full vegetarian spread that needs no notice.
How cold is the desert in January?
Pleasant by day – low twenties Celsius – and genuinely cold after dark, often single figures at the camp with open sky above you. Bring a jacket. It surprises people every winter.
Do I pay in advance or online?
Neither. No deposit, no card details, no payment link. You agree one total on WhatsApp and pay at the camp in cash or by card, VAT included. Free cancellation up to twelve hours before pickup.
Read next
Compare the packages on prices and timings, check the month on best time to go, and pack from what to wear. The food is listed on the BBQ menu, and everything else on before you book.
Holiday dates go first — send us yours
Especially the last week of December and the first week of January. Nothing is paid to hold a date, and cancelling stays free to twelve hours before pickup.