Desert Safari in December: Fire Weather, and the Busiest Month
Twenty-six degrees by day, under sixteen at night. December is the month the campfire stops being scenery and becomes the reason everyone sits where they sit — and the month you cannot leave the booking to the last minute.
- 7 min read
- Al Khatim Desert
- Jacket weather
- Book well ahead
December is the first month of the year where the desert is properly cold after dark, and that changes the whole shape of an evening. People stop drifting between the carpets and start gathering. The fire does real work.
It is also the month everyone else has worked out. Here is what to expect, and what to do about the crowds.
The short version
Daytime is genuinely mild. 26.5°C average high. You can do anything at any hour, including the middle of the day, which is true of almost no other month.
Nights are cold. 15.7°C, and on open sand with a breeze it feels lower. A jacket is not optional this month.
Rain is a real possibility. About 7.8 mm across the month, more than three times November. Still not much, but December is when weather starts to exist here.
This is the hardest month to book. School holidays, festive travel and perfect weather all land at once.
What December actually looks like in numbers
Official Abu Dhabi climate normals, with November and January either side.
| Measure | November | December | January |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average daytime high | 31.0°C | 26.5°C | 24.5°C |
| Average overnight low | 19.6°C | 15.7°C | 13.8°C |
| Rainfall | 2.4 mm | 7.8 mm | 12.5 mm |
| Sunset, 1st | 5:43 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:44 PM |
| Sunset, last day | 5:33 PM | 5:37 PM | 5:59 PM |
| At the camp after dark | Cool, bring a layer | Cold, jacket needed | Coldest of the year |
The sunset row does something unusual here. December contains the shortest days of the year, and the sunset actually turns around mid-month — it stops getting earlier and starts creeping back. By the 31st it is later than it was on the 1st. December is the floor of the year.
The rain figure is worth taking seriously in one narrow sense: not because a trip gets rained off, but because the sand behaves differently after a shower. Damp sand packs. Dune bashing on packed sand is firmer and less fluid than the loose stuff of October.
What actually changes at the camp
People gather instead of spreading out. In October guests wander off to lie on the sand between courses. In December they pull the cushions toward the fire and stay there. The camp becomes a smaller, closer place, which most people end up liking more than they expected.
The morning trip becomes properly good. A December dawn in the desert is cold — genuinely cold, low teens with a wind. That is exactly why the light is so clean and the sand so sharp, and why photographers book this month.
The overnight safari needs thinking about. Sleeping out at 15.7°C is fine with the bedding provided, but it is not the balmy night people imagine. Bring more warm clothing than feels necessary. October and November are the easier months for it.
Everything else gets easier. Quad bikes, buggies, long camel rides, sandboarding — all of it works at any hour of a December day. No heat planning required at all.
The one real difficulty with December
Three things arrive together: the best weather of the year, school holidays across the region, and a wave of visitors over the festive period. The camp is at its fullest and the popular dates go early.
What fills first: the last two weeks of the month, every Friday and Saturday evening, and private cars for families. New Year’s Eve is its own category and goes furthest ahead of all.
What stays available longest: weekday evenings in the first half of the month, and self-drive, which never depends on a seat in a shared vehicle.
If your dates are fixed and they fall in the second half of December, treat the booking as something to do now rather than nearer the time. We would rather tell you it is open today than tell you it is gone next week.
What to bring in December
- A real jacket, not a light layer. This is the month people most often get wrong. Sixteen degrees on open sand at nine at night is colder than it sounds.
- Long trousers and closed shoes for the evening. The sand loses its heat within an hour of sunset.
- Something warm for children. They feel it before adults do, and a cold child ends an evening early.
- Sunglasses and sunscreen anyway. The daytime sun is mild but still strong, and the low winter angle puts it straight in your eyes.
- For the morning or overnight trip, more than you think. Dawn in the desert in December is the coldest hour of the year here.
The full list is on the what to wear page.
What a December safari costs
Prices are the same in December as in July. We do not run festive pricing and we do not run peak-season surcharges.
| How you travel | Price | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Self-drive to the camp | AED 35 | per person |
| Shared bus from Al Wahda or Mazyad Mall | AED 50 | per person |
| Hotel pickup, shared vehicle | AED 100 | per person |
| Private car, up to seven guests | AED 599 | per car |
| Private Land Cruiser | AED 800 | per car |
Add-ons at the camp: quad bike AED 100 single or 150 double, VIP majlis seating AED 50 per person, falcon photo AED 30.
No deposit and no card details. You pay on arrival and can cancel free up to twelve hours before pickup — which matters most in the month where you are booking furthest ahead.
Who December suits, and who should look elsewhere
Book December if you want a real winter desert night with a fire, you are photographing and want the cleanest light of the year, you are travelling with people who cannot cope with heat at all, or you want to do daytime activities without planning around the sun.
Choose another month if you feel the cold, you want an empty camp, or you are booking at short notice for a weekend. October gives you warm nights and space; November gives you comfort with slightly less pressure on the calendar.
December questions we get on WhatsApp
Is December a good time for a desert safari in Abu Dhabi?
It is one of the best for weather and the hardest for availability. Official normals give 26.5°C by day and 15.7°C at night, so daytime activities work at any hour and the evening genuinely needs a jacket. School holidays and festive travel make it the busiest month of the year.
How cold is the desert at night in December?
The average overnight low is 15.7°C, and on open sand with a breeze it feels colder than that. A proper jacket is needed, not just a long-sleeved layer. Dawn on the morning or overnight trip is the coldest hour of the year here.
Does it rain in December in Abu Dhabi?
Sometimes. The monthly average is about 7.8 mm, more than three times November. Trips still run, but rain changes the sand: damp sand packs down, so dune bashing is firmer and less fluid than on the dry loose sand of October.
How far ahead should I book in December?
Further than any other month. The last two weeks, every Friday and Saturday evening, and private cars for families all go early, and New Year’s Eve goes furthest ahead of all. Weekday evenings in the first half of the month are the easiest to get.
What time is sunset in December?
About 5:33 PM at the start of the month and 5:37 PM at the end. December holds the shortest days of the year, and the sunset actually turns around mid-month and starts getting later again.
Is the overnight safari comfortable in December?
It works, with the bedding provided, but it is a genuinely cold night rather than a balmy one. Bring more warm clothing than feels necessary. If you want the overnight trip at its easiest, October and November are the better months.
Is the desert safari more expensive in December or at New Year?
No. Our prices are identical every day of the year: AED 35 self-drive, AED 50 on the shared bus, AED 100 with hotel pickup, AED 599 for a private car for up to seven. No festive pricing, no peak surcharge.
Is December good for children?
Very good in the daytime and it needs planning in the evening. There is no heat to work around at all, which suits young children, but they feel the night-time drop before adults do. Bring warm clothes for them and you will get a much longer evening out of them.
The month either side
The November guide covers the most comfortable month of the year, and the January guide covers the coldest nights and the clearest air. All twelve months are compared on the best time to go page. Every package sits on the price and timings page.
December fills early — tell us your date now
Send the date, the package and how many of you there are. A real person replies, usually within a few minutes. In December we will tell you straight away whether your date is still open, rather than letting you wait and lose it.
Al Khatim Desert · Abu Dhabi | Pay on arrival · Free cancellation · No deposit