Practical · The honest verdict
Is a desert safari actually worth it?
You have read the one-star reviews. Rushed, crowded, a two-minute camel ride, cold food, hundreds of vehicles. Some of that is fair and some of it is a different product to ours. Here is the honest version, including who should not book one.
- Roughly AED 36 an hour
- 20 min bashing, 90 min lull
- Who should skip it
- Alternatives if it is not for you
- No deposit either way
We sell these. We would still rather you booked the right thing than the thing we sell.
Start here
Who should not book a desert safari
Every operator page answers “yes, it is worth it.” That is not an answer, it is a sales line. Here is the version that is actually useful.
You will probably love it
- You have never been in a proper desert before
- You have children between about six and fourteen
- You want sunset photographs and a decent evening out
- You value the package — transfer, activities, dinner, shows — over authenticity
- You are here for a few days and want one big thing outside the city
You will probably be disappointed
- You have done Wadi Rum, the Sahara or Merzouga — this is not that
- You want solitude. It is a shared camp with other people in it
- You have severe motion sickness and will not skip the dune drive
- You expect restaurant food. It is camp food cooked outdoors
- You want cultural depth rather than an evening of entertainment
- You are coming in July expecting comfort
The reviews
Six complaints in every bad review, and which are fair
“The dune bashing was too short”
Twenty to twenty-five minutes, and we publish that number rather than hiding it in a six-hour tour length. If you want more, thirty extra minutes in a private Land Cruiser is AED 150 at the camp.
“The camel ride was two minutes”
The included one is a short led loop. Completely fair criticism of the whole industry. Ours is the same, which is why we publish a 15-minute ride at AED 150 and a proper trek at AED 390 — and say plainly which is which on the camel page.
“An hour of sitting around”
Real, and structural. Roughly ninety minutes between the activities and dinner while other groups arrive. We put it in the timeline instead of pretending it is not there.
“Hundreds of people, like a colony of ants”
That is mostly Dubai’s Lahbab on a peak weekend, where dozens of operators queue for the same ridge. Al Khatim is quieter. It is still a shared camp and a December Saturday is busy — ask us how your date looks and we will tell you honestly.
“Constant upselling”
The commonest complaint in the category. Every price we charge is published on this website before you leave the city, including everything you could buy at the camp. Say no once and it is over.
“The buffet closed after one round”
Ours does not. Go back as often as you like. It is camp food grilled outdoors rather than a hotel restaurant, and there is as much of it as you want.
The money
AED 40 versus AED 250: what each actually buys
The evening safari is roughly seven hours door to door. At AED 250 that is about thirty-six dirhams an hour including two hours of driving, a dinner and a full evening of activities. Judged that way it is not expensive.
- AED 40 — self-driveCamp entry, all the activities, the buffet and the shows. You supply the car and you miss the dune bashing. It is a legitimate product, not a trick, and it is genuinely the cheapest real safari in Abu Dhabi.
- AED 60 — shared coachThe same evening plus dune bashing, meeting the coach at a mall. Best value on this list by some distance.
- AED 150 — door pickupEverything above, collected from your hotel in a Land Cruiser.
- AED 250 — full eveningThe complete package with VIP seating and a quad included.
- The warningIf someone sells you a AED 250 evening for AED 99, they recover it in upsells once you are an hour into the desert with no way home. That is the actual scam, and it is not the low headline price — it is the hidden one.
Alternatives
If a safari is not right for you, do this instead
Al Wathba Fossil Dunes
Forty minutes from the city, no entry fee, no adrenaline, and extraordinary at golden hour. Check it is open first — it has been closed for development.
Drive yourself to the camp
Skip the dune bashing and the coach entirely. Arrive when you like, leave when you like, eat, watch the shows and go home. Detail on the budget page.
Stay overnight
If crowds and the lull are the problem, this solves both. The camp empties after the evening groups leave and the desert becomes what you imagined it was.
The city instead
The Grand Mosque is free and one of the great buildings of the last century. If dunes are not really the draw, a city tour is honestly the better day.
How to avoid the bad version
Book direct rather than through a street kiosk. Get the inclusions in writing before you go. Ask whether the vehicle is shared or private, and how many people will be at the camp. Insist on a pickup time, not a two-hour window. Go between November and March. And if you hate crowds, take the morning trip — it is quieter, cooler and half the price of the evening.
FAQs
Is it worth it — your questions
Is a desert safari worth the money?
At AED 250 for roughly seven hours door to door, including two hours of driving, dinner and a full evening of activities, it works out at about thirty-six dirhams an hour. Judged that way, yes. Whether you enjoy it depends on who you are, which is what the first section of this page is for.
Is a desert safari a tourist trap?
The bad version is. The pattern is a very low headline price recovered through upsells once you are an hour into the desert with no way home. A low price is not the warning sign — a hidden one is. Ask for the full inclusions in writing before you go.
Why do so many reviews say it is rushed?
Because the dune bashing is twenty minutes and the included camel ride is a short loop, while the tour is sold as six hours. The gap between those two numbers is where nearly every bad review comes from. We publish both.
Is Abu Dhabi less crowded than Dubai?
Generally yes. Dubai’s Lahbab has dozens of operators queueing for the same ridge on a weekend. Al Khatim is quieter. It is still a shared camp though, and a December Saturday is busy.
Is it worth it if I have been to Wadi Rum or the Sahara?
Honestly, probably not. This is a packaged evening with entertainment and dinner, not a wilderness experience. If you want that here, the overnight or the sunrise trip is the closest you will get.
Is the VIP or premium version worth double?
It buys front-row seating and a quad, not a different camp or different food. On a busy winter weekend it is worth it. On a quiet Tuesday, honestly not much. Detail on the VIP page.
Is it worth it in summer?
Not the evening one. Take the morning or sunrise trip from June to September — cooler, quieter and better in every way except that you have to get up.
Is it worth it with young children?
Between about six and fourteen, it is one of the best things you can do with them here. Under about three, take the morning safari or skip it. Detail on the family page.
Is the AED 40 option a scam?
No. You drive yourself to the camp, so you supply the transport and skip the dune bashing. Everything at the camp — food, camel, sandboarding, shows — is the same. It is a real product with a real explanation.
Can I just drive into the desert myself?
To the camp, yes, on a graded track in a normal car. Into the dunes, no — that needs a proper 4×4, deflated tyres, recovery gear and a second vehicle.
Is the camel ride cruel?
A fair question and we have written a proper answer rather than a reassurance. Short version: one adult per camel, a weight limit, no rides in peak heat, shade and water between rides. Full detail, including what to check yourself, on the camel page.
What is actually included versus extra?
Included: transfer, dune bashing, camel ride, sandboarding, henna, costume photos, the shows and the buffet. Extra: quads, the buggy, the longer camel ride, VIP seating, sheesha and the falcon photo — every one of them priced on this website before you leave the city.
Still think it sounds good?
Then it probably is. Send us your date and we will tell you how busy the camp will be that night before you commit to anything.
First-timer’s guide · From AED 40 · Overnight · Morning Safari