New Year’s Eve Desert Safari in Abu Dhabi: What It Is, and What It Is Not
No countdown, no fireworks and no champagne in the desert — but the 31st is still one of the best evenings of the year to be out there, and 1 January is the most underrated morning in our calendar.
- 5 min read
- From AED 35
- Book 2–3 weeks ahead
The last week of December is the busiest fortnight the Abu Dhabi desert has, and 31 December is the night everybody asks about. So let us deal with the expectation first: there is no gala, no countdown and no fireworks at the camp. It is the standard evening safari, on the most in-demand night of the year.
Which sounds like a reason not to go, and is exactly the opposite. Read on for why, plus the two dates either side of it that most visitors never think to book.
No countdown, no fireworks, no champagne
We would rather be plain about this than have you work it out an hour into the desert. On 31 December our camp runs its normal evening: dune bashing, the sunset stop, camels, sandboarding, the BBQ buffet, the shows, the fire. The same eighteen inclusions as every other night, at the same price.
What it does not have is a midnight countdown, a fireworks display or a drink to toast with. There is no alcohol at the camp at any time of the year — alcohol here is licensed to hotels and restaurants, and a camp on open desert land holds no licence.
And the evening ends when it always ends: most guests are back at their hotel around half past nine. Nobody stays out there until midnight on an evening package.
If a camp anywhere in the Emirates is selling you a New Year gala with fireworks, ask what the licence covers and what the price actually includes. Our scams page covers the questions worth asking.
Desert first, city for midnight
This is what most of our New Year’s Eve guests do, and it is a better evening than either half on its own.
Afternoon into the desert, back by half nine. Late-afternoon pickup, sunset on the dunes, dinner at the camp, home with two and a half hours in hand. You get the desert at its best light and you are showered and back out before midnight.
Then the city. Abu Dhabi’s New Year fireworks are usually staged on the Corniche and around Yas Island — check the official listings closer to the date, because the locations and timings are announced each year rather than fixed.
One warning: the traffic. Roads into the city on the evening of the 31st get heavy, and heavier again around the display sites. If your midnight plan has a table booking attached to it, take the private car at AED 599 so your return is on your clock rather than a shared vehicle’s hotel circuit.
Or see the year out in the desert
The other way to do it, and the one people remember. The overnight package at AED 450 per person keeps you at the camp after the evening groups have gone home.
What happens then is the reason to book it. The camp empties. The generator noise drops away. The sky over Al Khatim on a clear December night is as dark as anywhere you will get within an hour of a Gulf city, and the fire is still going.
Midnight arrives without ceremony — no countdown, no bangs, nothing but whoever you brought with you and a great deal of sky. Then you sleep in a Bedouin tent and wake up to sunrise over untouched dunes on the first morning of the year.
It is not for everyone. For the people it is for, there is nothing else like it in the Emirates.
1 January is the best-value morning of the year
Here is the booking almost nobody makes. On the morning of 1 January, half the city is asleep and the desert is close to empty.
The morning safari and the sunrise trip both have room in them on that date, when the evening of the 31st is turning people away. The light on sand that nobody has driven across yet is the best of the entire year, and it is quiet in a way the desert simply is not in December.
If your New Year plans involve a late night in the city, the sunrise car at AED 999 is admittedly ambitious. The mid-morning run is the civilised compromise.
Either way, message us for the 1st while everyone else is competing for the 31st.
Booking, prices and how cold it gets
Book two to three weeks ahead for the last week of December. There is no surcharge for the date — the price on the 31st is the price on any other night — but the popular pickup windows, the private cars and the VIP bays go first, and by Christmas we are turning people away rather than putting prices up on them.
Nothing is paid to hold a date. No deposit, no card details, no payment link. You agree one total on WhatsApp, pay at the camp in cash or by card with VAT included, and cancel free up to twelve hours before pickup. Booking early genuinely costs you nothing.
It is cold at the end of December. A pleasant low-twenties afternoon becomes single figures at the camp once the sun has been down a couple of hours, with open sky and nothing to hold the heat. Bring a proper jacket and closed shoes — the what to wear page has the detail.
The camp is at Al Khatim, about an hour from the Corniche and forty minutes from Zayed International. Every package and start time is on prices and timings.
New Year safaris — your questions
Is there a New Year’s Eve party at the desert camp?
No countdown, no fireworks and no alcohol – it is the standard evening safari, running on the busiest night of the year. If a party at midnight is what you want, do the safari first and be back in the city by half past nine with time to spare.
How far ahead should I book for 31 December?
Two to three weeks. The last week of December is the busiest fortnight we handle and the good pickup windows go first. There is no surcharge for the date – what runs out is availability.
Do you charge more on New Year’s Eve?
No. The same prices apply on 31 December as on any other night, VAT included, with no deposit and no card details taken.
Can we spend New Year’s Eve in the desert overnight?
Yes, and it is the quietest way to see the year out – the camp empties after the evening groups leave, the sky is genuinely dark, and you wake up to sunrise on empty dunes. There is no countdown and no fireworks out there, which for some people is exactly the point.
What is the desert like on 1 January?
Empty and beautiful. Half the city is asleep, the morning and sunrise trips have room in them, and the light on untouched sand is the best of the year. It is the most underrated booking in our calendar.
How cold is it at the camp at the end of December?
Cold after dark – often single figures Celsius at the camp with clear open sky above you. Bring a proper jacket, not just a light layer.
Read next
Compare the evening, overnight and sunrise options on prices and timings, and read December in the desert for what the month is like. For a celebration with a group, see the birthday page, and for two people, the anniversary page.
The 31st goes first — send us your dates now
Nothing is paid to hold a date and cancelling stays free to twelve hours before pickup, so booking early for New Year costs you exactly nothing.