Can you visit Dubai Desert on your own?

Experiencing Dubai differently is something I already discussed in another article. It is a topic which a lot of tourists on stopover flights were interested in. One of the points which are mentioned in this article is the possibility to visit the desert. There are tons of safaris organized in the desert and it is a great idea to join one of them. But, can you visit Dubai Desert on your own?

Whereas you can drive your own car on the roads just like in every other place, it is not recommended to visit Dubai Desert in your own car. Basically safari organizers let you drive your car up to a meeting point, where licensed safari drivers take you for the next part of the desert safari. Even if you are a hardened 4×4 driver, it could be dangerous for you to adventure yourself alone in the desert. The best is to organize this kind of activity with professionals.

Dune bashing is definitely a thing to do in Dubai. There are tons of places where you can book 4×4 dune bashing tours. We will get deeper into that in this article.

Visiting the desert in Dubai: is it a good idea?

As mentioned before, there are a lot of safaris in the desert. If you are not that much of a city-person, maybe choosing to head to the desert would please you. It is definitely a good idea if you are interested in driving.

Driving in such conditions is a unique experience, and it would be a shame to miss it. There are not a lot of places on Earth where you can so easily book a 4×4 dune bashing tour and be in the middle of the desert 2 hours later.

How much does it cost to book a safari near Dubai?

The price of deserts safaris depends on various factors, such as the length, the hour, the season, and so on. To get the exact prices of the safari you want to book, the best is to directly call the organizers.

However, I will here give you an idea of the prices you can expect. After doing some research, I gathered information on various safari organizers and I can give you a price range.

It costs from $10 to $40 to book a safari tour. The cheapest prices are at around 40 AED ($10) and can reach 150 AED ($40) for morning and night safaris for example.

This is for the basic price range. Then, of course, you can buy insurances, and special offers, which can double the price. Here, I am just talking about the booking price without any option.

You can find more details on websites like Desert Safari, with all the activities included in every offer. Note that this is not part of an affiliate program and that I am not promoting any of the safari organizers I will talk about.

How long is a desert safari?

The classic duration of a desert safari is half a day. It will usually last between 6 and 10 hours for the longest ones. It’s definitely long enough to enjoy the desert and have great time.

How can I drive a buggy in Dubai?

You may have seen videos of people driving a buggy in the sand dunes. This is a thrilling activity to do in the desert. But how do you do it? Well, it is not that hard. A lot of safaris also propose this kind of activity.

The first way to drive a buggy in Dubai is to directly call safari organizers.

If the company does not propose such activities, there is also the possiblity to rent a buggy. However, this is probably a more expensive alternative. On the other hand, you are then free to do what you want with it.

Keep in mind that you can pretty much buy or rent anything you can think of in Dubai. Renting a buggy is totally possible. It costs around 800 AED per hour.

Of course, all those pieces of information also apply to quad driving, and every sand vehicle you could think of.

To help you have a better idea of what a safari desert really looks like, here is a video from Perfect Little Planet, who booked a desert safari and film most of it.

What is the closest desert to Dubai?

Now that you now it’s pretty cheap and easy to book safaris around Dubai, you may be interested to get one. But you still do not know where to head.

In fact, it is the safari organizers which will give you a meeting point. So, you do not need to worry about that point.

The question “What is the closest desert to Dubai?” does not even really make sense, because Dubai is surrounded by sand dunes. The city was built on the coast, but still, in a desertic area.

However, there are still some particular sand dunes to see around Dubai. For example, the Hatta Desert is known for its rocky mountains and its lakes. It is not the kind of landscape you would expect to see in the United Arab Emirates.

I hope that this article was helpful and that you will not visit Dubai Desert on your own. It is definitely not safe to do it alone. You can find videos on YouTube of dune bashing accidents which will definitely chill you out.

I did not want to add those videos directly in this article because I do not want to be a moralizer. I am simply here to help you find the answers to your question and give you as many details as possible regarding the question.

See you somewhere in the world!