Dubai : Morning Desert Safari
Jul 22nd, 2007 | 04:53 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 526
Likes: 0
Dubai : Morning Desert Safari
Has anyone done a morning (shortened) desert safari? Everything that I've seen listed online is a full-day safari, although that means starting at 3:00 pm and ending at 9:00 pm. I'm looking to go out in the morning and do some dune bashing/dune buggying, sandboarding/sand skiing, and maybe a camel ride. The afternoon tours also include a visit to a beduoin camp and a BBQ dinner, which is the part that I'm not interested in. I've already contacted Arabian Adventures, and they only do the full tour. (They do operate a Rides and Slides tour, which is what I'm looking for, but only during the months of October to April.) Thanks.
Jul 22nd, 2007 | 05:28 PM
#2
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,528
Likes: 0
Yes, i did the desert safari thing you mention--- 3 Pm thereabouts, but that includes the drive from Dubai to the dune safari site......the Four wheel dune safari drive is amazing along with the stunning sunset..
The Bedouin camp/bbq dinner and belly dancing events are all VERY VERY touristy.......
Hari
The Bedouin camp/bbq dinner and belly dancing events are all VERY VERY touristy.......
Hari
Jul 23rd, 2007 | 03:22 PM
#5
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 526
Likes: 0
We didn't want to do the bedouin camp because it seemed really touristy. When I saw photos of over 20+ 4-wheel drive vehicles lined up in a convoy traveling there, it made me think it was not for us.
We are interested in visiting some souks, provided they are not too touristy. When I hear perfume, electronics, and gold, it sounds like souvenir shopping, which we aren't interested in. Is the spice souk more authentic? We visited a souk in Tangier, Morocco last year, and are looking for something really authentic like that, where tourists don't normally go but the locals shop. We could have spent hours there looking at all the interesting flowers, produce, spices, and the local people. It's also going to be incredibly hot, and maybe we are better off just concentrating on the desert safari (and snow skiing, of course). We're staying at the Dar al Masyaf at Madinat Jumeirah, and laying by the pool to recuperate is also appealing.
Thanks again for your replies.
We are interested in visiting some souks, provided they are not too touristy. When I hear perfume, electronics, and gold, it sounds like souvenir shopping, which we aren't interested in. Is the spice souk more authentic? We visited a souk in Tangier, Morocco last year, and are looking for something really authentic like that, where tourists don't normally go but the locals shop. We could have spent hours there looking at all the interesting flowers, produce, spices, and the local people. It's also going to be incredibly hot, and maybe we are better off just concentrating on the desert safari (and snow skiing, of course). We're staying at the Dar al Masyaf at Madinat Jumeirah, and laying by the pool to recuperate is also appealing.
Thanks again for your replies.
Trending Topics
Sep 23rd, 2007 | 04:01 PM
#8
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 526
Likes: 0
Answering my own question:
Desert Safari (Sandboarding and Dunebashing in Dubai) with Hormuz Tours (website www.hormuztourism.com) Hormuz was extremely responsive to my e-mails (unlike many other companies in Dubai), and they offered the exact tour that we wanted at a reasonable rate. (I think we paid $40 per person, excluding gratuity for a private tour.) I did NOT want to take the afternoon desert safari that included dinner at a bedouin camp, which was what most companies offered. The driver picked us up at our Dubai hotel for the hour drive to the desert. The drive is fairly interesting, with lots of construction projects along the way (they are building Dubailand: Dubai’s version of DisneyWorld, scheduled to open in 2010, I believe.) The road conditions were excellent. We actually left the emirate of Dubai in order to dune bash in Sharjah. The car (SUV) was comfortable, and the driver was friendly. We stopped at a small store just before dune bashing so that the driver could deflate the car tires in preparation for dune bashing. The store sold cold drinks, small souvenirs, and had restroom facilities (which we did not use). Dune bashing was really scary! We definitely should have signed a release waiver, and worn helmets. There isn’t much preventing the vehicle from flipping over on the soft dunes (they are really powdery--not hard-packed like the sand that we drive on in the beaches in the US), because you are going at a high rate of speed up and down some serious hills. It was fun, but I almost wanted to turn back several times because I couldn’t get the idea of flipping out of my head. We saw some camels being herded in the desert. The sandboarding was tough--not quite like skiing, and we’ve never actually snow boarded, so we can’t make a comparison. Going down is fun, but when you fall, the sand is burning hot! And you’ve got to walk back up any hill that you board down. If you’re worried about sandboarding, you can always just sit on the board and go down on your butt. But you do have to come back up after the fun.
Desert Safari (Sandboarding and Dunebashing in Dubai) with Hormuz Tours (website www.hormuztourism.com) Hormuz was extremely responsive to my e-mails (unlike many other companies in Dubai), and they offered the exact tour that we wanted at a reasonable rate. (I think we paid $40 per person, excluding gratuity for a private tour.) I did NOT want to take the afternoon desert safari that included dinner at a bedouin camp, which was what most companies offered. The driver picked us up at our Dubai hotel for the hour drive to the desert. The drive is fairly interesting, with lots of construction projects along the way (they are building Dubailand: Dubai’s version of DisneyWorld, scheduled to open in 2010, I believe.) The road conditions were excellent. We actually left the emirate of Dubai in order to dune bash in Sharjah. The car (SUV) was comfortable, and the driver was friendly. We stopped at a small store just before dune bashing so that the driver could deflate the car tires in preparation for dune bashing. The store sold cold drinks, small souvenirs, and had restroom facilities (which we did not use). Dune bashing was really scary! We definitely should have signed a release waiver, and worn helmets. There isn’t much preventing the vehicle from flipping over on the soft dunes (they are really powdery--not hard-packed like the sand that we drive on in the beaches in the US), because you are going at a high rate of speed up and down some serious hills. It was fun, but I almost wanted to turn back several times because I couldn’t get the idea of flipping out of my head. We saw some camels being herded in the desert. The sandboarding was tough--not quite like skiing, and we’ve never actually snow boarded, so we can’t make a comparison. Going down is fun, but when you fall, the sand is burning hot! And you’ve got to walk back up any hill that you board down. If you’re worried about sandboarding, you can always just sit on the board and go down on your butt. But you do have to come back up after the fun.
Sep 23rd, 2007 | 08:24 PM
#9
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,528
Likes: 0
Jboykin,
I stayed one night at the Taj Dubai two weeks ago .... very sub-standard compared to their very high standard of hotels in India. I was pretty disappointed with the hotel and service.
One time two years ago, stayed at the Hilton in the city centre and they were very good. Can't remember the rates or anything. The prices in Dubai have gone thru the roof over the past year or so!
Hari
I stayed one night at the Taj Dubai two weeks ago .... very sub-standard compared to their very high standard of hotels in India. I was pretty disappointed with the hotel and service.
One time two years ago, stayed at the Hilton in the city centre and they were very good. Can't remember the rates or anything. The prices in Dubai have gone thru the roof over the past year or so!
Hari
