Most first time visitors picture the dunes. They picture the 4×4 rolling over the sand and the sunset over an open horizon. What they do not picture is the camp, even though the camp is where a large part of the day is spent. It is the quiet middle of the trip, after the drive and before the journey home, and it is worth knowing what to expect before you book.
This guide walks through a camp visit in order: arrival, the welcome, the activities, the food, and the return. It covers the Evening safari in full, and notes where the shorter Morning safari differs.
Arriving at the camp
On an Evening safari, pickup is usually between 3:00 and 3:30 PM, and the return is around 9:30 PM. The drive out of the city, the photo stops, and the dune drive come first. Then the pace changes. The vehicle slows, the sand flattens out, and the camp comes into view: a fenced area of tents and seating in the open desert, with space to walk around and sit down.
On a Morning safari, pickup is usually between 7:00 and 7:30 AM, and the return is around 11:30 AM. The camp stop is shorter and quieter, because the whole trip is shorter. The welcome and the camp activities are the same in spirit, but there is less sitting around, and there is no evening dinner. If you want the full camp evening, with dinner and the last light over the dunes, the Evening safari is the one to pick.
Gahwa and dates on arrival
The first thing that happens at the camp is the welcome. You are served gahwa, traditional Arabic coffee, with dates. It is a simple, warm welcome: a small cup, a date, and a few minutes to settle in after the drive.
For many visitors, this is the most memorable part of the camp. The drive is exciting, but the welcome is calm. You sit down, you taste something local, and the desert stops feeling like a sightseeing stop and starts feeling like a place you have been welcomed into. Take your time here. There is no rush to move on to the next activity.
Camel ride, sandboarding and henna
After the welcome, the camp activities begin. The short camel ride is the one most visitors try first. It is a short ride, not a long trek, and it is included in the safari. If you want photos, this is a good time for them, because the light is soft and the camels are close to the camp seating area.
Sandboarding is included as well. This is a real slide straight down a dune, with arms out, not a surfing style ride. You climb a small dune and slide down.
Henna painting is available at the camp too. It is a good option if you want a quiet activity between the ride and dinner. You sit down, choose a simple design, and the artist paints it while you rest. Nothing at the camp is compulsory. If you would rather sit, drink another coffee, and watch the dunes, that is a perfectly good way to spend the camp time.
BBQ dinner on the Evening safari
On an Evening safari, the camp serves a BBQ dinner before the return drive. This is part of the experience, not a rushed stop on the way home. Families eat together, there is time to sit and talk, and the meal comes after the activities, when everyone is ready to rest.
The dinner is the natural end of the camp visit. After it, there is time for a last walk around the camp and a few final photos, and then the drive back to Abu Dhabi begins. The return is usually around 9:30 PM, so you are home the same evening, with the whole day behind you.
On a Morning safari, there is no BBQ dinner, because the trip ends around 11:30 AM. The camp stop is about the welcome, the short activities, and the quiet desert morning, and then you head back before lunch.
What the camp is not
It helps to know what the camp is not, so expectations stay honest. It is not a resort, and it is not a theme park. There are no rides beyond the activities described here, and no fixed show schedule to sit through. The camp is a simple desert base: seating, tents, food, and space. That simplicity is the point. The desert itself is the attraction, and the camp is where you rest inside it.
It is also not a place you need to prepare for in a special way. Comfortable shoes help, because the ground is sand. A light jacket helps on an Evening safari, because the desert cools down after sunset. Sunscreen and water help on a Morning safari, when the sun is stronger. Beyond that, you only need to bring yourself.
Prices and booking, in plain words
The standard Evening safari is AED 150 per person, and the Morning safari is AED 250 per person. A Private safari is AED 700 per vehicle for up to 6 guests, which suits families and groups who want their own vehicle and their own pace.
Children below 3 years travel free. From age 3, a child pays the full adult price. There is no upfront payment. You pay on the day, cash to the driver or card at the camp, and cancellation is free. If plans change on the morning of the trip, you are not losing money paid weeks ago.
To book, message us on WhatsApp and tell us your date, how many adults and children are travelling, and whether you want the Evening safari with the camp dinner or the shorter Morning safari. We will confirm the pickup time and the total price before you travel, so there are no surprises on the day.
