Ever since Dubai came on the world map as a tourist and financial center the government of Dubai has been making many efforts to make the stay of visitors to this area memorable. One of the most popular tourist activities of Dubai is the famous Dubai Desert Safari. There was a time when Dubai had millions of tourists every year but times have changed and now the tourist traffic is reduced because of the Wuhan Virus, yet the few who come can still savor the desert safari.
The desert safari is similar to any other safari like a forest or natural park. The only difference is that it involves cruising through the desert. The desert is made of sand which rises in small hillocks called dunes. These keep shifting with the direction of the wind. In addition, desert storms are also common when the sand is churned all around and visibility is reduced to zero. Getting caught in a desert storm can be a chilling experience.
The desert safari thus has to have a special type of vehicle that should be able to move on the sand. Only a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle can serve the purpose. The most commonly used vehicle is the 4×4 Toyota land cruiser in these Desert safaris. The vehicle is roomy and with AC on does not get heated in the hot desert where the day temperature rises to 50°C. The safaris are suspended during the hot months of May and June. The best time is winter when the temperature is low and you can really relish the desert, the belly dance, and the Food
Booking a Safari is easy and there are many outlets at the hotels where you will be staying. There is there are two types of safaris. Firstly there is the day Safari which picks you up from your hotel and drops you back by midnight. There is also the overnight Safari which takes you to a Beduin village where you spend a night in air-conditioned tents and come back the next evening.
The Safari begins from the time you are picked up from the hotel. After pick up, all the vehicles assemble at an assembly point. Remember no single vehicle ventures into the desert alone. This is dangerous as there is every chance that you can lose your way in the desert and even sometimes the drivers also lose their orientation.
The cavalcade of the vehicle will then drive into the desert. This by itself is a thrilling experience as the vehicle will go up and down in the desert dune. The drive is something that can only be experienced. Most probably the safari party will then converge to the desert camel farm. You can then get out and have a look at the camels and even have a short ride on the camel. Here you will also have the sand scooter and riding it in the desert is a great challenge and fun as well.
The next halt of the safari is at a desert Bedouin camp. Such camps are specially made to cater to tourists and have basic tourist amenities like washrooms, electricity, and telephones. The stay at the Bedouin camp could be anything from 2 to 4 hours and dinner will be served. Normally a sumptuous buffet spread is available and you can get both vegetarian and nonvegetarian food. It is an international buffet and there are dishes from all parts of the world from Europe Japan and India. However, keeping the susceptibilities of the vast number of visitors from the subcontinent beef is never served. This is the time you can also order whiskey or beer but this will be charged extra and is not part of the package. However soft drinks are free and you can have your fill of them. Many women like to loiter around the camp and get their hands decorated with Henna. Foreign women find this exciting. You can also get yourself photographed in a hijab as a remembrance.
The standard fare after dinner is belly dance. This is the piece de resistance of the evening. Many of the girls are locals but an assorted lot of girls from Lebanon and even India do the belly dance. Incidentally during your holiday if you want to learn belly dancing there are short horses in Dubai and you can pick up the rudiments of the dance in a few days.
The belly dance is a lilting dance with a lot of sex appeal and sure to please the visitors. The girls are generally beautiful and fair. I have been to the desert safari a couple of times.
The end of the belly dance signals the end of the safari trip and the vehicles will drive you back to the place they had picked you up. The desert safaris are now very commercialized but despite this, a visit to Dubai without a desert safari is something to relish and not be missed. The Dubai sand or desert safari tour price ranges from $ 100 to $ 200 per person. The rates of gone up because of the Wuhan virus and the extra precautions that have to be taken. The number of visitors taken on a safari is also reduced by 50%.
The entire trip will be from 7-10 hours.