The first time I visited Dubai, it was with my mother and sister about ten years ago. My mum had just had major surgery so mobility was limited but we already had this girls’ weekend in the diary. So off we went to Dubai, stayed in a fabulous hotel connected to a mall, shopped to our hearts’ content and dined in style. They made it to the souks but I never ventured out of the hotel/mall until it was time to head to the airport. This time, however, I wanted to get out and about and see Dubai beyond the glitzy malls and restaurants so when my friend recommended me trying out a desert experience, I was all in!
I signed up for a “Heritage Safari” with Platinum Heritage, a tour company which has a great range of safari and tour trips available for people who want to get out into the desert and experience more of Dubai. For me, the Heritage Safari worked out great because I didn’t want an early morning after arriving late the night before. The tour company arranged for the driver to pick up the attendees in the late afternoon and drop us off in the evening after the safari experience. The tour started off at 15:25 when I was picked up, and after a couple of stops to pick up some other attendees, we set off for the desert, perfectly timed to avoid the rush hour traffic. Roughly an hour later, we arrived at the desert camp to receive our complimentary water bottles and traditional headdress. I felt (and looked IMHO!) like a desert princess.
I chose to do the safari by land rover. There was the option to do it on camel back, but as much as I was eager for a picture of me on a camel, I was not keen on spending an hour atop one. When I saw the array of vintage land rovers, I knew that I had absolutely made the right choice. As we cruised through the dunes, our guide spoke extensively on the desert flora and fauna we came across. The gorgeous Arabian oryx whose white coat gleamed against the backdrop of the golden sands. Glimpses of desert deer roaming through the desert bushes. We stopped off periodically for closeup glimpses of the animals or certain plants, or for great photo opportunities on the dunes. There was a break in the dune cruising for a fascinating sunset falcon show – did you know that falcons are the fastest animal in the world? Even faster than a cheetah! Then we were back in the land rovers, being taken to a gorgeously decorated Bedouin camp for a bread making show, a coffee ceremony, camel rides, and finally a sumptuous feast for dinner, though there was more to come after dinner.
In terms of cost, the tour cost 695AED and whilst it did cause me to pause at first glance, I really believe this tour was fantastic in delivering value for money. You’re picked up and dropped off at your accommodation (or the nearest hotel if you’re staying in a private residence). The groups are kept quite small – the land rovers have a max capacity anyway! – so there is still a cosy feel to the experience. The itinerary is jam-packed with lots of activities – the safari, the falcon show, camel rides, traditional drumming performances, a mini astrology session, henna and sooooooooo much food. Dinner was a grand affair with a plethora of dishes on offer. All of this is included at no additional cost. Speaking of add-ons, there are photographers on standby to take pictures of you, which you can then purchase afterwards. At first, I was like “yeah no” but then I remembered I was solo traveller and I really couldn’t be bothered to keep asking someone else to take pictures of me. The pictures are 10AED apiece but you have to purchase a minimum of 10 pictures, so really pictures start at 100AED. Trust me, it’s easy to find 10 pics, they were all so stunning. I loved that the photographers were also very happy to take photos on your own phone if you asked.
Having returned home at 23:00 with work the next morning, my final piece of advice is to schedule the tour for a day when you have no morning commitments the following day. All in all, it was a magical experience and one I would HIGHLY recommend.
