Just wanted to say what a fantastic trip!! I really enjoyed the Arabian Adventures desert safari, a really fantastic day for all ages. Especially enjoyed the camp, barbecue and extra authentic Arabian treats in the evening - even the camel ride!

If you have scheduled a Dubai stopover on route to another city, or if you are planning a trip directly to Dubai, UAE, make contact with the tour group called Arabian Adventures. They do a great job in planning an assortment of tours for the Dubai traveler.

Our family of three plus one enjoyed two activities organized by this group. Visit their website for a listing of all their options. I am sure no matter what you select, you will be pleased.

We selected the Dubai Creek Dinner cruise and the Dune Dinner Safari. (English speaking tour leaders). Both were very well organized and all details planned out. Transportation to and from a breeze with tour escorts. In fact, because we booked our 3 nights, 2-day Dubai stop over with hotel with them, we were greeted at the airport and escorted there and onward to our hotel. Saved us confusion in the airport and taxi money to the hotel.

The Dune Dinner Safari was the best. This is a must see for all! 4-wheel drive caravan into the desert, camel farm visit, camel rides, dinner with belly dancer show and more.

Some suggestions: they tell you to wear closed shoes. Do as they suggest, as the sand is hot until the sun goes down. It does get windy out there but it is still very hot. Dress in layers so that in the afternoon you are not overdressed. The evening does not get much cooler, so no need for anything but a light second shirt if at all. I overdressed in long (linen) pants; I could have worn shorts or capri’s. A hat would be good.

They provide water breaks and have cool water in a cooler in the SUV. The ride is up and down and can get bumpy, but it is not too bad. They plan for a stop just at sundown. If it is not too hazy, you may see the sun set. (Dubai seemed very hazy the entire time we were there - (end of July 2006)

All in all, the tour group is very professional and well run. (English speaking tour guides)

PS. Fly Emirates airlines if you can, they too are the best: Great entertainment with world movies in several languages. I was able to see four movies in total during both legs of my trip from NY.

Evening Desert Safari (Dune Dinner):
We opted for the half day safari tour.After having enjoyed the sight seeing tours, we roared off into the desert on a four-wheeled drive jeep safari. We hooked up with a company called Arabian Adventures and were picked up from our house on the day of the trip. The vehicle that we drove in was a four wheel drive luxury Toyota Land cruiser and we were 6 in the car including the driver. First we drove out of Dubai to find some big sand dunes. An hour or so from Dubai sees the low scrubland disappear and the desert proper begin; wave after wave of rolling ochre sand dunes stretch to the horizon. We had the wonderful opportunity of seeing camels traversing the deserts. The driver then reduced the air pressure in the tires and we drove off. It was a fun ride but very, very bumpy. In fact we saw a person in another car that got really sick and that had to throw up after a while. We firmly fastened our seatbelts as the convoy of 4x4’s headed off into the dunes

Next started the Arabian roller coaster ride known as dune bashing (desert driving). We took part in some therapeutic dune bashing on a wildly bucking drive through the wilderness. All of us were shrieking and laughing with excitement as the car went up and down the dunes. The dimpled sand, rising and falling ahead of your four-wheel drive, may look a soft touch, yet hit at high speed, strange things happen! Driving in sand is an exciting activity and an adventure in itself, combining the excitement of a rollercoaster ride with the challenge of remaining mobile on the shifting surface. It is quite amazing to look towards the horizon and see sand dune after sand dune. The dune is spectacular, offering a refreshing emptiness away from the commercialisation of the city. We noticed that convoy of jeeps move together, to provide immediate help if any emergency arises. In fact, it so happened that at one point, our jeep tried to overtake another one at the tip of a dune and suddenly the other vehicle stopped. My God! I held my breath! Our driver skilfully stopped our vehicle and took another path- looked very adventurous and of course scary! Also, another vehicle had shed a tyre but everyone, including tourists from the other vehicles, piled in to help, as the drivers deftly sprung it back on to the wheel rim.
As the sun descended into the horizon, our jeep driver stopped our vehicle and allowed us to take sunset photographs, while standing on top of the fading desert dunes. The interlude gave us the chance to appreciate the real beauty and solitude of the desert as the setting sun cast long shadows across miles and miles of emptiness. Crashing over dunes and wheel-spinning out of dips is all part of the fun, but after an hour’s dune bashing you’ll be glad to pull up at the Bedouin desert camp for a magical evening in the desert evening under the stars. We now headed to the campsite where a convoy of camels awaits your arrival for short camel rides. You may wish to take a camel ride before enjoying a feast of barbecue meats, baked potatoes, fresh salad and Arabic sweets. Camel rides are part of desert safaris and a major Arabian tourist attraction. We were a bit tired after the roller coast dune ride and so we did not opt for this ride. There were quite a lot of activities there and the good spirits got even higher when people discovered that they sold alcohol there!