Top Activities on the Ground in Dubai

Take advantage of your morning on a half-day tour of the Arabian Desert with convenient round-trip transport from your Dubai hotel. In addition to navigating, your guide offers a range of activities for all ages, including dune bashing, sandboarding, and camel rides.

Visiting Dubai’s desert independently won’t unlock the dune sports or Bedouin-inspired entertainments offered by organized safaris. This premium experience delivers the works, with the added bonus of the red-dune Lahbab desert as a setting. After a 4WD dune bash, go sandboarding before camel rides, Bedouin-style traditions, a gourmet barbecue buffet, shows, and stargazing beckon from the 5-star Al Khayma Camp. All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are available (own expense) and 4WD transfers are included.

Combine a fast-paced quad bike adventure in the desert with a Middle Eastern-style dinner and entertainment show under the stars. Watch the sunset over sky-high sand dunes, hop a camel for an unforgettable ride across the desert, and chow down on a tasty buffet, plus henna painting, traditional belly dancing, and fire shows. Excursions include door-to-door transfers from any location in Dubai.

The desert plays a huge part in Dubai’s culture and this safari helps you to experience the best of it. Enjoy a thrilling dune bashing session in a 4x4 with an experienced driver. Then, slide down a giant sand dune on a sandboard for stunning views of the desert. Finally, mount your camel for a relaxing ride around the dunes.

Discover the beauty and customs of the desert on this Dubai desert safari. Leave Dubai in a comfortable 4x4 with a guide, and enjoy an exciting mix of traditional and modern desert adventures. Ride a camel, surf a sandboard down the Dubai sand dunes, and relax at a desert campsite as the sun sets. Get a henna tattoo, watch a ‘tanoura’ folk dance, and top off your trip with a delicious barbecue dinner, including shawrma station, and exotic belly dancing show under the stars as you sit around the campfire.

See Dubai's landmarks and beautiful coastline from the deck of a boat on the Persian Gulf. During this boat tour, available in the early morning and late evening to beat the desert heat, get views of the Palm Jumeirah, the Dubai Marina, and the Burj Al Arab. Bring your camera for photo ops and learn about the history and culture of Dubai through your guide's narration.

Take a dune drive across the red sands outside Dubai while exploring the desert by 4WD vehicle. You’ll experience the thrill of dune bashing, sandboarding, and a camel ride. Upgrade your 4-Hour morning or afternoon adventure to a 7-hour and linger for a scenic sunset, with the addition of a barbecue dinner at a Bedouin-style desert camp. You’re treated like a VIP with belly dancing, henna, and other entertainment.

Ideal for culture connoisseurs, this desert safari features a heart-pounding dune bashing session, a camel ride, live cultural performances including belly dancing, a photoshoot in Arabic costume, and a BBQ buffet dinner. From Dubai, visit an oasis and a camel farm in the Arabian Desert before watching a magical sunset. Learn about Arabian culture at a desert camp inspired by a Bedouin village, try your hand at sandboarding, and let local artists decorate your hands and feet with henna. Dinner, unlimited soft drinks, and hotel pickup and drop-off in central Dubai are included.

Zip and zoom along Dubai’s most spectacular stretch of coast on a cruise by RIB (rigid-inflatable boat). Step aboard your high-speed craft at Dubai Marina, and hold the rails as your skipper opens the throttle and speeds you over the waves. Whizz around the man-made archipelago of Palm Jumeirah, and enjoy unobstructed views of the Palm Atlantis, Burj Al-Arab, royal palaces, and Dubai Lagoon from the sea. This RIB cruise is limited to a maximum of 10 people, so you enjoy a more personalized experience.

Discover the landmarks of Dubai old and new on a half-day guided city tour. Traveling by air-conditioned vehicle, get to know modern Dubai, seeing Dubai Marina, the Burj Al Arab, and meg-tall Burj Khalifa, the world’s highest tower. Plus, delve into historical Dubai with visits to Al Bastakiya, Dubai Museum, and the Gold and Spice Souks, plus an ‘abra’ water taxi ride on Dubai Creek. Hotel, port, and central pickup and drop-off included.

Head into the desert outside Dubai for an evening of dining and entertainment. First, climb aboard your own quad bike for an adrenaline-fueled adventure through the golden sands. Then, head to a Bedouin-style camp to participate in other activities such as sandboarding or camel riding as you enjoy traditional Arab music and dancing. A full buffet dinner is served in addition to tea, coffee, and other refreshments.

The UAE is about more than Dubai: its capital city, Abu Dhabi, warrants a visit, too. This full-day trip lets you see it with ease, and with just a small group. Traveling between the sights by air-conditioned minivan, it covers all the must-sees, with visits to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Photo stop at Emirates Palace, Etihad Towers, and more. Entrance fees, plus pickup and drop-off at selected Dubai hotels and locations included.

Admire widescreen views of Dubai’s skyline from the water without an expensive private yacht charter on this shared cruise from Dubai Marina. Settle aboard a gleaming yacht with sunbathing and seating decks, and absorb the landmarks as you glide over the Persian Gulf, snapping photos of the Burj Al Arab, Atlantis, and other sights. Choose from various time slots and savor an on-board breakfast or barbecue depending on whether it’s a morning, lunch, afternoon, sunset, siesta, twilight, or moonlight cruise.

Experience five of Dubai’s iconic attractions and activities on this afternoon and evening tour. Traveling by air-conditioned vehicle with an informative guide, stop to admire the Burj Al Arab and Atlantis The Palm hotels. After a ‘dhow’ Arabian wooden boat cruise on Dubai Marina, absorb the spectacular views from the 124th-floor observation deck at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Finish with the fifth, final experience: a mouth-watering buffet dinner at the Armani Hotel, one of Dubai’s most sought-after dining destinations, complete with views of the Dubai Fountain Show.

Get to know the UAE’s ultra-modern capital of Abu Dhabi on this day trip from Dubai. Stroll around the white marble masterpiece of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, admire views of the Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit and Ferrari World, and visit the Heritage Village to learn about Abu Dhabi’s pre-oil past and Bedouin beginnings. Informative guided commentary, round-trip transport, and Dubai hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

Discover the best of Old and New Dubai on a half-day Dubai sightseeing tour with an expert guide. Traveling by comfortable coach or minivan, take in Dubai’s top landmarks as you absorb the cosmopolitan atmosphere. Snap photos of the Burj Al-Arab; ride an ‘abra’ water taxi across Dubai Creek, and much more. Visit the Deira Spice Souk and the brilliant Gold Souk, then end in Downtown Dubai to see the famous Burj Khalifa.

Explore Dubai at your own pace on a double-decker, open-top Big Bus Dubai tour. Admire top Dubai attractions including the Burj Khalifa, Burj Al-Arab, and Old Dubai, and hop on and off at any of the stops around the city to visit souks, malls, and museums as you please. Choose from a 1-day Discover, 2-day Essential, or an Explore 5-day unlimited attraction pass. Tickets include an array of extras like a Dubai Creek cruise, entrance to the Ambassadors Lagoon and Lost Chambers Aquarium and a Desert Safari.

See the breathtaking sites of Dubai from the top of the world’s tallest building. Visit the observation deck 124th floor of the iconic Burj Khalifa. At 1,483 feet (452 meters) tall, this living wonder is the most popular attraction in Dubai. Choose from an indoor, floor-to-ceiling glass view or step outside into the open-air terrace. Then enjoy a 360-degree view of the city, desert and ocean below. Special telescopes provide a closer look at the sites. Also, enjoy a multimedia presentation of the history of Dubai and pick up a souvenir on the way back down.

Explore two highlights of Dubai at your own pace with this combination package. The first, Burj Khalifa, is the world’s tallest structure at an astounding 2,716 feet (828 meters). Visit At the Top, the highest observation deck in the world, for panoramic views of Dubai, the ocean, and the surrounding desert. Then tour the Dubai Aquarium where you can see thousands of sea creatures, including the largest collection of sand tiger sharks in the world.

View the Palm Jumeirah and other Dubai landmarks from the water on a RIB (rigid-inflatable boat) cruise. Board a RIB with a skipper, and cruise Dubai’s coastline with a camera in hand to enjoy the sights. Speed around the outer edges of the Palm past the Atlantis, The Palm; take in the tower-lined Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah; and admire the Burj Al Arab. Live onboard commentary and choice of several departure times included.

Experience a desert safari on this excursion from Dubai. Venture to a desert camp and after Arabic coffee and dates, take off on a thrilling quad bike ride across the sands. Enjoy a camel ride, see some sand art, get a henna tattoo, and finish with a starlit barbecue dinner back at the camp. As you feast on delicious Arabic dishes, watch a sequinned belly dancing show and hypnotic ‘tanoura’ performance, with dancers spinning in time to traditional Emirati music.

Throw yourself into the action of Aquaventure Waterpark in Dubai with an entrance-only, all-day ticket. Part of the Atlantis The Palm resort, the Aquaventure Dubai boasts impressive water rides and adventures fit for all ages. Enjoy the attractions as you wish: career down corkscrew chutes, ride through shark tunnels, watch the little ones at the new Splasher’s Island area, and unwind on the lazy rivers. Depending on the option you have chosen, enjoy admission to The Lost Chambers, the Atlantis-themed aquarium containing 65,000 marine animals across 21 exhibits.

Shift your Dubai vacation up a gear with an exciting afternoon and evening desert adventure. Leave Dubai by 4x4 with a professional driver, and travel to an area of high, golden dunes. Experience an exhilarating dune drive, stop for photos of a luminous sunset, and up the pace with an adrenaline-pumping sandboarding session. Later, enjoy a camel ride and other fun activities at a beautiful desert camp before sitting down to a barbecue dinner and shows from spinning tanoura dancers, belly dancers, and other artists.