20 Sep 2022
We only have a couple of days in Dubai and decided to do our must do’s in one day. This tour didn’t disappoint. Abu picked us up at 8:30am from the hotel and Monsoor dropped us of at around 10pm. It was a long tiring day, which we have expected it to be.
Abu drove us to Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was our first stop. Abu was nice but a bit on the quiet side. We were a bit disappointed because he just gave us instructions on where to go. We were expecting him to at least guide us until we get in the mosque to save us time wandering around since the ticket place is at the opposite side of the mall where the entrance to the mosque is. So we ended up wasting time asking people around which queue we need to be in. After the mosque he showed us around Abu Dhabi and just had a quick visit to Emirates Palace and the dates market after. Wish we had more time for lunch.
At 3:30pm, we were at Dubai and transferred to another 4x4 for the desert safari tour with our guide Monsoor. Monsoor drove us to Sharjah where the dunes are better and red color. Other tours do it near Dubai but the sand is not as good as in Sharjah. We tried to do ATV but the heat of the sun is just unbearable for us so we passed. That would have been fun if temperature was not a 100F! So we started early with the dune bashing. Monsoor was such a professional driver and he purposely drove at the edge of the dunes which makes the car go sideways! That 30 min ride was exhilarating and very memorable! We stopped in the middle of the desert and waited for the sunset where we took beautiful pictures of the desert! Monsoor was our photographer too and he knows the right angle for the perfect picture. After that, he drove us for about 20 mins to a desert camp for the dinner and show. This is where he showed us the difference of the sand in Sharjah because the sand near the camp is white and there are more bushes than in Sharjah. In the camp, we rode the camel for not even 2 mins, offered VIP seating for an additional $15 per person. We opted the VIP because we don’t want to walk in the sand to get food. The show was nice (light dance, belly dancing and fire show). The food was not to our liking and could be better. There are a lot of vendors trying to sell different items during dinner which was annoying at times. The show finished by 9pm and Monsoor was there waiting for us. He did an evening dune bashing for us under a full moon which was even scarier and more fun! Monsoor was indeed the best! We were at the hotel at around 10:00 pm. Thank you Abu and Monsoor!