My wife and I have visited Dubai together about 10/11 times since 2010. Personally, my first visit to Dubai was in 1973, when I remember it just as a fishing port. In the middle of a small souk was a Wimpy joint, where I bought a burger and fries. Such pleasant memories.
Anyway, back to 2026 ! We chose not to select a specific 4x4 dune-bash because we have experienced this twice before. The 4x4 dune-bash is great fun, but it is absolutely essential that you select a reputable, desert-licensed company with professionally trained/qualified drivers using high-spec vehicles (with roll cage bars in case of a roll-over). There is a risk of roll-over in this type of environment, but I have not seen/experienced/heard of such a thing - a testament to the professionalism you can expect if you make the right choices.
We were collected from our hotel at DXB by a super guy called Tarik M. A Moroccan man, who spoke perfectly good ‘English’ English ! We have travelled very widely across the Eastern Hemisphere and have engaged with a huge number of tour guides, and we can tell you that this guy is hard to beat. Tarik was gentle, pleasant, a great communicator, informative, happy to provide local/cultural information to/from the event - and happy to engage with us (enjoying a little practice with our limited use of the Arabic language).
We had Tarik all to ourselves for the whole event, and he showed us great care and attention throughout. Once we left the main road network and entered the desert sands, Tarik adjusted the tyre pressures and gave us a gentle (but exciting) sand dune ride to the ‘camel meeting point’. Great fun.
Here we were introduced to our camel ‘walker’. I regret not recording the name of this man, but he wore the traditional dish-dashah and shemagh. He spoke understandable English, was ‘smiley’, demonstrated great care of us getting on/off the camels and stopped occasionally throughout this stunning 45-minute ride. My wife and I each had a camel (although there is room for two on each animal). Our camel walker asked for my mb phone so that he could take pictures of us throughout the ride. I gladly gave it, and was happy to see great results. The desert is beautiful (and I am still in love with it, even after 52 years).
*Hold on tight to the grab-rail as the camel is told to stand up/kneel down.
After a peaceful, scenic ride we returned to the ‘Bedouin village’, but some yards outside the ‘village’ we realised a table had been set just for the two of us, where we were served Arabic coffee, dates and a bowl of tasty, sweet treats (similar to, but not the same as, profiteroles) by Tarik.
Tarik reminded us that the desert is cold at night. He provided us with blankets, although we wore our jackets. Take warm clothing, because you will need it !! I suggest you wear shoes, socks and trousers/denim. Maybe take a cap, or wear a shemagh for a feeling of authenticity perhaps. The sand can suddenly be blown towards you, so perhaps think about eye protection.
We were then invited to a well designed ‘village’ environment, in the centre of which was a square-shaped, large, low-level stage (for the tannouri, belly dancing and fire eater shows). Then came more food ! Firstly, samosas and falafel, bottled water, cola etc. Alcohol is available at extra cost (we didn’t bother with alcohol, it also seemed disrespectful).
Then more food. Hot food, in stainless steel containers (chicken, lamb, pasta). Lots of side dishes, salad, slaw, humous. I couldn’t eat my usual amount here, because I had gorged on the Arabic sweets, dates and coffee.
There are adequate toilet facilities, lockable cubicle doors, wash basins, soap and paper towels. Disappointing to see people leaving the toilets without washing their hands (my wife reported the same). Everywhere we travel, we witness the same thing - and then (surprise, surprise) we learn of terrible infection outbreaks. Morons walk amongst us.
You will be approached by a few guys who wish to sell you some souvenirs. We bought a couple of items (coloured sand in a bottle) so be prepared to politely barter- it can be fun. Don’t worry… they will not be out of pocket. * These guys are permitted to approach you by the owner of the event, so don’t worry. The owner introduced himself to us, at our VIP table. Nice guy, good businessman !
What a completely fantastic night. We had not heard of this company before (Oscar Knight) but would use them again without hesitation… 100%
stephensN5804QO
22 Jan 2026
There isn’t a selection button for ‘spouse’ or ‘partner’ above. Anyway, this trip was with my wife. We have visited Dubai about 10/11 times before. Personally, my first visit to Dubai was in 1973, when I remember it just as a fishing port. In the middle of a small souk was a Wimpy joint, where I bought a burger and fries. Memories.
Anyway, back to 2026 ! We chose not to select a 4x4 dune-bash because we have experienced this twice before. The 4x4 dune-bash is great fun, but it is absolutely essential that you select a reputable, desert-licensed company with professionally trained/qualified drivers using high-spec vehicles (with roll cage bars in case of a roll-over). There is a risk of roll-over in this environment, but I have not seen/experienced/heard of such a thing before - a testament to the professionalism you can expect if you make the right choice.
We were collected from our hotel at DXB by a super guy called Tarik M. A Moroccan man, who spoke perfectly good ‘English’ English ! We have travelled very widely across the Eastern Hemisphere and have engaged with a huge number of tour guides, and we can tell you that this guy is hard to beat. Tarik was gentle, pleasant, a great communicator, informative, happy to provide local/cultural information to/from the event - and happy to engage with us and our limited use of the Arabic language. Well educated. You need to ask for this guy to be your guide !
We had Tarik all to ourselves for the whole event, and he showed us great care and attention throughout. Once we left the main road network and entered the desert sands, Tarik adjusted the tyre pressures and gave us a gentle (but exciting) sand dune ride to the ‘camel meeting point’. Great fun. This was not part of the package, but he gave us a taste.
At the meeting point we were introduced to our camel ‘walker’. *I don’t like the use of the word ‘wrangler’ because it’s not in my English vocabulary. I regret not recording the name of this man, but he wore the traditional dish-dashah and shemagh. He spoke understandable English, was ‘smiley’, demonstrated great care of us getting on/off the camels and stopped occasionally throughout this stunning 45-minute ride.
My wife and I each had a camel (although there is room for two on each animal). Our camel walker asked for my mb phone so that he could take pictures of us throughout the ride. I gladly gave it, and was happy to see great results. The desert is beautiful (and I am still in love with it, even after 52 years).
We returned to the ‘Bedouin village’ but some yards outside the ‘village’ a table was set just for the two of us, where we were served Arabic coffee, dates and a bowl of tasty, sweet treats (similar to but not the same as profiteroles) by Tarik.
Tarik reminded us that the desert is cold at night. He provided us with blankets, although we wore our jackets. Take warm clothing, because you will need it !!
We were then invited to a well designed ‘village’ environment, in the centre of which was a square-shaped, large, low-level stage (for the tannouri, belly dancing and fire eater shows). Then came more food ! Firstly, samosas and falafel, bottled water, cola etc. Alcohol available at extra cost (we didn’t bother with alcohol, it seemed disrespectful).
More food. Hot food, in stainless steel containers (chicken, lamb, pasta). Lots of side dishes, salad, slaw, humous. I couldn’t eat my usual amount here, because I had gorged on Arabic sweets, dates and coffee.
Yes, you will be approached by a few guys who wish to sell you some souvenirs. We bought a couple of items (coloured sand in a bottle) but be prepared to politely barter - it can be fun. Don’t worry… they will not be out of pocket. *These guys are permitted to approach you by the owner of the event, so don’t worry. The owner introduced himself to us, at our VIP table. Nice guy, good businessman !
We tipped the camel walker 20 Dirhams, the amount was respectable, apparently. Yes, we also tipped Tarik. He was awesome.
What a fantastic night. We had not heard of this company before, but would use them again without hesitation… 100%
Thank you Tarik.