Dubai is located in the Arabian Desert, an extension of the Sahara. Having done dune bashing in the Sahara in Morocco, we decided this time we would simply sit back and savor the experience.

Expectations were high when we booked this excursion. I made our reservation with Dubai Desert Safari, which seemed to offer a “more than reasonable price.” In fact, I was so concerned that it was too inexpensive that I spent some time researching the company online. More on that later.

A tour bus picked us up from Sharjah and took us to the desert region in Dubai. Upon arrival, we were transferred to a 4×4 SUV that took us dune bashing—a term used to describe a wild ride across the dunes, which can be summed up as the desert version of a roller coaster.

About 15 minutes later, we arrived at a campsite. As we recovered from the adrenaline rush of the drive, we were bombarded by a deluge of sellers. The first group claimed to be providing the “authentic desert experience,” dressing us in Arab turbans and then charging us a hefty fee. This was not a pleasant experience.

The next vendor thrust a glove into my hand and fastened a falcon to it. This was somewhat interesting. Then we took a short camel ride, followed by a photo session. We were convinced to upgrade to a longer ride, where the person in charge took photos of us on the camels with our own phones. This was reasonable, too.

Sandboarding was supposed to be part of the trip. My son gave it a try, but the board hardly moved downhill and got stuck at the top. Other youngsters around us seemed to have the same experience.

Next, we moved to the seating area, where the organizers convinced us to upgrade to the “VIP section.” The buffet there offered a wider selection of meats and delicacies. There were chairs to sit on, unlike in the general section, where people sat on the floor.

Then, the deluge of sellers began again. Merchants approached our table offering Arab garb, antiques, souvenirs, and more. While we empathized with them, they began to get pushy. After falling for some of their pitches, we firmly (but politely) told them we were done.

Next came the entertainment. The show began with the Ayala dance, in which two male performers dressed in robes danced with long sticks. There were two belly dancers, and then an energetic and impressive Tanoura dance performed by a young man. He was incredibly dexterous, and as the dance progressed, he demonstrated some amazing moves. For the final act, he performed daring feats involving gasoline and fire, which added to the evening’s excitement.

The buffet dinner offered numerous Indian and Middle Eastern dishes (we decided to skip the American and Mexican options, which were not included in the buffet but could be purchased for an additional fee).

A few hours later, the show ended, and we made our way home. The 4x4s took us back to our bus, which then drove us to our original pickup spot.

I’ll close this post with my final thoughts. To set expectations, it’s best to think of this experience as more of a “sampling” of desert activities rather than a true safari. The Tanoura dance was certainly the highlight of the show. While the basic trip was reasonably priced, it’s important to keep a close eye on your spending from the moment you arrive—it’s easy to be persuaded into buying too many things. All in all, I’d say it’s definitely worth your time to try out this experience.