Abu Dhabi Desert Safari for Fun and Adventure travelogue to Abu Dhabi Desert Safari.
A couple of days back we received email from our client regarding Abu Dhabi Desert Safari Trip with us; it’s the experience they had with their trip with us and how they enjoyed it. Kris and Lizza were their names and they were from Belgium, and they were in Abu Dhabi for one week to spend holidays. Abu Dhabi Desert had always some mystery in them and great place for memorable moments. The given below is their story.
Our tour started on one Friday, by booking for a Desert Safari via phone, they picked us from our hotel by 3:30 pm. To our surprise it was a 4×4 Land Cruiser that was used for the dune bashing that picked us, both of us was happy, and Land Cruiser gave us a safe feeling. Driver Mr. Anthony asked us to fasten the seat belt, there was a roll ball/roll cage installed in the car to protect the passengers from getting squashed in case the 4×4 rolls over. On the way the car stopped at the petrol bunk for fueling, it was at this moment that we realized how cheap oil was in Abu Dhabi. The driver explained in some other places of Middle East Petrol is even cheaper than this. A 40 minutes drive took us to the desert, we could see beautiful dunes and the reflection of sun rays from dunes was something graceful for the eyes.
The driver took us straight to the red dunes of the Abu Dhabi Desert, and it is now his turn to show his professional driving skills. He drove the car up and down through the dunes and we were crying out of excitement and hearing it our driver Anthony was laughing aloud. We were afraid that our cruise would roll and we would get struck in sands, but nothing happened and it was wholesome fun that we enjoyed. Then we stopped for a short while to take some photos and give rest to Anthony and his cruises. It was a great experience standing there, you are at the top of the highest dune, with sun rays reflecting all around, in one phrase – Nature is beautiful.
Next was the Abu Dhabi Desert Safari Camp. Here there is quad bike’s and camel ride also. Lizza took the quad bike, the boy asked for 100 AED, Anthony talked and got us a discount price of 70 AED for 30 minutes. Then came the Camel Ride which was given to us free of charge with the help of Anthony, it was great experience riding the camel.
After entering the camp we have Arabic tea with dates. At another side of the camp there is a place for smoke “Sheesh”, it is free and we tried it. Then we moved towards the lady who is sitting and doing tattoos “Henna painting or Henna tattoos”. Seating arrangement inside the camp are low tables set around a huge circular stage with big floor pillows. We felt nice when we sat and allowed our toes to sink in the cold sand under the starry night sky. Then it was the turn of the belly dancer who was pretty and danced very well, people around was interested in taking her pictures and movies, rather than watching her moves. After that was the dinner, a buffet dinner that includes typical Arabian fare and barbecue that spread an aroma so good, spices filled the air and of course before that they served fried vegetables and sodas as snacks. We had a sumptuous dinner, and the next item in the schedule was Tanoura dance, we relaxed watching this fast paced swirling choreography by males.
Tanoura means ‘skirt’ and the spinning is done to attain purity and to be one with God. There is scope to do shopping, shops for sand painting and traditional cloth is around. If you are interested you can try wearing those traditional clothes and click some snaps.
We had a chilly night and our long-sleeved tops didn’t give much relief. On coming out we saw our driver Anthony waiting for us outside the camp to take us back to the hotel. We had a great time and we thought ourselves, how we started the day looking neat and proper, hair neatly combed; now we look as though we went through a tight wrestling with hundred camels in the desert. What contributed to this were the sand, the wind, our sweat, and our excitement. These made us look filthy, muddy and sloppy. Even though our hair was a mess, exhausted and dirty we rate this as the funniest and the most enjoyable days of our lives. The desert camp and dune bashing was worth every penny. So, whenever you get a chance to visit Abu Dhabi, do not by all means miss the Desert Safari.