# desert camping/safari



## aurorakchan (Feb 12, 2011)

Hi

Can anyone tell me what is the best way to plan a desert safari/camping trip? I just got to dubai and really want to go on one of these. How long do people stay? where is a good spot to go to? what should I pack? is there a specific type of car that I should take? What are some good things to do while I am out there? Thanks for the help in advance!

Aurora


----------



## ReggieDXB007 (Mar 10, 2011)

There's a lot of literature that is packed with great advice, (and doubtless there's a posting/article somewhere in here) so I won't bore you and everyone else with the obvious. (Try the offroad explorer series)

First of all, IMHO the camping here is terrific; a number of choices, the weather makes it great (at the right time of the year) and it is SAFE (well, mostly safe).

There are broadly speaking three categories, Desert, Mountain and Beach.

Sadly, beach camping is greatly diminished as real estate has been gobbling up all available beaches around the place. Jebel Ali Beach used to be great, but it was blocked off byt he Waterfront development. I have seen tents at the other end (taking the turning towards the sea where Dubai meets Abu Dhabi off Sheikh Zayed Road) but there is no obvious road down to the beach - there's a massive fence in the way. Alternatively, you can try your luck in Umm Al Quain where the public beach is massive, but I suspect camping's not allowed and even if it is, you'd be inundated by gawpers. Further down the coast there's a nice beach before you get to Al Hamra, (between UAQ and RAK) but it gets packed - mostly local residents. Fujairah was always a traditional beach camping spot, especially next to the Sandy Beach Hotel in Al Aquah and beyond the Golden Tulip in Dibbah (bring your passport for crossing the checkpoint), but that too seems to get very crowded plus the looney quad bikers like to come out and play.

Mountains? well there's Wadi Bee which is the road to Kassab beyond Dibba (again, remember the passport for the check point). Head for the Ziggy Beach resort and then keep going up until you get to the top and look for a suitable site. It is glorious. 

Other mountain option is Hatta (again you'll need your passport for the Omani enclave) you can either head out towards Hatta Pools where there are nice spots before and after, or get really adventurous and head into Oman on the right past the Shell Petrol Station before you get to Hatta. (you are not actually crossing the border post so you don't need a visa but be prepared to show your passport to the various army checkpoints.

Now for desert... well take your pick. My favourite spot is Liwa down in the "empty quarter" about 2 hours past Aby Dhabi. Follow the exist past Mina Zayed to Liwa and then carry on past the Liwa Hotel and Guest House towards Moreb Dune. Once you're in deep desert look for a reasonable place on the salt pans under the shadow of the massive dunes.

Closer to home there's a couple of ridges that offer good camping in Sweihan on the way to Al Ain, or you can head towards Fossil Rock. The Ras Al Khaimah desert is also pretty neat (head for the Banyan Tree in RAK and then turn off to the left once you get past the camel fence before you get to the resort itself).

But there's loads of other places and the fun is in exploring. As for a suitable car, you can do a lot of the mountain trips in a normal saloon if you don't mind the hit on the suspension, but you really can't venture on to sand unless you're in a 4x4. Be safe and never get into the desert alone; make sure you are at least two cars and bring at least a spade (for digging yourself out), a good tow rope (not the light ones in the petrol stations) and also a decent air pump to pump your tyres back up. (Tyre pressure gauge of course) Depending on where you are and what time of the year, you may not even need to let the air down, but to be safe I tend to take my tyres down to 15 PSI. NEVER make sudden movements and be very gentle on the accelarator. I saw a local gentleman get a car out by gently rocking the car so that the sand piled back under the tyres and then very, very gently moving it out.

Length of stay is up to you. Being a wimp, I can't go without proper sanitary facilities for more that one night and in any case this is usually what fits in with our wekends, but two days is very feasible, more is a question of how much food and water you can carry. (I remember Al Tayer used to have a water tank they'd tow behind their Land Rover Safaris which used to go out for a week at a time). Also heat is a factor - once the weather gets warm (from April on) it gets a bit too hot to hang around after 10:30 ish

Also a GPS is relatively cheap these days and very, very useful.

Do NOT try sand in the summer (and by this I mean from May on). The sand is dry and sucks everything in, unless you have some sort of super heavy duty vehicle or one of those old toyota pickup trucks the local farmers use for ferrying camels around in. Oh, and a camel of course. But in any case the heat would get to you.

Ermmm there's loads more - there's a great little camping shop on the Jumeirah Beach Road inside a petrol station which has loads of cool equipment.

Have fun...


----------



## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

aurorakchan said:


> Hi
> 
> Can anyone tell me what is the best way to plan a desert safari/camping trip? I just got to dubai and really want to go on one of these. How long do people stay? where is a good spot to go to? what should I pack? is there a specific type of car that I should take? What are some good things to do while I am out there? Thanks for the help in advance!
> 
> Aurora


i'm seriously intimidated by the ample reply you got below, but i'll try...

here is what you could do if you're in for a simpler solution if you only want to camp in the desert for one night.

you need to book a desert trip with a company that can arrange overnight camping. you have to ask them what they can provide, and how much that would be. next, you can negotiate and decide whether you would like to organize it yourself or pay someone to do it for you.

i camped in the desert after doing one of those desert trips. the driver put a tent up for us, made fire, brought sleeping bags and rugs. we only carried some food and water.

the night sky in the desert is a w e s o m e. i could only compare it to the night sky you can see when you sail far from any shore. magic.

you've got to do this; it's a must.  good luck.


----------



## Nightshadow (Sep 21, 2010)

@ Aurorakchan: Dont forget to bring PLENTY of water if you are venturing out... Id say at least a 5 Liter jug. 

@ Cami: Do you happen to remember the name of the company you used? Id like to have a go at it. Thanks!


----------



## cjd (Feb 8, 2011)

We're coming out to AD shortly and both love to camp. 
Is it worth bringing our camping kit in our shipping container or should we buy in country. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Colin


----------



## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

Nightshadow said:


> @ Cami: Do you happen to remember the name of the company you used? Id like to have a go at it. Thanks!


i can't remember the name of that one, but someone recomended this

Desert Safari Dubai

i haven't tried them though, so i can't provide any info on the quality of their services.


----------



## Andy Capp (Oct 5, 2008)

Join www.me4x4.com if you want to know how to drive properly in the desert and camp out.

Trust me on this, the guys there know what they're talking about, you might even spot me and my white jeep in the pics....


----------



## desertdude (Nov 22, 2010)

Andy Capp said:


> Join www.me4x4.com if you want to know how to drive properly in the desert and camp out.
> 
> Trust me on this, the guys there know what they're talking about, you might even spot me and my white jeep in the pics....


Yes a good bunch of folks, met a few of them on a LR only trip in Al Ain last year. Sharky and the LR bunch there.


----------



## S.Bee (Mar 13, 2011)

im also interested in camping but i dont know anyone who wants to camp here in dubai yet if u want we can get in contact and try to sort this out.
cheers..


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

There are actually quite a lot of people who camp in the desert here. Admittedly it's not my cup of tea but even I have been coerced into going camping. I love the being outdoors bit but not so much the sleeping in a tent and the lack of a flushing toilet. 

If you do go camping though, aside from all the good advice given above, be careful where you pitch your tent. It's difficult for joyriders to see you at night until it's too late so avoid pitching your tents near any sand dunes/ areas that are likely to be used as a 4x4 playground.


----------



## S.Bee (Mar 13, 2011)

thanks maz for the hint ill make sure of that just to let u know there is nothing better then using the desert as a big toilet  haha


----------



## S.Bee (Mar 13, 2011)

it was the first time for me to hear about seychelles looks like an amazing place from the website can you tell me more details about it if i want to go for a vacation 
cheers


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

It would be unfair for me to hijack someone else's thread to talk about Seychelles. Once you've made 5 useful posts, you can avail the PM facility - send me a PM and I'll give you a link to the official tourism website.


----------



## mgb (Sep 6, 2008)

cjd said:


> We're coming out to AD shortly and both love to camp.
> Is it worth bringing our camping kit in our shipping container or should we buy in country. Any suggestions would be welcome.
> 
> Colin


We took some camping stuff - don't use the tent though, having one with a sleeping compartment and an flysheet/awning is not a very good idea here (beasties love to shelter in it!)

Camping stuff is cheap out here, some of the local camping shops having amazing stuff too, and if you barter it's not too expensive either.

Don't put your tent near any bushes, foliage or holes.

If you want to join an offroading club for camping, there are quite a few, I'm a marshal for UAE Offroaders and as a club we have run about 6 camping trips over the winter. No camping mid-april to mid-october though!


----------



## S.Bee (Mar 13, 2011)

@Maz
great ill make sure to pm u as soon as i make my fifth comment thanks 

@Mgb
i just checked the group’s website, well right now i don’t have a 4x4 car as I’m new to Dubai i haven’t even made my license yet, but I’m planning to buy a wrangler any recommendations on the year i was thinking 2006


----------



## mgb (Sep 6, 2008)

S.Bee said:


> @Maz
> great ill make sure to pm u as soon as i make my fifth comment thanks
> 
> @Mgb
> i just checked the group’s website, well right now i don’t have a 4x4 car as I’m new to Dubai i haven’t even made my license yet, but I’m planning to buy a wrangler any recommendations on the year i was thinking 2006


Hi S.Bee
why not join the club - its FREE - and you can gain info there. 2005/2006 is a popular choice for the wrangler as that is the last year of the TJ. I don't like them though - don't give you much protection in the case of a highway accident, but they are great in the desert.


----------



## S.Bee (Mar 13, 2011)

i thought i needed a 4x4 car to join hehe. well im going for the wrangler cuz i dont have much of a budget.


----------



## desertdude (Nov 22, 2010)

I wouldn't touch a sheep with a 100mtr barge pole ! ewww


----------



## cjd (Feb 8, 2011)

Thanks mgb, useful info, I'll bear it in mind.
Just got to choose the right vehicle when we get out there.
Any strong recommendations?
It must be useable by herself during the week as a runabout.
I'm guessing not one of the breed of softroaders.


----------



## mgb (Sep 6, 2008)

cjd said:


> Thanks mgb, useful info, I'll bear it in mind.
> Just got to choose the right vehicle when we get out there.
> Any strong recommendations?
> It must be useable by herself during the week as a runabout.
> I'm guessing not one of the breed of softroaders.


Softroaders - never heard that one before BUT what a good name for certain AWD and the likes!!!

I drive a Nissan Patrol SWB Manual 4.5litre (1999), in my honest opinion it is the best car for the desert in unmodified state. There isn't a week goes by when somebody doesn't want to buy it from me. I am not a crazy driver, though I would like to think I am very competent, and it takes me where I want to go with little effort and is wonderfully manoeverable. The downside is that it has a "drink" problem, the furthest it will go between gas stations is about 280kms!

Our family car is an 2008 FJ cruiser, we are really happy with it, and again, we think that being japanese we could sell it quickly at any time of the year. It is unmodified, except for slightly bigger ATR tyres (love Scorpions, not too noisy on the road, capable in the desert), I can drive it quite well, but my hubby excels at taking it over the most challenging dunes. However although the wheelbase is shorter than a landcruiser, it is definitely not a SWB.

Jeeps are good in that you can modify them extensively, but they are less reliable than the patrols/pathfinders/landcruisers/FJs. You will pick up a wrangler cheaply through the summer months, if you do this, then plan to sell it over the winter months and you will get a good price.

BTW I was NOT stuck in my profile pic, I engaged difflock and drove it out after the "photoshoot"


----------



## mgb (Sep 6, 2008)

S.Bee said:


> i thought i needed a 4x4 car to join hehe. well im going for the wrangler cuz i dont have much of a budget.


If you buy a cheap jeep then you had better have a good budget for repairs!


----------



## desertdude (Nov 22, 2010)

LOL, sure you wern't stuck. Give my regards to PR if you see him around. Tell him the King of Saniya said hi. He'll instantly get who your talking about


----------

