Desert safari in Dubai – is it worth?

Is desert safari worth it? Should you do it or not? Is the cost justified? Is it a new experience? Here is my experience of the whole thing – Desert safari was highly recommended by everyone travelling to Dubai. So we decided to go for it. But then which one to book and how to ensure you are not getting a shit deal. How we did – when we arrived in Dubai we had collected a lot of pamphlets from each point be it tourist office, airport or hotel lobby. However when we inquired, found that each varied in pricing a lot but not much groceries. we booked through our hotel travel desk which was managed by Rayna travels. There are different operators for desert safari with price ranging from 100 to 360 dirhams. The 360 priced dirhams is done by king’s company called Arabian safari. The main difference between different prices is – 1. the car in which they take you 2. The duration of dune bashing 3. The quality of camp I.e. Facilities and freebies such as camel ride, hookah/seesha, mehndi, traditional clothes, different shows. 4. Quality of food in the camp The one at the hotel was priced 225 per person but 150 per person if we are not doing dune bashing. The price seemed to be the best deal we had got and since it was thru hotel it seemed more genuine. So we booked it by paying for it all in advance. Since we had an infant with us and elderly couple, there were 2 different trip itinerary for us. How to get a good deal- Later that day we met with a local friend and he mentioned that there were many coupon booklets available in Dubai which locals usually buy. There the discounts available are from 1 plus 1 offer. So effectively the safari could cost somewhere close to about 75 to 100 dirhams. Also, most of the things are negotiable in Dubai. So do negotiate. We got about 15% off on safari per head. Trip details: 3:00 pm picked at about from the hotel in land cruiser. It took about 20 minutes to travel outside Dubai. 3:25 pm we stopped at a small so skier shop for buying any local some jets if we needed any. After 15 mins break we then started towards the point where dune bashing was to start. After about 10 mins we were off the main road and stopped at a point where road met the desert. That’s where we got down and took lots of photos. Our driver was the leader of the group and had to wait till all 30 cars came together. Meanwhile we took photos. After that all 30 cars started in a single file and started riding over the sand dunes. This is a very scenic place and the ride is too good. At time the car is almost 90 degrees. Also, a lot of shaking happens inside hence, for people who get nauseated they should sit up front in the land cruisers. The car keep going over higher and higher sand dunes and then suddenly running down. Most of the times the drivers keep the car on the dune ridge lines and then ensure they curve towards where the ridge line is curving in. Also, the ride is very bumpy and you enjoy the most when sitting at the back of land cruiser. Secondly, it may not be too well for the elderly folks and they anyhow don’t allow kids below 2.