When most people think of taking a luxury holiday to Dubai, they think of Dubai city itself; staying at the breathtaking Burj Al Arab (the premier luxury hotel in Dubai), viewing the crazy building projects like the Palm Islands, shopping in the prestigious Wafi Mall or haggling for jewellery in the world famous Gold Souk. But there is much more to do on a luxury holiday to Dubai than just sightseeing in the city – there’s plenty of fun to be had out in the desert as well.

While it’s unlikely that you’ll be staying in the desert for any length of time during a luxury holiday to Dubai, it is the perfect place to stay for a night or two, or visit as a day trip. As well as being a visually striking and fascinating place to explore, it’ll also give you the chance to take part in some unique holiday activities…

Camel riding

Camel rides are an essential part of any visit to the desert, and will give you the chance to do your best Lawrence of Arabia impression as you trot across the sand dunes. There are plenty of Dubai holiday companies that run camel riding trips in the desert, ranging from half hour tasters to day long treks. They’ll be able to run you through the basics of camel handling, but here’s my top tip: when a camel stands up, it first raises its back legs, then its front legs. This means you need to lean back first then forwards as the camel stands up, or you could be sent flying!

Dune Bashing

If you take a trip to the desert during your luxury holiday to Dubai you’ll inevitably go dune bashing, a favourite activity for travellers with stomachs that are strong enough to take it! The premise of dune bashing is simple: get into a 4x4, go to the desert, and start driving over the towering sand dunes. Tearing across, up and down these sand dunes is tremendous fun; and with the absence of roads, it is pretty much the only way to get anywhere in the desert! It is also very safe – although it looks haphazard, any good tour company will employ good drivers and robust vehicles.

Sand Skiing

Yet another weird and wonderful activity to take part in while on holiday in Dubai, sand skiing is exactly what it sounds like. Out in the desert, many of the sand dunes have sand that is smooth enough to travel down on “snowboards”. It is tremendous fun, and falling over into warm sand is much less painful than taking a tumble into ice, snow and rock!

Desert BBQ

If you’d like to spend a night out in the desert as part of a luxury holiday to Dubai, one option is overnight camping, Bedouin style. It may not have all the mod cons of a Dubai luxury hotel, but you’ll be treated to Arabic cuisine, entertained by traditional music and belly dancing, then get to sleep beneath the stars in the desert – a truly unforgettable experience.

Submitted by: Peter Vasilou Peter Vasilou is a Dubai expert for key2holidays, an online tour operator specialising in luxury holidays to Dubai, as well as holidays in Australia, Cuba, the Caribbean, Europe, the Far East, the Maldives, Mauritius and the Seychelles, Egypt and Southern Africa. Key2holidays has a dedicated team of experienced travel consultants to share their knowledge and help you to plan and book your ideal holiday.