Morning Desert Safari

Morning Desert Safari takes you into the Al Khatim Desert outside Abu Dhabi for a sunrise trip built around dune bashing, camel riding, and sandboarding, along with a stop at a desert camp. The tour begins at 6 am and runs for a few hours, finishing by mid-morning.

A roundtrip hotel transfer collects you early in the morning ahead of the 6 am start and takes you out to Al Khatim Desert, southeast of the city, in good time to catch the sunrise over the dunes.

Sunrise and dune bash (from 6:00 am)

As the sky over Al Khatim turns through shades of orange, yellow, and red, the display gradually brightens the whole desert around you. Your driver then takes on a dune bash across the terrain, climbing and dropping through the sand as the sun comes up, giving you a close look at the quiet, open stretches of Abu Dhabi's dunes before the day's heat sets in. It is one of the more photogenic stretches of the morning, with time along the way to stop and take in the view before continuing to the camp.

Camp activities

At the desert camp, you can take a camel ride across the sand, try sandboarding down the dunes, and get a feel for Bedouin-style desert life during a short visit to the campsite. There is time set aside for photos of the desert scenery in its early morning light, and Arabic coffee and dates are served at the camp before the return journey begins.

Return transfer

After coffee and dates at the camp, you are driven back to your hotel, with the whole outing wrapping up by mid-morning, in time for the rest of your day in Abu Dhabi.

Rayna Tours' own desert team runs the safari from pickup to drop-off, so you have one point of contact for the whole morning. The short sunrise format suits travellers who want a taste of the desert without giving up a full day of their trip.

• See the Al Khatim Desert near Abu Dhabi in the early morning light on this all-inclusive Morning Desert Safari.
• Watch the sunrise over the Arabian Desert's dunes as the first light breaks over Al Khatim.
• Take a dune bash across the desert dunes in a 4x4 vehicle.
• Camel riding, sandboarding, and coffee and dates at the desert camp are included in the tour.
• A roundtrip hotel transfer is included, covering pickup and drop-off for the whole tour.
• A good fit for travellers who want a taste of the desert without giving up a full day.

• Roundtrip hotel transfer
• Dune bashing
• Sunrise desert views
• Camel riding
• Sandboarding
• Arabic coffee and dates at the camp

• Personal expenses
• Optional add-ons not listed in inclusions

1. You will receive a tour confirmation voucher by email shortly after booking; check your spam or junk folder if it does not appear, or contact our online support team for help.
2. Present your voucher, printed or on your mobile device, to the driver on arrival for verification.

• Children under 16 can join the safari and are charged at the applicable child rate.
• Infants cannot take part in dune bashing and must stay with a guardian at all times at the camp.
• If your hotel is far from the standard pickup zone, the team will suggest a suitable nearby meeting point; pickups outside Abu Dhabi's usual hotel zone may carry an extra charge, so let us know in advance.
• Partly used services during the safari are non-refundable.
• Heavy luggage is not permitted during this activity.
• Pregnant women and guests with back problems are advised not to join, due to the dune bashing portion of the tour.
• Eating, drinking, and smoking are not allowed inside the transfer vehicle.