Hi guys,
I had a stop over in Dubai 2 years ago and tried the "Desert Safari" tour where they take you dune bashing etc.
But a lot of the people on the tour puked because the car drives up & down for almost an hour.....
Is there any other way to see the sand dunes in the UAE without actually having to be in such a tour?
Can you take any bus, taxi or something and stop on some highway near the desert and see them? !
Why not call the company /travel agent tell them what you want because if you have the money they will find a way to make it happen for sure.If if the one you call can not make it happen keep trying because somebody will,its all about the money.
The best place to access the dunes by taxi would be Big Red, which is a very large static dune approx 40 minutes from Dubai on the road to Hatta. Theres a whole load of quadbike rental places there (which I imagine you wouldnt be much interested in) which make a very easy landmark, and the dunes start right by the side of the road so its a good place for photos. You could easily arrange a taxi rental for a half day to take you out there, wait for you, and drive you back. Dont let the taxi leave - it would be hard to get a lift otherwise.
You can rent a taxi for 6 hours for 300 dirhams and its very easy to arrange from your hotel etc.
lol ctown, I am a budget traveller ....I could hardly afford a 3 day stop over and luckily by flying Emirates between Europe & Asia it was free as far as the airline ticket is concerned lol
Genghis, I will just try to look up Big Red.....now 300 dirhams you say......well then ctown is not quite far off then.....if I remember I paid 300 dirhams for the desert safari tour and there were like 20 4WDs going.....like so many people so I thought it would be much more expensive to go by say taxi for 6 hours than that tour for 6 hours...
300 dirhams is NOT cheap for me......but considered the good standard taxis have in Dubai and when I compare the prices with Scandinavian ones it is cheap and sounds like a good alternative to the desert safari dune bashing which so many people didnt enjoy and some of them even cried ....had russian tourists in our car as well and the mother and daughter kept crying and vomiting for an hour
Big Red is the place where everyone goes, so it looks like a trash belt and is covered in sand tracks.
If you really want to see nice dunes, rent a car and drive down to Liwa on the edge of the Empty Quarter. It's about 3 hours from Dubai, easy drive. Optional you can stay in the Liwa Hotel and drive back the next day. Or throw a sleeping bag in the car, park somewhere, walk 100 meters and enjoy a night in the open?
Another option is to drive to Al Ain via Sweihan. If you take Route 66, turn right towards Sweihan and follow directions to Al Ain. In Al Ain take Route 66 again to Dubai. This is shorter.