Desert in Dubai, a guide on various deserts around Dubai city

This guide is prepared by Rajputana Cabs, a Dubai based travel agency with years of experience in Dubai Desert Safari tours.

Whether you are a traveller planning to visit Dubai UAE, or just some one curious to know more about deserts of Dubai. This guide will help you you know all about the famous desert sites, its nature reserves, water reservoirs and also share details on famous Dubai desert safari.

Dubai desert names:

1. Al Awir/ Al Aweer Desert
2. Al Lahbab Desert
3. Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR)
4. Al Qudra Desert
5. Margham Desert
6. Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve
7. Al Badayer Desert
8. Al Faya Desert

The Al Awir/ Al Aweer Desert is the closest desert area from Dubai, which is 30-35 km east of Dubai city, it has not medium height golden colour dunes, and I have also seen many agricultural lands, camel beading farms here.

Since Al Awir Desert is half an drive from Dubai, it has become a hotspot for amatuer dune bashing, quad bikes and majority of evening Dubai desert safari tours are conducted here.

Plus if you yourself wants to experience the thrill of dune bashing, you can hire a self drive SUV car, and come here for dune bashing as the desert dunes in Al Awir are not bigger than 20-30 meters.

As Al Awir desert is home to Camel breeding, you can also visit the camel racing tracks here and even plan a camel safari tour in morning, offered by local travel agencies.

Activities in Al Awir desert:

• Dune bashing in 4×4
• Quad bikes arena
• Sandboarding
• Night visit at open air, arabian style camps and also try arabian food.
• Belly dance, fire show & tanoura dance

Sightseeing in Al Awir desert:

• Visit the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve.
• Wildlife like Visit the desert lizards, desert fox.

The Al Lahbab Desert is 1 hour & 50 km drive from Dubai, located southeast of Dubai, and offer some of the best desert safari experience in whole UAE.

The dunes here are quite tall, steep, and since the summer temperatures goes to 50 degree celsius here, the dunes are here of red colour.

The Al Awir desert has some vegetation, but Al Lahbab Desert is purely an Arabian desert destination for travellers who wants advances dune bashing, and dune buggy which is way more powerful than quad bikes.

The natural landscape of the Al Lahbab Desert makes it more photogenic & also got its name the Red Dunes of Dubai.

You will find premium desert safari experience here as Al Lahbab Desert is home to some luxury desert camps like Platinum Heritage Desert Camp, Sonara Camp, Al Khayma Luxury Camp etc.

Activities in Al Lahbab desert:

• More thrilling dune bashing in 4×4
• Dune buggy, big brother of quad biking.
• Sandboarding experience at high dunes
• Sunset photography, one of the best in Dubai.
• Plus many perfect spots for private dinner & entertaining programs.

Sightseeing in Al Lahbab desert:

• Main attraction are the dunes, as they are quite tall thus its the best place for experienced dune bashing enthusiasts.

The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR) is a protected desert area within Dubai & was decaled the first National Park in 2003, dedicated to conserving the emirate’s natural desert ecosystem and wildlife.

Its location south-east of Dubai city, near Al Lahbab desert, is spread in 225 square kilometres area and covers 5% of whole Dubai.

Flora at DDCR: Ghaf trees, Desert grasses, Hardy shrubs and Fauna (Wildlife):Arabian Oryx, Gazelle, Sand Gazelle, Red Fox, Leptirns lizard, desert monitor, Pharaoh Owl, Lappet-face vulture. and Numerous bird species, especially migratory birds.

Activities allowed at Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR):

• Eco friendly desert safari, not disturbing the dunes with dune bashing, Nature drives
• Camel treks in DDCR
• Hot Air Balloon ride
• Sunset and wildlife photography
• Falconry demonstrations
• Private desert dinner with Cultural heritage experiences
• Dinner & stay in Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa

These activities are perfect for Families, Nature lovers, & Luxury travellers. Plus remember that DDCR has strict environmental policies. so you can plan dune bashing, quad bike or any self drive off-roading experiences.

Sightseeing at Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR):

• The reserve itself
• Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa
• Arabian Oryx & Wildlife Viewing
• Traditional Bedouin Camps

Checkout our Luxury Dubai desert safari, which takes place at Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR).

The Al Qudra Desert is around 45 km or a 1-hour drive from Dubai city. Unlike the desert sites mentioned above, Al Qudra Desert is famous for its man-made desert lakes, open landscapes, and wildlife.

It is a popular destination for cyclists, who can enjoy dedicated cycling tracks built here, and it is also home to one of the longest desert cycling tracks in the world.

Additionally, Al Qudra Desert is one of the very few places in the UAE where you will find desert lakes, migratory birds, flamingos, swans, ducks, and coots. You can also spot Arabian oryx, gazelles, and desert foxes here.

Activities in Al Qudra Desert:

• Casual dune rides in 4×4 vehicles, easy for amateurs
• Cycling on dedicated tracks
• Picnic & barbecue outings
• Self night camping
• Bird watching
• Sunrise & sunset photography

Sightseeing in Al Qudra Desert:

• Al Qudra Lakes
• Love Lake Dubai
• Moon Lake
• Al Qudra Cycling Track

In short, Al Qudra Desert is a less commercial desert destination in Dubai, UAE.

The Margham Desert is around 45–50 km drive from Dubai city, known for its significant oil & gas production, which is one of the major sources of energy for Dubai.

It is also a popular destination for Dubai desert safari activities, and many local tour operators offer desert safari tours here, along with BBQ dinners and cultural programs at camps such as Margham Desert Safari Camp.

Activities at Margham Desert:

• Quad biking & dune buggy rides
• Dune bashing & sandboarding
• Traditional falconry show near palm areas
• BBQ dinner with belly dance show, Tanoura dance & fire show

Sightseeing at Margham Desert:

• Golden sand dunes
• Oil & gas fields (view from a distance)
• Camel grazing areas

The Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve is 40–50 km south of Dubai city, and it takes around 1 hour to reach here. Similar to the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, the Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve was created to protect the flora & fauna of this area, and today it is one of the largest nature reserves in the UAE.

Both the Al Qudra Desert and Al Qudra Lakes come under this reserve, and here you can see sand dunes, man-made lakes, desert plains, and migratory birds like flamingos, as well as gazelles, Arabian oryx, foxes, etc.

This reserve was created to promote eco-tourism in Dubai, so don’t expect activities like dune bashing or quad biking here. Entry to this reserve is free for all, and it is one of the best places to visit in Dubai for bird watching & desert photography.

Activities in Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve:

• Nature walks
• Cycling
• Bird watching
• Self night camping

The Al Badayer Desert is one of the closest deserts to Dubai and Sharjah, located to the south-east, around 40 km away and about a 50-minute drive from Dubai city. It is famous for its desert safari activities, as Al Badayer Desert is home to the Big Red dunes, similar to the Al Lahbab Desert.

The Al Badayer Desert is more focused on expert-level desert adventure activities and also has a famous desert camp that you can check out for a night BBQ dinner or even an overnight stay, known as Al Badayer Retreat by Sharjah Collection.

Activities at Al Badayer Desert:

• Dune bashing & 4×4 driving
• Quad biking
• Sandboarding
• Self off-road driving
• BBQ dinner & cultural programs
• Night stay at desert camp resorts

Sightseeing at Al Badayer Desert:

• Big Red dunes
• Al Badayer Retreat by Sharjah Collection

The Al Faya Desert is in Sharjah, UAR & is approx 65 km drive from Dubai city.

Unlike the other desert sites we have shared above, the Al Faya Desert is famous for its UNESCO World heritage site of Prehistoric Archeological site which share history of human settlement here of more than 200,000 years.

Plus you will also find the oldest Petrol Station of uae built in 1960S.

The Al Faya Desert osent have tall dunes, but many travellers come here for its luxurious resorts that offer saltwater pools, Himalayan salt saunas like Al Faya Desert Resort.

Activities at Al Faya Desert:

• Relaxation at Al Faya Retreat
• Quad biking and dune bashing at nearby desert dunes

Sightseeing at Al Faya Desert:

• Mleiha Archaeological Centre
• Al Faya Retreat