Overnight Desert Camp in Dubai: What a Night in the Dunes Involves

The stars: what to expect

After dinner, a telescope is set up for stargazing, and later a camel ride in the dark leads to a quiet campfire where you learn to brew Arabic coffee. This is the part of the night many guests remember best, because it is calm after the noise of the shows.

Be realistic about the sky. Dubai is a large, brightly lit city, and on most nights you will still see a glow along part of the horizon. The moon matters too: around full moon the sky is bright and only the stronger stars stand out, while in the days around new moon far more become visible. What you can count on, clear weather permitting, is a sky with many times more stars than you see from a hotel balcony, the brighter planets when they are up, and the moon itself through the telescope. Give your eyes time: they need around twenty minutes away from bright lights, including your phone screen, to adjust to the dark.

Dust and haze also play a part. On some days, especially when the wind has been blowing, the air holds fine sand and the sky looks milky even far from the city. Nobody can promise a perfect night, and we will not pretend otherwise.

Night falls over the desert near Dubai, when the telescope comes out — Photo: Unsplash

Sunrise and the morning

At dawn you are woken for a camel walk at sunrise. This is the quietest hour in the desert: the sand is cool, the shadows on the dunes are long, and the light changes quickly from grey to gold. Sunrise comes earlier in summer and later in winter, so the camp team tells you the exact wake-up time on the evening itself.

After the walk there is an Arabic breakfast, and then the drive back to your hotel. You are back in the city in the morning, which leaves the rest of the day free, although most people are glad of a slow afternoon after a short night.

How cold do desert nights get?

This is where many travellers pack wrongly in both directions. The desert near Dubai is not cold in the way a mountain is, but it can be noticeably cooler than the city, and in summer it hardly cools at all. The figures below are long-term averages for Dubai itself. The open desert, away from the buildings and the sea, can feel cooler, especially in wind, so treat them as a guide rather than a promise.

• December to February: the coolest months. Average night-time lows in the city are around 14 to 16°C, with January the coldest. Inland areas regularly drop lower, and on the coldest nights of the year the national weather service records readings below 10°C away from the coast. This is when you need a proper warm layer, ideally a fleece or light jacket, and long trousers for the evening.
• March, April, October and November: comfortable evenings. Lows in the city average roughly 18 to 24°C, warmer at either end of the season. A long-sleeved top for the sunrise walk is usually enough.
• May to September: nights stay warm. In July and August the average night-time low in Dubai is around 30°C, and days are well above 40°C. This is when the air conditioning in the tent earns its place. Drink plenty of water during the afternoon and the dune drive.

Whatever the month, the sand itself loses heat quickly after sunset, so sitting directly on it in winter feels colder than the air temperature suggests.

What to bring

• A copy of your passport (residents: Emirates ID). This is required for the overnight stay.
• A warm layer from roughly November to March, more important the closer you are to January.
• Comfortable, loose clothes and closed shoes; sand gets into sandals quickly and is cold underfoot at dawn in winter.
• Sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen for the afternoon, when the sun is still strong.
• A small torch or your phone light for walking around the camp at night.
• Any medicines you take, and a charger.

Towels, toiletries and slippers are provided, so leave those at home, and leave large bags and luggage at your hotel.

Who it suits, and who it does not

A night at the camp suits couples, friends and families who want more than the standard evening trip, and anyone who would rather see the desert at sunrise than at the end of a long day. Children can join from age three, with a child rate up to age 11; children under 12 ride camels with an adult. It works well for a family that is happy with an early start the next morning.

It is not suitable for children under three, for pregnant women, for people with back problems or for guests with limited mobility, mainly because of the dune drive and the camel rides. It is also not for you if you want a drink with dinner, or if you are looking for silence and isolation: this is a staffed camp with shows in the evening and other guests around you. Quad bike or buggy rides are not included; they are available as options, and on those rides the age limit is higher, from ten years.

If a full night is too much

Not everyone wants to give up a hotel night. Two of our shorter trips cover parts of the overnight experience.

The Dubai Night Desert Wildlife and Stargazing trip lasts about five hours and heads out in the late afternoon or evening. The drive slows down to look for animals and their tracks, then there is a camel ride, sandboarding, a falcon and the night sky through a telescope. Sightings change from night to night and cannot be guaranteed, and dinner is not included in this version. It suits curious travellers and anyone who prefers quiet to camp shows, and it can be booked with a private vehicle for up to six people.

The Dubai Oasis Camel Caravan and Breakfast gives you the morning instead. Pickup is at around eight, a camel caravan crosses the sand of a desert reserve at walking pace, and the morning ends with a Bedouin-style breakfast. It is the gentlest way to see the desert in its cool hours, and from December to February you will want a light layer there too.

Pickup and practical points

Pickup and drop-off are included from hotels and apartments in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, and from the Port Rashid and Dubai Harbour cruise terminals. If you arrive by plane, you are collected from a nearby airport hotel. Outlying areas such as Jebel Ali cost extra. Tips and personal expenses are not included.

A sensible plan is to keep the morning before the trip light, eat lunch early, since the dune drive is bumpy, and avoid booking anything demanding for the day you return. If you are deciding between seasons, the cooler months from November to March give the most pleasant evenings and the best conditions for sitting out under the stars, as long as you bring that warm layer.