Dubai: Luxury Morning Desert Conservation Drive
Recommended by 98% of travelers
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Experience a different side of Dubai and enjoy a wildlife drive through Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve in a luxury Land Rover Defender with hotel pickup and drop-off. Spot Arabian oryx and gazelles while learning about the desert’s fragile ecosystem. Finish with a gourmet breakfast at a private camp, set in a sustainably-built oasis among the dunes.
- Enjoy hotel pickup and a shared or private transfer
- Scenic wildlife drive in Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
- Spot Arabian oryx and sand gazelles in protected habitat
- Enjoy a gourmet breakfast at a private camp oasis
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in luxury Land Rover Defender
- Breakfast at our Platinum oasis camp
- National Park fees
- Professional guide
- Nature Safari inside the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We offer pickup from any hotel in Dubai. For pickups from a residence or apartment, a private vehicle booking is required. Pick-up times vary throughout the year based on sunrise times. As a general guideline, expect pickup between 6:30 am and 7:00 am. We will confirm your exact pick-up time via email or phone call around 5:00 pm the day before your excursion. If you do not hear from us, please contact us through your booking or account.
Itinerary
After pickup from your Dubai hotel, climb into your private or shared Land Rover Defender, and journey deep into the desert around Dubai.
An hour or so later, pull up at the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. The UAE’s first-ever national park, this beautiful sanctuary helps conserve the area’s unique ecology and wildlife, providing a haven for countless animal, bird, and plant species.
As you travel, hear facts about the ecosystem and the work being done to help safeguard the 100 or so animal species that inhabit the reserve.
Keep your camera poised at all times, as sightings can be sudden and fleeting.
Your guide also identifies indigenous plants and explains how the Bedouin peoples have traditionally used them for culinary and health purposes.
Finally, continue to an oasis camp within the dunes to enjoy a delicious breakfast, before your tour ends with hotel drop-off.
An hour or so later, pull up at the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. The UAE’s first-ever national park, this beautiful sanctuary helps conserve the area’s unique ecology and wildlife, providing a haven for countless animal, bird, and plant species.
As you travel, hear facts about the ecosystem and the work being done to help safeguard the 100 or so animal species that inhabit the reserve.
Keep your camera poised at all times, as sightings can be sudden and fleeting.
Your guide also identifies indigenous plants and explains how the Bedouin peoples have traditionally used them for culinary and health purposes.
Finally, continue to an oasis camp within the dunes to enjoy a delicious breakfast, before your tour ends with hotel drop-off.
1
Dubai
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
4
Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
5
Dubai
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 15 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Most travelers can participate
- Children between the age of 5-11 years will be charged at a child’s rate.
- A private car booking is required if travelling with children under five years old.
- Please note: Guides in the following languages (Arabic, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, Italian) are upon request and availability.
- A minimum of two guests is required to operate this experience
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Cynthia_P
I so enjoyed my tour with Fahad. The desert is beautiful as were the oryx, gazelles, and birds. Fahad pointed out tracks made by rodents, reptiles, and insects, the burrows of little critters, and trees that marked water sources. It was interesting to learn about the dynamics of the desert ecology. You can even see a distant solar energy lens system. Breakfast was lovely, but it was the desert that meant more to me. It was terrific to take a break from crowds and commercialism and enjoy the peacefulness of this tour.
Reviews
4.9
based on 195 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Dean_K, Jan 2026
Our Guide. was very knowledgeable and we really did get to see the wildlife. As they feed the oryx at a certain time of day you’re almost bound to see these as well as camels and two species of gazelle. The breakfast in the oasis was an incredible experience with delicious food
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hello Dean_K,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We’re so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the wildlife sightings and that your guide’s knowledge added to the experience. Spotting oryx, camels, and gazelles is always a special highlight, and we’re glad you had the opportunity to see them.
It’s also wonderful to know that you enjoyed the oasis breakfast and found it to be an incredible experience with delicious food. Thank you for choosing Platinum Heritage, and we hope to welcome you back for another memorable adventure soon.
Jacqueline_L, Nov 2025
An early morning start with pick-up in an air conditioned vehicle with a very experienced, knowledgeable, professional & friendly guide. Our guy Jay was an absolute star! Breakfast at Al Maha resort catered to a Vegan diet & the food, staff, atmosphere was second to none. If you prefer a more relaxed, easy-paced desert experience over the usual "Dune Bashing/Sand Boarding/Camel riding, I would encourage anyone to experience the REAL wild, untamed beauty of the Arabian desert in this extraordinary & very special place. This tour was the highlight of our 2 night stopover in Dubai.
Ben_M, Apr 2025
Fascinating tour with very knowledgeable guide. Breakfast and desert setting was amazing, definitely worth the early start and exploring outside of the city!
Cynthia_P, Oct 2024
I so enjoyed my tour with Fahad. The desert is beautiful as were the oryx, gazelles, and birds. Fahad pointed out tracks made by rodents, reptiles, and insects, the burrows of little critters, and trees that marked water sources. It was interesting to learn about the dynamics of the desert ecology. You can even see a distant solar energy lens system. Breakfast was lovely, but it was the desert that meant more to me. It was terrific to take a break from crowds and commercialism and enjoy the peacefulness of this tour.
Lynne_H, Oct 2024
I really enjoyed seeing the wildlife - Arabian Oryx, gazelle and sand gecko. Our guide, Fahid, gave very interesting explanations. The breakfast in the lovely resort was delicious !
damien_j, Sep 2024
Our guide was excellent. He was informative and very engaging. The safari was great and finished with a lovely breakfast.
Francoise_P, Jul 2024
We had such a fantastic morning with our guide. He was fun, friendly and knowledgeable. He made sure we could spot a sand fish which wasn’t the easiest thing to do as they are quick to dive in the sand. After our safari, we had the most amazing breakfast at the Al Marah Resort. Thank you for a memorable morning in the desert.
Marlene_D, Apr 2024
What a day! The vast number of Arabian oryx was a surprise. Seeing them behind a fence was ok but we were sure hoping to see them roaming the dunes. After some rather anxious minutes with a few gazelles and some sand fish…there they were! Oryx on the red sand and munching on native plants. It was just great! We had a pleasant but a rather new guide who did not know too much about the birds or plants which would have been nice. The oryx were outstanding so that was why we were there. Lunch at the resort was really great and we enjoyed the view of the water hole as a few gazelles strolled by. If you want to see oryx then this is the trip for you!
ConstanseMjeldheim_B, Mar 2024
Fantastic start to the morning followed by a scrumptious brekkie with great views. Interesting to learn about the desert conservation area
Richard_H, Feb 2024
The tour guide, John, was excellent. Provided lots of information about the desert environment and wildlife. He stopped at some nice photo spots and took some excellent picture of my wife an me. The breakfast was great and in a nice setting. This was one of our best tours in Dubai.
Kacy_G, Feb 2024
This was an awesome with a very knowledgeable tour guide. The desert and wildlife in the UAE were wonderful to get to see and experience. My only real complaint with this tour is that the cost was a bit high for what it involves. It was the most expensive activity that we booked for our week and was shorter and involved less then many of the others.
Nellie_T, Feb 2024
What a great day in the desert! We saw lots of birds, learned about the desert plants and got up close to the oryx and gazelles. Even saw some fox tracks and snakes burrows. Oscar was the best guide with a wealth of knowledge on Dubai and the desert reserve, and also really fun to bird with.
Keith_D, Feb 2024
Fabulous trip I would definitely recommend, our guide was friendly and knowledgeable made the whole experience so much nicer. It was lovely to see the animals running free in a safe environment. The breakfast was lovely with so much choice, there would definitely be something there to suit everyone.
Jasmin_H, Jan 2024
I did this tour with my mum and sister as an alternative to the more common dune-bashing drives which I heard can make you feel sick, and we all rated this as one of the top experiences in Dubai. The breakfast at the luxury resort was incredible - the view was amazing and the food was generous and really tasty. Our guide Austin was also very knowledgeable and very funny so the whole drive was really fun and insightful. Given it's a conservation area, you are guaranteed to see animals which is also a big plus. Would definitely recommend this!
Jamie_M, Dec 2023
Mehdi is a great guide! He arrived early to pick us up from our hotel and was fun, informative, and entertaining. Nice morning trip to the reserve!
Wendi_B, Nov 2023
This was such a beautiful way to spend a Saturday morning in Dubai.
I live in Dubai and my sister is visiting for the first time so wanted to give her something more than a tourist attraction experience of the desert. This experience was beyond expectations. After an hours drive out of central Dubai we arrived in the reserve, we were given a flask to fill with water (a keepsake gift) and had the headscarf applied. We then drove into the reserve for our first stop. Our very knowledgable guide insisted we took our shoes off to experience the sand beneath our feet and be at one with the earth, this gives you a flavour of how sincerely our guide took his responsibilities as host, ensuring we didn’t miss a single experience, taking photos for us, and teaching us so much about everything around us.
We finished the tour with a delicious breakfast where we were joined at the table by a gorgeous gazelle who lacked a few table manners but was excused on the basis of being utterly adorable.
This tour is a must for anyone looking for something authentic, educational and gentle.
Lehman_E, Sep 2023
The guide was exactly on time to start the tour and the communications I had with the tour operator were easy and answered in a timely manner. The trip was exactly as expected. The guide was knowledgeable about the area and pointed things out in time for all to see, even stopping where possible to allow photographs to be taken. Yes it was hot and dry but the guests had plenty of water if needed and were cautioned about how to deal with conditions. The guide spoke English very well. I was surprised to find myself paired up with a couple from France. The guide was from Cameroon and of course spoke French. I actually welcomed this experience as it was very nice to practice my fractured French adding to the good experience of this trip. The expected wildlife was easily located as were a few unexpected animals. I would take another tour with the guide if I was staying longer. I got everything I wanted from this tour.
Tina_M, Apr 2023
Wonderful morning and saw plenty of wildlife. The breakfast was also luxury. You may even spot a gazelle or two joining it!!!
Graham_M, Feb 2023
Great experience and memorable
Friendly guide with lots of info.
Lovely breakfast and made to feel welcome. Nice keepsake items too
Lisa_M, Oct 2022
I cannot select just ONE highlight. This tour was one of the best (from beginning to end) I have ever had. Such a beautiful project (wildlife conservation efforts), a wonderful and knowledgeable tour guide (Leesa from South Africa) and an amazing HUGE breakfast that was soooo good! Thank goodness it was at the end of the tour as I needed a nap after this breakfast. The menu in the photo was for items you wanted to order. This was in addition to numerous other items available on a buffet. After you place your order from the menu, they still offered pancakes, waffles and french toast if you were still hungry. Beautiful area for breakfast!
There were hundreds of animals but the windows didn't allow for that great of photos and of course with all the sand, we didn't lower the windows. The manmade lake has fish and attracted numerous species of birds. I went in August (low season) so I was fortunate enough to be the only tourist with the tour guide and loved our one on one tour. She was so knowledgeable and absolutely seemed to love her job and shared my love for wildlife. Highly recommend this tour to anyone going to Dubai
Kevin_P, Mar 2022
Great tour. Majeet our guide was awesome and informative. Definitely worth doing to see more of Dubai than just the city. Breakfast at Al Maha has many options with a desert view.
EZRAEYAL_R, Dec 2021
Our guide Majed did a great job and made our day perfect. Two thumbs up
VIsit to Al Maha resort beautiful with high quality breakfast.
catherine_s, Nov 2021
It was lovely to be out in the real nature of the desert and see some if the animals that live there and for the nocturnal animals all their tracks were amazing
I would have liked longer in safari and longer at the breakfast camp to see the birds that live there
Eric_L, Mar 2019
nice trip in desert among oryx and gazelle. Nice view from Al Maha during breakfast that we shared with gazelle !
Hermann_W, Jan 2019
We where picked up at our hotel at the right time by our private guide Tiago. A 45 minutes drive with a stop at the Kamel racing station brought us to the the national park. Tiago had a lot of information about Dubai, so the time run short. The experience at the national park is amazing. We saw many antilopes and gazelles. Tiago had a immense knowledge about the dessert, animals and plants what he shared with us. The stop at the desert resort for breakfast was outstanding. We had a table on the outside with a beautiful view and gazelles around us. We where skeptical about a desert trip as there are many companies with camps of hundreds of people. We had the luck as we picked the best of the private tours. When you want a private tour viatours is the best choice. I lost my classes in the car. Tiago informed me and the day later he brought it back to me.
MICHAIL_K, Sep 2018
nice vehicleexcellent tourguide-drivernice hotel, it changed my opinion about dubai and is a reason to come back and stay at this hotel !
Amanda W, Oct 2017
our driver and guide was wonderful and full of information, the dunes were stunning and so close to Dubai centre. Beautifully quiet and such a fantastic location. Breakfast count not be faulted. The only thing Dubai doesn't have is much wild life but I would recommend this trip for all the other things I have mentioned.
Nick_K, Oct 2017
Great area full of Oryx. Nice breakfast at Al Maha. Two big blights. We shared a car with 2 others which meant as we were picked up second one of us had to sit in the middle. Which is both uncomfortable and restricts the viewing and also reduces the opportunity's for photography. The tour guide should ensure that seats are rotated so every one has a chance to sit in good viewing seats. Alternatively provide a vehicle that ensures that everyone gets a window seat. Speaking of photography there wasn't a lot of effort made to ensure we had every opportunity to take photos of the wildlife.
Robyn_T, Sep 2016
We loved this tour and breakfast at Al Maha Resort was just wonderful. Food and service were excellent. We have an interest in the wildlife and as constructive criticism perhaps the guides need to have a better understanding how to approach wildlife so that photographs could be taken before the animals were scared away. We felt a little rushed on occasion. But overall it was as we hoped it would be.
Saphire_I, Aug 2016
My family enjoyed this conservation drive. The tour guide Sharif was professional, friendly and informative. There were plenty of opportunity to take photographs of the peaceful, scenic desert environment. The only critique is that sightings of any wildlife was few and far between and this was disappointing. If it wasn't for Sharif's engaging conversation this would have just been an expensive drive through the desert. The food in Al Maha Resort was lovely. The staff were nice too. They gave us a menu and told us to order anything on it. The service there was really good. In total, I am glad I booked this tour for my family.
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