Taking Children Into the Dubai Desert

Families make up a large share of our bookings, and the trips that go well have almost always made the same few decisions in advance.

Match the safari to the youngest traveller

• Under 2: skip dune bashing. A direct transfer to camp gives an infant the evening without the movement, and there is no charge for infants on most packages.
• Ages 3–6: the evening safari with a gentle dune route. Camels and sandboarding land better at this age than the drive does.
• Ages 7–12: the full evening safari, quad bikes with an adult, and the camp programme. This is the sweet spot.
• Teenagers: the morning or quad-focused packages — more activity, less sitting.

What to bring that adults forget

A change of clothes (sand gets everywhere, and it will be in shoes, hair and pockets), more water than you think, a fleece for after sunset even in March, and snacks for the drive. Dinner is at the camp, and a hungry six-year-old at 6pm will not wait for it.

Practical notes

Child seats are available on request at no charge — ask when booking, not on the day. Pushchairs do not work on sand; a carrier does. The camp has western-style toilets and a lit path to them, but bring wipes anyway.

And one honest note: the drive from central Dubai is 45 to 60 minutes each way. With a toddler, that round trip is the hardest part of the day, not the desert.