Planning a Dubai Trip and not sure about what activities to include in your plan? We’ve put together 10 places and experiences that can fit into a memorable trip with family, friends, or your partner. From an adventurous Desert Safari with Book My Safari to a thrilling visit to Burj Khalifa to enjoying sights at Old Dubai, beaches, and Waterfront evenings, there is no dearth of things you can do in Dubai.
However, for your perusal, we have listed the top 10 exciting and memorable things you can do in Dubai.
The idea is simple: less searching, more enjoying your Dubai trip.
1. Overnight Desert Camp
Sleep Under the Lahbab Dunes
There is a big difference between driving into the desert for a few hours and actually spending the night there.
It is an 18-hour overnight desert camp, starting from AED 399 per person. This 18-hour Lahbab Desert Safari starts at about 03:00 PM, when you’re picked up from your hotel and head to Lahbab, with time for dune bashing, a sunset stop, camel riding, and sandboarding before you reach the camp.
There is also Arabic coffee, dates, henna, Tanoura, BBQ dinner, and fire performances in the evening. In the morning, they provide you with a 45-minute camel trek to watch the sunrise, followed by breakfast, and after this, you will be taken back to Dubai around 09:00 AM.
2. Burj Khalifa
The View is The Best Part
You have seen Dubai in pictures,Burj Khalifa stands 828 meters tall, but it looks completely different when seen from the top of Burj Khalifa. The building just keeps going up. If you decide to go to the top, the view is the part you will probably talk about later.
Roads look like thin lines, cars look almost too small to notice, and you can see a lot more of Dubai than you expect.
Try looking towards the coast and then towards the desert: the two views are surprisingly different. Sunset is popular, so expect more people around that time. Still, watching Dubai slowly light up from up there is something you should see at least once.
3. Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina
An Experience That is Worth Having
Palm Jumeirah is another hit spot that you can’t miss. The island is huge, and astronauts have photographed it from the International Space Station.
A lot is present around it – beaches, hotels, restaurants, and plenty of places to stop for a while. The palm itself is interesting because of its unique shape, but the views of the sea from almost all sides are so calming and relaxing.
Later, Dubai Marina makes a good change of scene. Then in the evening, you can enjoy an evening walk or take a boat ride at the Marina. The Waterfront is lined with cafes and restaurants. By night, this area is especially nice when towers are lit up, and everything turns dreamy.
4. Downtown Dubai
Spend Quality Time Around
The Downtown area transforms dramatically after sunset. In the daytime, there is a crowd roaming around.
The Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, and the lake are all located nearby, so you can cover almost everything in the same day without spending most of your time travelling. In the afternoon, you can go shopping and explore the mall.
If you don’t feel like shopping, Dubai Fountain shows run roughly every half hour into the night , you can sit somewhere, have a coffee, and take some pictures. Later in the evening, the place starts looking much better when the fountain starts, and Burj Khalifa lights up; it is something worth watching.
5. Morning Desert Safari Dubai
Adventure, Breakfast and the Red Dunes in One Trip
Sometimes the best activities on a holiday are the ones that give you several experiences in the same trip. This is what makes the Morning Safari interesting, which is why it works well when you don’t want to give up your whole day to one activity.
The day starts with hotel pickup and continues towards the Lahbab red dunes, where the main adventure is dune bashing followed by sandboarding. Once you are done with the faster part of the morning, you get a chance to slow down at the camp with a camel ride, hot breakfast, Arabic coffee, and dates.
Henna and a falcon photography stop are also part of the experience. At AED 149 per adult, including VAT, it offers a lot within a single morning.
Children aged 4-11 pay half price, and those under four are free. It is also a convenient choice for busy itineraries, since the morning format leaves your afternoon open, where you still have most of your day left to explore Dubai.
6. Evening Desert Safari
A Different Side of Dubai
The Dubai Skyline is impressive, but the red dunes of Lahbab show you a very different side of the city. This evening safari, priced at AED 199 per person, heads to Lahbab’s red dunes for dune bashing, followed by a sunset stop, sandboarding, and a camel ride.
The 4×4 dune bashing session brings the excitement, while the sunset stop gives you time to take in the view simply. The camp has a more traditional feel. You can enjoy Arabic coffee and dates given by them, and they also let you click a picture with a falcon.
Dinner is a BBQ buffet and has veg and non-veg food. After dinner, there is a Tanoura show, belly dancing, and a fire show. Hotel pickup and drop-off are also included, while VIP seating and private vehicles are available as optional extras. So this is a whole fun-filled evening rather than a single short activity.
7. Private Desert Safari
A Few Hours Away From the Crowd
A private desert safari works well if you’re actually put on a Dubai trip as a Desert Safari, especially if you’re travelling with your own group. Here you get your own Toyota Land Cruiser for up to six people, so there is no need to sit with a group of strangers.
The standard package is AED 899 per vehicle and varies as per our Premium and Heritage requirements. The trip includes around 25-35 minutes of dune bashing, a sunset stop, camel riding and sandboarding.
There’s also a Desert camp with dinner and entertainment. If you choose Heritage, you also get the vintage Land Rover experience,instead of the standard Land Cruiser.
8. VIP Desert Safari
Sunset, Safaris and VIP Camp Treatment
For an evening that covers both the adventurous and quieter sides of Dubai, Book My Safari’s VIP Desert Safari is a good option to consider. Starting at AED 599.
It includes hotel pickup, a 25-minute dune-bashing drive across Lahbab’s red dunes, sunset views, camel riding and sandboarding. At the camp, there’s private Majlis seating, a three-course BBQ, a dedicated waiter, a quad-bike voucher, Arabic coffee, dates, henna, falcon photography and live shows, including the fire show.
Premium VIP includes an in-camp photographer, while Platinum adds a Defender transfer and Conservation Reserve Camp experience.
9. Desert Safari Without Dune Bashing
A Relaxed Way to Experience the Desert Fun, Without Dune Bashing
Dune Bashing is really not everyone’s thing, and that’s fine. This safari lets you enjoy the desert without having to go through the rough 25-minute ride.
At AED 199 for Adults and AED 99 for children, you are picked up from your hotel in a Land Cruiser and taken to the camp on a paved road or off-road route.
Once you reach there, there’s a camel ride, sandboarding, sunset time, falcon photography, and henna. There’s also Arabic coffee and dates, a BBQ dinner, soft drinks, and live performances, including Tanoura, belly dance, and the fire show.
A private vehicle for up to six people is also available for AED 899, same as the standard private safari.
10. Al Fahidi, Dubai Creek and Old Dubai
Where the City Slows Down A Little
You don’t really need a packed plan for Old Dubai. Just start walking around Al Fahidi, built around wind-tower (“barjeel”) architecture that once kept houses cool before air conditioning existed and see where the lanes take you.The old houses, wooden doors and little courtyards are a nice change after all the glass buildings and busy roads.
Then make your way down to Dubai Creek. Take an abra across the water, watch the boats passing by, and spend some time looking around the souks on the other side. Grab a tea, check local shops, and keep walking. It is a slower part of Dubai, and that is probably what makes it lovely, without much built around convincing you to move faster.
Wrapping Up
Book My Safari runs desert safari packages across every price point covered here, from the AED 149 Morning Safari up to the AED 2,500 Heritage private safari.
If Desert Safari is on your list, book it a little early. There are various packages at different prices available from the best desert safari booking platform in Dubai. You can pick one around your group, time, likes, and budget.
One thing matters more than price: book your desert safari from a DET-licensed safari provider for quality service and safety. Once that’s sorted, you can build the rest of your Dubai plans around it without rushing.
