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Most desert safaris in Dubai wrap up by 9pm. You get picked up around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, drive out to the dunes, do some bashing, eat dinner at a camp, watch a belly dance performance, and head back to your hotel before the night really settles in. It's a solid experience and we run those trips every day. But some people want more than that. They want to actually be in the desert when everything goes quiet.
That's what an overnight desert safari is. You stay after everyone else leaves. You sleep at the camp, wake up in the dunes, and get to see a side of the desert that 95% of tourists never do. Is it for everyone? No. Is it worth it if you've got the time and the curiosity? We think so, and we'll explain exactly why in this guide.
An overnight desert safari is essentially an extended version of the standard evening desert safari. Instead of heading home after dinner and entertainment, you stay at the camp through the night and into the next morning.
Here's how the timeline typically works:
So you're looking at roughly 16 to 17 hours total, from pickup to drop-off. Compare that to 6 hours for a regular evening safari. The difference isn't just duration, though. It's what happens after 9pm when the camp empties out and the desert gets genuinely quiet.
Inclusions vary by operator and price tier, but a well-run overnight safari typically covers:
One thing to know: there's generally no WiFi at the camp, and phone charging options are limited. A few camps have a shared power strip or two, but bring a portable battery if you'll need your phone in the morning. We tell our guests to treat it as a chance to disconnect for a night.
Pricing depends on the camp, the vehicle arrangement (shared vs private), and what extras are bundled in. Here's what you'll typically see across the market:
AED 400 - 700 per person
This gets you everything listed above: shared 4x4, dune bashing, dinner, entertainment, overnight tent sleeping, breakfast, and return transfer. The camp will be a larger commercial setup with other groups present. It's the most popular option and honestly covers everything most people want.
AED 800 - 1,500 per person
At this level you're looking at private vehicle transfers, smaller or exclusive camps, better bedding setups, upgraded food (think grilled seafood, dessert stations), and sometimes extras like a private sunrise camel trek or falconry demonstration. Our premium desert safari package is worth looking at if you want a more polished version of the experience.
We'd say the AED 400-500 range gets you a perfectly good overnight experience. You don't need to spend AED 1,000+ unless you specifically want luxury touches or a private camp setup for a special occasion.
This is the question we get asked most. The honest answer is: it depends on what you're after and how much time you've got in Dubai.
| Feature | Evening Safari | Overnight Safari |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 6 - 7 hours | ~16 hours (afternoon to next morning) |
| Dune bashing | Yes | Yes |
| Dinner | Yes (BBQ buffet) | Yes (BBQ buffet + breakfast) |
| Entertainment | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep in the desert | No | Yes (tent or open-air) |
| Sunrise experience | No | Yes |
| Stargazing | Brief (you leave by 9pm) | Full night sky, darkest around 2-3am |
| Price range | AED 150 - 200 per person | AED 400 - 700 per person |
| Best for | Short trips, families with young kids, first-timers | Couples, photographers, adventure seekers, repeat visitors |
| Back at hotel | By 9:00 - 9:30 PM | By 9:00 AM next day |
If you're in Dubai for just two or three days and have a packed schedule, the evening desert safari gives you all the highlights without eating into the next day. It's our most-booked trip for a reason.
But if you've got the time, the overnight version adds something the evening can't: silence. Around 10pm, after the last evening-only group drives away, the camp goes quiet. You can hear the wind moving sand. The stars come out properly because you're 50+ kilometers from the city lights. At 6am, you watch the sun come up over empty dunes while drinking Arabic coffee. That part isn't something we can replicate on a 6-hour trip.
We run these trips regularly, so we'll give you a straight answer based on what we've seen from our guests.
We've been running these trips long enough to know what makes the difference between a great night and a frustrating one. Here's what we tell every guest before they go.
For more guidance on planning around weather and seasons, check our guide to the best time for a desert safari in Dubai. Timing matters more for overnights than for evening trips because you're exposed to the full temperature cycle.
We want to give you an honest picture because the marketing photos online can be misleading.
The camp is a commercial tourist camp. It's got a central seating area with cushions and low tables, a buffet section, a performance area, and surrounding tents. During the evening portion, it'll be busy with 40-80 guests from different operators. There's music, performers, the smell of grilled meat, and a lot of photo-taking. It's fun, but it's not solitude.
Then around 9 to 9:30pm, the evening-only guests start leaving in convoys of Land Cruisers. Over the next 30 minutes, the camp population drops from maybe 60 people to 6-10 overnight guests. Staff dim the lights. The music stops. And suddenly you can hear the desert.
That transition is the part that catches people off guard. You go from tourist camp to something that actually feels remote in about 20 minutes. The stars are legitimately impressive. Dubai has a lot of light pollution, but the camps are far enough out (45-60 minutes from the city) that you get a real night sky. On a clear night between November and February, you'll see more stars than you probably have in years, especially if you live in a city.
Sleeping is... fine. It's not your hotel bed. The mattresses are basic, the blankets are adequate, and there's sand. You'll find sand in places you didn't expect. But most of our guests say they slept well enough, and the ones who didn't still say the sunrise made it worth it.
The morning is the highlight for a lot of people. The alarm goes off at 5:45am (or staff gently wake you), and you step out of your tent into cool desert air as the sky shifts from dark blue to pink to gold. Breakfast is simple, the camp is quiet, and for about an hour you've got dunes and space and nobody rushing you. Some guests take a camel ride. Others just sit with coffee and watch the light change.
By 8am you're back in the Land Cruiser heading to Dubai, and by 9am you're at your hotel. Most people shower, nap for an hour, and then carry on with their day.
Most tour operators in Dubai offer some version of an overnight desert safari, but quality varies a lot. Here's what to look for when booking:
We run desert safaris daily with experienced drivers who know the dunes well. Our premium desert safari package is our closest standard offering, and we can arrange custom overnight stays for groups, couples, or families who want the full overnight experience.
If you're not sure whether the overnight is right for you, our standard desert safari covers all the core activities (dune bashing, dinner, entertainment) in a single evening. You can always add the overnight component later if you decide you want it.
For custom overnight bookings, contact us directly. We can arrange private camps, specific tent setups, and extras like sunrise photography sessions or extended camel treks based on what you're looking for.
Yes. Overnight desert safaris include sleeping at a camp in the desert, either inside Bedouin-style tents with mattresses, blankets, and pillows, or on mattresses set up outside under the open sky. Staff remain at the camp through the night, and basic bathroom facilities are available. The camps are located in designated desert safari areas about 45-60 minutes from the city. It's a tourist camp setup rather than wild camping, but you're sleeping in actual desert dunes with nothing but sand and sky around you.
It depends heavily on the season. From November through March, nighttime temperatures in the desert drop to around 15-20 degrees Celsius (59-68 degrees Fahrenheit). That's noticeably cool, especially if you're sleeping outdoors, so bring a jacket or warm layer. In December and January, it can occasionally dip to 12-13 degrees Celsius. From May through September, nights stay warm at around 28-35 degrees Celsius, so heat is more of an issue than cold. October and April are the sweet spot: warm days, comfortable nights, and the best conditions for sleeping outdoors.
Yes. Licensed tour operators maintain staffed camp facilities throughout the night, with security, first aid supplies, and communication equipment on-site. The camps are in regulated desert areas that operators use daily, and drivers know the routes well. That said, use common sense: follow your guide's instructions during dune bashing, stay near the camp at night (it's easy to get disoriented in open dunes in the dark), and let staff know if you have any medical conditions. We've run thousands of overnight trips without incident. The biggest risk is honestly sunburn on the morning ride back, not safety at camp.
