Day 4 - The Desert Dune Buggy Adventure!

Our last full day in Dubai dawned (YAWN!!) bright, sunny and hot, just the like the previous three days. Our tour was leaving early, meaning an early breakfast was in order. After a good night’s sleep, we awoke with the sun streaming in our balcony door. Good thing too, since our alarm clock had not worked and we now had about 40 minutes before our tour departed!! Needless to say it was a bit of a scramble, but we made it.


Jason from Shorex told us there would be five of us plus the ship escort, David the Casino Manager. When we got to the bus we discovered the other three had cancelled. Apparently they didn’t realize a tour called the “Desert Dune Buggy Adventure” actually meant riding a dune buggy in the desert!! The result was a “Crystal Private Shore Excursion” without paying the cost of one!

After a 45 minute drive through and around Downtown Dubai, we arrived at the Amrallah Dune Buggy Centre. And wildlife emporium. And local grocery store. And Laundromat. And truck stop. And souvenir stand. In the middle of nowhere. Nothing but desert and dunes in all directions out to the horizon! Although we had been told by a number of people that we would not be allowed to drive, in short order we were “decked out” in helmets (and you thought you had seen the last “helmet” pictures last year!) loaded up in four-wheel drive Yamaha Rhinos and were off through the gate and into the desert following our guide; Larry driving, Monica riding “shotgun” and David hanging on for dear life in the back seat!! The plan called for 45 minutes of driving, switch drivers and then another 45 minutes of driving. The first 45 minutes flew by and included steep climbs, steep drops, sharp turns and scaring the heck out of a half-dozen camels!!! Great fun! After switching drivers, we crossed the highway (probably the scariest part of the day) for some serious “dune climbing” with Monica at the wheel and Larry riding shotgun. For reason unknown, David decided he had seen enough in the first 45 minutes!! At one point we stopped on top of a dune and even though we were no more than a kilometer at most from the highway, we felt like we were again in the middle of nowhere!

Most of the pictures below were shot in the first 45 minutes. The camera battery died shortly after we changed drivers.

Overall it was great fun - there’s a few minutes of video, including the camels, still to come but that will be once we get home. Who knows how long it might take to upload it here.