Can you do a Dubai desert safari on your own?
Yes, and it is one of the easier solo activities in Dubai. A shared safari puts you in a 4×4 with five or six other guests and at a camp table with more, so you are never actually alone unless you want to be. There is no single supplement on our shared tours.
The short version. Book the shared evening safari at AED 80 per person. No surcharge for travelling alone. Free hotel pickup. You will be sharing a vehicle and a camp table, which most solo travellers find is the point.
What a shared safari is like on your own
You are collected from your hotel like everyone else. The vehicle picks up several groups, so by the time you reach the dunes there are usually five or six of you in the car.
The dune session is the icebreaker whether you want one or not. People arrive at the camp having been thrown around together for twenty minutes, which does most of the social work for you.
At the camp, seating is at shared low tables. You will be sat with other guests. If you would rather not talk, nobody will push, and the entertainment programme means there is always something to look at.
What it costs alone
- Evening safari — AED 80. Cheapest, and includes the BBQ buffet and live shows.
- Morning safari — AED 100. Back before midday.
- VIP evening — AED 120. Reserved seating and shorter waits.
- Overnight — AED 500.
No single supplement on any of them. The one format that does not suit a solo traveller on price is the private safari, which is AED 500 for the whole vehicle. That is excellent value for six people and poor value for one.
Is it safe as a solo traveller?
Dubai is generally a straightforward city for solo travel, including for women, and a desert safari is a guided group tour with a licensed driver from hotel pickup to hotel drop-off. You are not left anywhere on your own.
Sensible points that apply to any group tour anywhere:
- Tell someone your plan. Send a friend the operator name and your pickup time.
- Keep your phone charged. Signal across the Al Awir area is generally fine.
- Do not wander from the camp after dark. Open desert looks identical in every direction once you are past the lights.
- Leave valuables at your hotel. Sensible on any tour involving dune driving.
If the dune session is not for you, say so. Drivers adjust routinely, and sitting it out is easy to arrange.
Photography on your own
This is the one genuine drawback. Every good shot on a desert safari is of somebody in the landscape, and you are the somebody.
Ask. It is a group tour and people are taking photographs all evening. Offer to take theirs first, which works every time.
The sunset stop is short on a shared tour because the vehicle moves when everyone is back in. If photography is the reason you are booking, the morning safari gives you emptier dunes and cleaner light, with far fewer people in frame.
Which tour suits a solo traveller
Most solo travellers should take the evening safari. It is the cheapest, it has the most going on, and the camp evening is where the social side actually happens.
Take the morning safari if you would rather keep it short, want the dunes without crowds, or are travelling in summer.
Consider the overnight safari if you want the desert after the day tours leave. It is the only format where the camp empties out, and it is a very different experience with a small group staying over.
Consider the VIP safari if you would rather have a reserved seat than take your chances at a shared table.
Common questions
Is there a single supplement? No, not on shared tours.
Will I be sat on my own at the camp? No, seating is shared. You will be with other guests.
Can I book same day? Often, subject to vehicle availability. Message us and we will confirm.
Is it awkward doing it alone? Far less than people expect. Desert safaris draw a mix of couples, families and solo travellers, and the format keeps everyone moving.
Is hotel pickup included? Yes, from Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.
Book a solo safari
Send us your date and where you are staying and we will confirm your pickup time and the total.
Book on WhatsApp or call +971 55 719 9652. Compare every option on the Dubai desert safari page.
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