Shared or private desert safari: which should you book?
Book shared if you are one or two people and want the cheapest way to see the desert. Book private if you are five or more, travelling with children or older relatives, or if anyone in your group is unsure about the dune driving.
The short version. Shared: from AED 80 per person. Private: AED 500 for the whole car, up to six guests, or AED 650 for the VIP car. Same camp, same activities. What changes is control, and at five or more guests the private car usually costs the same or less.
What is actually different
Not the destination. Both go to the same camp in the Al Awir desert, run the same dune area, and include the same camel ride, sandboarding, sunset photography stop, BBQ buffet and live entertainment.
Four things change.
1. Dune intensity. On a shared vehicle the driver sets one level for a car full of strangers, calibrated for the average passenger. Somebody in that car is usually having a worse time than they expected. On a private safari the driving is set for your group and can be adjusted mid session.
2. Collection. Shared tours run a fixed pickup order, so you may wait in a lobby while other guests are collected, and they may wait for you. A private vehicle collects you and departs.
3. Pace at each stop. The sunset stop on a shared tour ends when the vehicle is ready. Privately it lasts as long as you want.
4. Timing flexibility. Standard private collection is around 2:00 PM with a return near 9:00 PM, and because the vehicle is yours there is some room to shift it. That is not something we can offer on a shared tour.
The maths, which usually decides it
The private rate is flat. It does not change whether one person travels or six, so there is a group size at which private costs the same as seats and past that point it costs less.
- VIP evening. Six guests in seats at AED 120 each is AED 720. The private VIP car is AED 650. Six or more should always take the car.
- Morning safari. Five guests at AED 100 each is AED 500, exactly the car rate. At five or more you get the vehicle to yourselves for nothing.
- Evening safari. Six guests at AED 80 each is AED 480 against AED 500 for the car. Twenty dirhams for your own driver.
Per person on the private car: two people pay AED 250 each, four pay AED 125, six pay about AED 83. Full working is in the group size price guide.
Book shared if
- You are one or two people and price is the deciding factor
- You are comfortable with standard dune driving
- You do not mind a collection round before departure
- You quite like the atmosphere of a busy camp
The evening safari at AED 80 is the cheapest way to get the dunes, the dinner and the entertainment in one trip.
Book private if
- You are five or more. The maths is usually in your favour anyway
- You have young children. Dune bashing is recommended from age 7, and privately younger children can stay in the vehicle at a gentle pace rather than waiting at the dune stop
- You are travelling with elderly relatives
- Anyone is pregnant or has back, neck or heart concerns. The dune session can be removed entirely
- You are here to photograph it. The sunset stop is the difference
What private does not get you
Being straight about this saves disappointment. A private safari gives you a private vehicle, not a private camp. You arrive at the same shared camp as everyone else, eat from the same buffet and watch the same shows.
If what you want is reserved seating and shorter waits at the camp, that is the VIP safari at AED 120 per person, which is a different thing from a private car. Some groups book both, taking the VIP private car at AED 650.
Common questions
Is the private car really the same price for one person and six? Yes. It is a vehicle rate.
Does private include hotel pickup? Yes, from Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, included in both formats.
Can we skip the dune bashing entirely on a private tour? Yes. Tell us when you book and the driver takes a gentler route straight to camp.
What about groups larger than six? We run multiple vehicles rather than one large one, which keeps everyone on the same schedule and lets us set a different dune intensity per car. See group booking.
Is private worth it for a couple? On price, no. On comfort and flexibility, some couples think so, particularly for photographs.
Not sure which?
Tell us your group size, who is travelling and whether anyone has concerns about the driving, and we will tell you honestly which one fits.
Ask on WhatsApp or call +971 55 719 9652. Compare everything on the Dubai desert safari page.
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