Chilling out in desert: Safari tours pick up gear

by KK Moidu

Talks of recession or job cuts do not seem affect Desert Safari tour operators. In fact, such tours are gaining popularity with winter providing inspiration for the common people to chill out.
Tour operators are offering special packages at convenient times covering morning, evening and overnight for adventure enthusiasts.
People who do not find the evening hours convenient, but interested in dune bashing and adventure, can enjoy a morning desert safari.
These two-hour morning package includes awesome dune bashing, quad biking, camel ride and sand skiing with free water and soft drinks.

Evening desert safari, a six-hour tour package, begins in the afternoon with exciting dune drive before reaching the first destination.
People can enjoy the gorgeous Dubai desert sunset, camel ride and sand boarding before reaching the camp. A delicious barbecue dinner, Shisha and belly dance around the campfire are also part of the package.
Overnight desert safari, a 17-hour tour of the desert gives an opportunity to experience a night in the desert under the stars and also enjoy the inspiring sunrise in the desert.
Dune bashing, camel rides, shisha, traditional costumes, buffet dinner and BBQ, overnight stay at the camp site and breakfast are the highlights of the tour.
One of the main attractions of the desert safari tour is the adventure sport, dune bashing.
A smart driving over sand dunes is a highly popular pastime in the UAE.
Tourists consider adventure journey to the desert of golden sand dunes as a great experience to share with their family and friends back home.
Although dune bashing is possible anywhere in the Arabian deserts, certain places like Liwa Oasis in Abu Dhabi are known as the real playground and are chosen by adventures for unending fun.

The climate here is suitable for dune bashing except at the time of sandstorms and heavy rains.
"But the travellers should plan their route much in advance with a map and a tricky driving on soft sands by looking for camel footprints, which are the signs of hard and compacted sand or depend on the service of an experienced guide," according to a tour operator.
"Dune bashing is definitely a good way to enjoy the beauty and peace of the desert in the comfort of an air-conditioned four-wheeler."
All experienced 4WD licence holders can enjoy adventure tour by exploring sand dunes. First timers are recommended to book a trip with professional tour operators, who specialise in dune bashing to learn a few lessons on driving in the sand. This will save the inexperienced drivers from getting stuck on the deserts which will harm the expensive vehicle and a long wait for the rescuers.
A professional driver with experience and skill should accompany the group for preventing accidents.
Larger sand sailing vehicles like Toyota Land Cruiser, Nissan Patrol, Mitsubishi Pajero, Hummer etc. are comfortable, because smaller vehicles are not recommended by experts as they easily tend to get stuck in the sands.
"Those who want to enjoy the maximum, better seek a fully efficient driver, who can be arranged by a professional desert safari tour operator," he pointed out.
A vehicle can carry as many people but a working seat belt is a must.
Before entering the desert the tyre pressure must be reduced by half for increasing the footprint of the tire. A group leader can lead the vehicles through the desert in single file to prevent them from losing the direction.
An Indian expatriate, Ratheesh, explains his first desert safari tour with family as "real fun."
He said, "We were supposed to be picked up at 3pm, but as a Tunisian family arrived late, the Land Cruiser left Sharjah City Centre only at 4pm. The charge was Dhs150 per passenger. The vehicle was wonderful and the Indian driver from Mumbai was smart. Hence the bumpy, bouncy desert travel experience turned out to be highly enjoyable."
He added: "Up and down went the cruiser while sand splashed all around the vehicle for nearly 20 minutes. Taking photographs with traditional costumes, camel rides, watching the beautiful desert sunset and a henna session for my daughters made the safari really enjoyable. In less than six hours we were back in Sharjah at the pickup point after a wonderful dinner, which was part of the package."