All-Inclusive Desert Safari Abu Dhabi: What’s Really Included
One published price, nothing sprung on you at the gate: dune bashing, sandboarding, a camel ride, three live shows and a full veg & non-veg BBQ buffet with unlimited soft drinks, from USD 10 / AED 35 per person at our private Al Khatim camp.
The Short Answer
Our evening desert safari is genuinely all-inclusive: dune bashing, sandboarding, a short camel ride, the sunset photo stop, a falcon photo opportunity, henna, Arabic coffee and dates, unlimited soft drinks, water and tea, three live shows and a veg & non-veg BBQ buffet all sit in the base price. The three tiers, USD 10 / AED 35 self-drive, USD 16.35 / AED 60 shared bus, USD 41 / AED 150 hotel pickup, change only how you reach our private Al Khatim camp; the camp programme is identical at every one. Optional extras carry openly published prices, listed below. You pay on arrival, and cancellation is free up to 12 hours before pickup.
What Does “All-Inclusive” Actually Mean on a Desert Safari?
On our evening desert safari, all-inclusive means every desert activity, every camp experience, all three live shows and the full BBQ dinner with unlimited soft drinks sit inside the ticket price. The only variable between USD 10 / AED 35, USD 16.35 / AED 60 and USD 41 / AED 150 is how you travel to our camp, nothing at the camp itself carries a supplement.
The phrase gets stretched badly in this market: some listings use “all-inclusive” to mean little more than “dinner is included”, then meter the rest, transfers by zone, shows on selected nights, water by the bottle. With no official definition, the only reliable test is a written, item-by-item list, which is exactly what this page is.
The Included-vs-Extra Matrix: Every Item at Every Tier
The matrix below is the definitive list: ✓ means included in the base price at that tier with no supplement of any kind; + means optional, with the confirmed price in the final column. Nothing at our camp sits outside this table.
Three clarifications. The falcon appears twice because posing with the bird using your own phone costs nothing, while a professional souvenir print is USD 8 / AED 30. During Ramadan the live dance performances pause; the rest of the evening runs as normal. Standard majlis seating is free for everyone, the USD 16.35 / AED 60 VIP version moves you to the front row and adds table service. The desert safari packages comparison sets these tiers beside our other experiences.
What “All-Inclusive” Quietly Excludes Elsewhere
Across the wider market, the items most often stripped out of an “all-inclusive” safari are the transfer, the live shows, the vegetarian counter and drinking water, precisely the things you assume are covered.
Those figures are the platforms’ own advertised rates, not ours; one large agency lists an “all-inclusive” Abu Dhabi safari at around US$185 per person, several times our USD 41 / AED 150 door-to-door tier. The full breakdown lives in our real desert safari prices guide.
Eight Questions That Expose Any Hidden Extras
Ask these of any operator, including us, before paying. 1. Is the transfer inside the price, and from where? 2. Are all shows running on my date, at no supplement? 3. Vegetarian counter at no charge? 4. Water and soft drinks unlimited, or per bottle? 5. What does an extra dune-bashing round cost? 6. Is the camp your own or a resold shared venue? 7. DCT-licensed, under what trade name? 8. Deposit now, or payment on arrival, and what cancellation window?
Our answers, in order: your chosen tier’s transport; three shows nightly (Ramadan dance pause aside); veg counter standard; drinks unlimited; USD 41 / AED 150 per vehicle; our own camp; DCT-licensed as Royal Arabian Safari Tourism LLC, see booking a DCT-licensed desert safari; no deposit, free cancellation 12 hours.
USD 10 / AED 35 vs 50 vs 150: Only the Transport Changes
The difference between our three shared tiers is purely logistical: USD 10 / AED 35 means you drive yourself, USD 16.35 / AED 60 means you board our shared bus at Al Wahda Mall or Mazyad Mall, and USD 41 / AED 150 means we collect you from your Abu Dhabi hotel or home. Inside the camp, the three tickets are indistinguishable.
Self-drive guests take the E22 Abu Dhabi–Al Ain highway roughly 80 km east, a 50–60 minute run, and park beside the camp; the USD 10 / AED 35 ticket then covers everything the USD 41 / AED 150 ticket covers. The bus tier’s meeting points are covered in our desert safari by bus guide; the door-to-door option on the home pickup desert safari page.
All-Inclusive From USD 10 / AED 35: Reserved in One Message
Tell us your date, tier and guest count. We confirm on WhatsApp; you pay on arrival, no deposit, free cancellation up to 12 hours before.
Your Evening at the Camp: The Programme Every Ticket Gets
Every all-inclusive ticket buys the same arc of roughly seven hours: afternoon pickup, dune bashing, sandboarding and a camel ride around sunset, then a full camp evening of henna, falcon photos, live shows and the BBQ buffet. Pickup runs 2:30–3:30 PM; you are back around 10:00–10:30 PM.
Exact order flexes with the season, we build the drive around sunset, not the clock; the minute-by-minute version is on our desert safari timings and schedule page.
The Add-On Menu: Every Optional Extra and Its Confirmed Price
Every optional extra at our camp is machine- or service-based and priced exactly as below. Nobody circulates the majlis pressuring you to buy, you ask, you ride, you settle it with your bill on arrival.
Quads are the most-requested extra, and the single at USD 27 / AED 100 is the better buy for confident riders, our quad biking in Abu Dhabi guide helps you choose. For occasions, the USD 16.35 / AED 60 VIP majlis is the highest-value upgrade on the menu, the backbone of our VIP desert safari.
Dinner and Drinks: What’s Actually on the Table
Dinner is a live-grill BBQ buffet with separate vegetarian and non-vegetarian counters, included at every tier. Our buffet typically features grilled chicken tikka and charcoal tandoori, lamb kofta and kebabs, zeera rice, hummus, fattoush and fresh khubz, with the veg counter alongside; the welcome gahwa and dates arrive as you do.
Soft drinks, water and tea stay unlimited from arrival to departure, and alcohol is not served, which keeps the evening family-friendly. Dietary needs flagged on WhatsApp go straight to the kitchen. The setting is the traditional one from our Bedouin camp guide: low tables, carpets and cushions around the stage, firelight after dark, you eat where you watch, so nobody trades dinner for a good seat.
Private All-Inclusive: Your Own Car, the Same Camp
Going private changes the vehicle, not the inclusions. A private 7-seater costs USD 190 / AED 699 per car and a private Land Cruiser USD 245 / AED 899 per car, both door to door and both carrying every camp inclusion in the matrix above. You set your own pickup address and travel only with your own group, full options on our private desert safari page.
It suits families wanting car seats and nap flexibility, groups of six or seven for whom the per-seat cost drops close to the shared tiers, and anyone celebrating. Pair the Land Cruiser with the USD 16.35 / AED 60 VIP majlis and you have a genuinely premium evening for a fraction of what packaged “luxury desert dinners” advertise elsewhere.
Is There an All-Inclusive Morning Safari?
The morning equivalent is our private premium morning safari at USD 218 / AED 799 per car. Mornings are built around the desert at its emptiest: dune bashing on untouched overnight sand, sandboarding and photo stops in low golden light, back in the city before lunch. There is no dinner-and-show programme; riders can add the long-route quad upgrade at +USD 54 / AED 200 single or +USD 82 / AED 300 double. Details are on the morning desert safari page.
How Our Pricing Compares With the Wider Market
Our structure is unusual only in its transparency: the same tiered-transfer logic the budget end uses, with every inclusion written down, and the same camp evening the premium end sells, without the packaging mark-up. The figures below are other sellers’ own published rates.
Why such different tags on the same evening? Resellers stack margins, and the operator underneath compensates by trimming inclusions. That is exactly how transfers, veg counters and second bottles of water become “extras”.
Who Should Book It: and Who Honestly Shouldn’t
Our honest read after more than 5,000 guests:
· Are a first-timer who wants one price and zero decisions at the gate.
· Travel as a family, children love the camel ride, sandboarding and fire show, and a full 7-seater at USD 190 / AED 699 beats most per-seat alternatives; see our family desert safari page.
· Mix vegetarians and meat-eaters, both counters are standard, so nobody negotiates dinner.
· Are celebrating, the USD 16.35 / AED 60 VIP majlis is the emirate’s cheapest meaningful upgrade.
· Want alcohol with dinner, we do not serve it, and would rather tell you here than at the buffet.
· Are chasing machines above all, quads and buggies are add-ons at every honestly priced camp, so budget USD 27–163 / AED 100–600 on top.
· Need silence and solitude, a shared camp evening has music and other guests; the private morning at USD 218 / AED 799 per car is your product.
· Expect a private vehicle at shared-ticket prices, door-to-door exclusivity is what USD 190–245 / AED 699–899 buys.
Booking in Two Minutes: WhatsApp, No Deposit, Cancel Free
Booking is one WhatsApp message: date, tier, guest count, pickup point, vegetarian count and any add-ons you want held. We reply with a written confirmation of everything, inclusions, timings and meeting point or pickup window.
There is no deposit and no booking fee; you pay cash or card when we meet you. Cancellation is free up to 12 hours before pickup. Self-drive guests receive the exact location pin with their confirmation, so nobody hunts for a camp gate at dusk on the E22.
Why Guests Trust Royal Arabian Safari
We are Royal Arabian Safari Tourism LLC, a DCT Abu Dhabi licensed tour operator with our own private camp in the Al Khatim desert and an office at Al Sila Tower, Al Maryah Island. For more than a decade we have hosted over 5,000 guests at a 4.9-star Google rating, and because you pay on arrival with free cancellation up to 12 hours, trying us carries no risk.
Every Inclusion in Writing: From USD 10 / AED 35, Pay on Arrival
Dune bashing, sandboarding, camel ride, three live shows, BBQ buffet and unlimited soft drinks, included at every tier. Send your date and we confirm it all in writing.
All-Inclusive Desert Safari Abu Dhabi: Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is included in the USD 10 / AED 35 desert safari?
Everything at the camp: dune bashing, sandboarding, a short camel ride, the sunset photo stop, a falcon photo opportunity, henna, Arabic coffee and dates, unlimited soft drinks, water and tea, three live shows and the veg & non-veg BBQ buffet. USD 10 / AED 35 means you drive to our Al Khatim camp yourself.
Is dinner really included at every price tier?
Yes. The veg & non-veg BBQ buffet is part of the base price at USD 10 / AED 35, 50 and 150, and in both private car options. No tier at our camp serves a reduced menu or charges a dinner supplement, every guest eats from the same counters.
Are drinks included: and is alcohol served?
Soft drinks, water and tea are unlimited from arrival to departure at every tier, at no charge. Alcohol is not served at our camp; the evening is family-oriented, and most guests are driving or being driven back to the city the same night.
Is dune bashing included or a paid extra?
Included at every tier, it is the spine of the evening, run in Land Cruisers through dunes rising over 100 metres. If your group wants more after the standard session, an extra dune-bashing round is USD 41 / AED 150 per vehicle, arranged on the spot with your driver.
Is quad biking included in the all-inclusive price?
No, quads are add-ons here and at every honestly priced camp, because they are individual machines with fuel and maintenance costs. Ours are USD 27 / AED 100 single and USD 54 / AED 200 double; mention them when booking so a machine is held for you on the night.
Why do online platforms charge more for the same safari?
Marketplace listings start around US$39–62 before platform fees, and one large agency advertises an all-inclusive version at roughly US$185 per person, their published rates, not ours. Booking directly on WhatsApp gets the gate price: USD 10–41 / AED 35–150 shared, USD 190–245 / AED 699–899 private, paid on arrival.
What is the difference between the USD 10 / AED 35, 50 and 150 tiers?
Transport, nothing else. USD 10 / AED 35 means you self-drive to the camp, USD 16.35 / AED 60 includes the shared bus from Al Wahda Mall and Mazyad Mall, and USD 41 / AED 150 includes pickup and drop-off at your Abu Dhabi hotel or home. All activities, shows, drinks and dinner are identical across the three.
Where does the USD 16.35 / AED 60 shared bus leave from?
From two fixed city meeting points: Al Wahda Mall and Mazyad Mall. Boarding falls inside the 2:30–3:30 PM pickup window, and the bus returns you to the same point around 10:00–10:30 PM. Exact meeting instructions come with your WhatsApp confirmation.
Is hotel pickup included in the price?
At the USD 41 / AED 150 tier, yes, collection from your Abu Dhabi hotel or residence and return to the door are inside that price. The USD 10 / AED 35 and USD 16.35 / AED 60 tiers do not include hotel pickup; that is exactly the difference you pay for between the tiers.
What time does the safari start and finish?
Pickup runs 2:30–3:30 PM and you are back in the city around 10:00–10:30 PM, roughly seven hours door to door. The rhythm shifts slightly through the year because we time the dune session and photo stop around sunset rather than a fixed clock.
Do vegetarians pay extra or need to pre-order?
No. A dedicated vegetarian counter is a standard part of the buffet at every tier, not an on-request item. It helps to mention your vegetarian count when you book so the kitchen balances the counters, but there is never a surcharge for it.
Is the VIP majlis upgrade worth USD 16.35 / AED 60?
For couples, older guests and anyone marking an occasion, yes, it is front-row cushioned seating with table service, so dinner comes to you while the shows happen a few metres away. Standard seating is free and perfectly good; the USD 16.35 / AED 60 buys position and service, not access.
Do I need to pay a deposit to reserve?
No deposit and no booking fee. We confirm your reservation on WhatsApp and you pay the full amount on arrival, by cash or card. Cancellation is free up to 12 hours before pickup, which removes the usual risk of prepaying an outdoor activity.
What changes during Ramadan?
The live dance performances pause during the holy month out of respect; everything else, dune bashing, sandboarding, camel rides, henna, falcon photos, dinner and unlimited drinks, runs as normal. Prices and tiers stay exactly the same, and we confirm the current programme when you book.
The Bottom Line
“All-inclusive” only means something when the list is written down, so ours is, in full, above. From USD 10 / AED 35 self-drive to USD 245 / AED 899 for a private Land Cruiser, every ticket to our Al Khatim camp carries the same dune bashing, sandboarding, camel ride, shows, buffet and unlimited drinks; the only extras are the add-ons priced above. Message us on WhatsApp at +971 58 228 2683, pay on arrival, and cancel free up to 12 hours.
Keep planning with the pages guests read next: the complete Abu Dhabi desert safari prices breakdown, our evening desert safari in detail, the overnight desert safari for a night under the stars, and the best time of year to go.
Continue Planning Your Trip
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Book this tour
No deposit and no card details. Message us and we confirm the plan and the exact price before you commit, answered at any hour.
- Send your date and guest countYour date, how many of you, and where we collect from. That is all we need.
- We send the plan and the pricePer car, not per person. You see the route, the timings and the exact figure first.
- Pay the driver on the dayCash or card, after the run. Free cancellation up to 12 hours before pickup.
Answered 24 hours · No deposit · No booking fee · Licensed operator
If we have to cancel, what happens?
A cancellation policy that covers your obligations but not ours is only half a document. Here is our side of it, in writing.
If we have to cancel your booking, for weather, a vehicle issue, or driver illness, we will contact you as soon as we know and rebook you at no charge on the next date that works for you. You pay nothing for the cancelled booking.
If we need to send a different vehicle than the one you booked, we will ask you first rather than turning up in something you did not book.
This is separate from your own cancellation rights, which are unchanged: you can cancel free up to 12 hours before pickup. Because we take no deposit and no booking fee, there is no money of yours sitting with us either way: nothing to chase, and nothing to wait for.
- 4.9from 10,000+ reviews
- 95,000+guests since 2015
- LicensedDCT Abu Dhabi, DTCM Dubai
- No depositpay on the day