Dune-bashing in the desert

I always associated a desert safari with camels under a blazing sun, but I wasn’t up to speed on the latest form of desert entertainment: dune-bashing. In fact, I had never heard of it until I found myself in the back of an off-road vehicle sliding sideways down the side of a sand dune somewhere in the desert outside Dubai.

Dune-bashing has become a popular sport in almost all Arabic countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Essentially, it involves driving off the highway and into the desert for a roller-coaster of a ride up and down and around sand dunes. I’m amazed I managed to snap a photo at all, since this was taken in one of the few moments I wasn’t holding on for dear life and wondering at my sanity for choosing to partake in such an activity. Aside from the adrenaline rush, however, it’s also a great way to see the desert (in air-conditioned comfort), particularly at the end of the day when the sun sets over the dunes.

Plenty of tour agencies in this part of the world offer dune-bashing desert safaris complete with off-road vehicles and professional drivers. Just as Canadian drivers learn to navigate black ice and handle white-out driving conditions, drivers here know all about sand. One trick, for example, is reducing the tire pressure before heading out into the dunes to gain more traction.

In Dubai, half a day of dune-bashing costs between US$40 to US$60 per person. This typically includes a BBQ dinner, belly-dancing, henna-painting and shisha-pipe smoking at a desert camp – all a bit touristy, but being in the desert at night under the stars more than makes up for it.

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