Dinner in the dunes

When you're returning from an Arabian Adventures sundowner dune dinner safari, be ready to bring parts of the desert home with you - that is loads of sand trapped in your pockets, hair, shoes and toes. But it's well worth it.

My desert adventure began at 2.45pm when a safari guide picked up me and my trusty companion (my mother!) in Al Barsha in a spanking new Chevy Tahoe. Roshan Mathias has been a guide with the destination management company for six years. "My job is to drive around the wadis and desert and help tourists understand the terrain around them," she explained. The three of us headed southeast on the Dubai Al Ain Highway for about 45 minutes, passing by Rugby Sevens and the Liseli Camel Racecourse, before we arrived in the Margham region, famous for its inland oil field. We were at the foothills of Rubh Al Khali, known as the Empty Quarter, which is the biggest sand desert in the world bordering the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Laws of the desert

In Margham, we entered the Dubai Desert Conservation Resort, in the heart of the desert, which meant there were some rules to follow. The conservation board established that the tracks created by four-wheel drive vehicles were spoiling the beauty of the desert so it set up specific routes for certain tour operators to follow.

Inside the resort, guides must respect a 40km speed limit and their cars are equipped with a back track system so they can be monitored. The 225 square-kilometre resort, bordering a 90km fence along the highway, is a natural sanctuary for endangered species, especially the gazelle and Arabian Oryx. "These species were nearly extinct but His Highness [Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum] introduced 200 of his gazelles and oryxes in 2003, and they have multiplied ever since," said Mathias.

We then joined a group of about 35 cars, which was split into two convoys each led by a safari team leader. It was time for a short break to deflate the tires before going off road. "When inflated, tyres expand so I am able to get a better grip and control of the car to drive in the dunes," said Mathias.

Fastening our seat belts (very securely), we set off on a fun and bumpy ride over and around the dunes and couldn't help but be mesmerised by the immensity and natural beauty surrounding us. We were lost in the middle of stunning reddish-coloured dunes - the red coming from iron oxide, Mathias informed us.

Glowing moments

We continued dune bashing for a while until we spotted some Arabian oryxes. Because we had to stay within 150 metres of our route, we couldn't get very close to the animals but zoomed in our cameras to look at their magnificent horns.

The sun was setting so our guide stepped on the accelerator so we could watch the sunset. We had the whole desert world to ourselves. We watched the sun go down until we could only see half of it behind the dunes and then just its orange glow.

We drove for five minutes and reached our traditional campsite, Al Sahara. Located at the bottom of a large dune illuminated with lanterns, the camp has a shisha area, a tea-and-coffee counter, Bedouin tents, a bar and buffet counters.

Dinner begins with appetisers including falafel, shawarma and cheese puffs, followed by a feast of grilled meats, hummus, salads, vegetable curry and meat balls. For dessert, fruits and baklava.

Under a galaxy of stars, the lights are switched off to welcome a belly dancer who impressed her audience by swaying to the haunting strains of Arabian music. Magical.