A buggy ride through the desert

'Dune buggying is exhilarating. Everyone who does it absolutely loves it and wants to come back for more'


Dune buggying is the ultimate way to experience the desert. Forget being scared witless by someone else's reckless 4X4 driving. Most dune buggies only have room for one person, the driver. That person is master of his or her desert destiny.

Unlike most 4X4s, dune buggies have no roof or side doors and are completely open to the elements. This combined with the low position of the driver's seat makes for a very exciting drive, the sense of speed and adventure is magnified tenfold.

"The drive is very exhilarating. Everyone who does it absolutely loves it and wants to come back for more." says Mariette Sayer from Desert Rangers.

The UAE is the perfect place for dune buggying. Right on the doorstep of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are vast stretches of prime open desert. At present only one company in the UAE offers dune buggying, Desert Rangers.

But buggying is not to be confused with quad biking. The vehicles and experiences are quite different. "Quad biking without proper supervision is actually quite dangerous. Our buggies are very safe. The driver is strapped in and wears a helmet at all times. And the thrill of driving a buggy in the desert in convoy is actually much greater than on a quad." says Sayer.

Dune buggies are specially designed to cope with desert conditions. What is perhaps most remarkable about them is that they don't topple over easily. Drivers can curve right along the lip of a sand dune without rolling downhill. Most 4X4 vehicles would overturn when performing a sideways manoeuvre like that. The buggy's low centre of gravity is what keeps the vehicle from tipping or rolling over. Dune buggying was not originally a leisure activity. Buggies were first used in the Australian outback and in the US desert to ferry farmers around inhospitable terrain.

Desert Rangers saw its potential and brought a fleet of them to the UAE for recreational purposes.

The first buggies, bought in 1996, came from Scotland. There followed a period of trial and error. It soon became clear that the buggies were more suited to muddy fields than desert terrain. So the company started working towards fashioning the perfect dune buggy for the desert.

They now import the buggies partly assembled; engineers here then make a few changes. These modifications are now a closely-guarded secret. The buggies will soon be available to buy on an individual basis through Desert Group.

Before investing in a buggy, a good way to sample the joys of it is by going on a safari. Desert Rangers take groups of up to 20 people into the desert for two hours or extended overnight safaris.

"We take people in convoys right into the heart of the desert, not just on a little track in an enclosed area. The great thing is that you see so much. You pass camels and different types of vegetation. You never know what's ahead," says Sayer.

It is a spectacular way to experience the desert and a great way to entertain friends.