Sandboarding Dubai: Your Guide to Dune Surfing

Sandboarding in Dubai is exactly what it sounds like — standing or lying on a waxed board and riding it down the face of a dune, using gravity instead of an engine. It happens on the red dunes at Al Badayer, and it’s included free as part of every desert safari package we run, no separate ticket needed.

What Sandboarding Actually Feels Like

It’s closer to snowboarding or sledding than surfing — you get a board, a short briefing from our guide on how to angle it, and a dune face to try it on. First runs are usually slow and a little wobbly; by the second or third go most guests have found their balance. The sand itself is softer than it looks, so falls are mostly harmless, just sandy.

Included on Every Package

Whether you’re on the Morning Desert Safari (AED 135) or an evening package like Standard (AED 549) or Premium (AED 599), sandboarding happens during the same desert-camp stop as the camel ride — it’s part of the package, not an upsell. See the full inclusions list on our desert safari page.

Best Time of Day for It

Morning slots are genuinely the most comfortable time to sandboard — the sand hasn’t had all day to bake under the sun, so it’s easier on bare feet and more pleasant to be climbing back up the dune between runs. Evening sandboarding still happens, just closer to sunset when temperatures have started dropping again; midday in summer (June to August) is the one stretch we’d actually steer you away from for this specific activity.

What to Wear

Closed shoes make the climb back up easier, though plenty of guests go barefoot for the actual ride down. Light, comfortable clothing that you don’t mind getting sandy is the move — and sunglasses if you’re out there under full sun, since red dune sand throws a lot of glare.