Desert Camp Activities: What There Is to Actually Do

Camp activity lists tend to be long and undifferentiated. Here is what each thing actually involves, how long it takes, and whether it is worth doing.

Sandboarding

10-30 minutes, light to moderate, all ages from about five.

A board, a dune and gravity. Slower than snowboarding because sand has more friction, which makes it far more forgiving for beginners. Most people go down sitting or lying first.

The genuine effort is walking back up, which is harder than it looks. Consistently the highest-value activity for children and a lot of adults.

Camel riding

5-15 minutes led, light.

Short and led at camps rather than a trek. The mounting and dismounting is the memorable part, camels rise back legs first, which tips you forward alarmingly.

Ten minutes is the honest attention span. Longer rides are less comfortable than people imagine.

Falconry

30-45 minutes, light, any age.

Handling a falcon on the glove with a licensed falconer. The most accessible cultural element on offer and the one that most reliably silences a group. Excellent for mixed-fitness groups.

Quad biking

20-30 minutes, moderate, usually 16+ to drive.

Fun and noisy. Worth knowing it is dusty in a way that surprises people, and it is the activity most likely to end with sand in your teeth. Helmets should be provided without asking.

Henna

10-15 minutes, light.

Reliably the longest queue at any camp, popular far beyond who you would expect. Takes 20 minutes to dry and lasts a week or two.

Archery and traditional skills

30-60 minutes, light to moderate.

Coached stations with scoring. Calm and focused, and a good counterweight to run alongside higher-energy activities so a whole group stays occupied.

Cultural performances

15-45 minutes, watching.

Ayyala, Yowla, tanoura, fire shows, oud. Worth far more when someone explains what is being performed, which is almost always skipped.

Live cooking

Ongoing.

Chebab on a griddle, luqaimat fried in front of you. The highest-return thing at any camp: the smell pulls a crowd and it quietly solves the fussy-eater problem.

Stargazing

20+ minutes, free.

The most underrated. Requires only that someone turns the camp lights off for twenty minutes, and it lands harder than most booked entertainment. Plan around a new moon and it is genuinely spectacular, and our Abu Dhabi dark-sky guide covers how to time it properly. It is also one of several reasons the desert makes our list of things to do in Abu Dhabi at night.

What we would skip

Extended dune bashing beyond the drive in. Long camel treks. Anything sold as an "experience" that is really a photo stop.

FAQs

Which activities suit young children?

Sandboarding, henna, live cooking, falconry and stargazing. Skip quad bikes and extended dune bashing.

Are activities included in the price?

Sandboarding and a short camel ride usually are. Quad bikes and extended activities usually are not.

What if someone cannot do physical activities?

Falconry, henna, cooking, performances and stargazing need no fitness at all.

Can we choose our own activities?

On a shared tour, no. On a private booking, entirely, you pick the programme.