Best and TOP thing to do in Dubai- Riding The Dunes | Desert Safari in UAE | Dubai travel guide | Arabian Belly Dance, Camels, Cuisine & more

Day 5

Spectacular Sand dunes in the backdrop
Somewhere between Dubai and Oman

It was the last day of our trip but many adventures were still in store for us. We boarded the morning bus from Abu Dhabi to Dubai that dropped us right in the middle of the historic district called Bur Dubai. We were lucky to contact one of our friends who lives in Bur Dubai who agreed to keep all our luggage with him(we did't have any hotel as our flight was scheduled for the same night). After dumping the bags at his place, we were off towards the Indian markets and the Old Souk(Arabian market). It was still morning and shopkeepers were just beginning to pull up their shutters and hawkers were gradually setting up their materials. We could see lots of locals going towards the Abra station(Abra rides are traditional ferries that carry passengers across the Dubai Creek) and decided to just flow with the rush.

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Spices, Dry fruits and other Arabic souvenirs

Along the winding narrow road came the Old Souk where many buyers were haggling with the sellers and shopkeepers were jumping all over us to sell their stuff(gold ornaments, stuff toys, decorative items and lots of different dates). We were in a little hurry to reach Radisson Blu in Deira from where our Desert Safari guide would pick us up, so we were happy to admire all the beautiful things from a distance. I could see the blue waters of the Creek just behind the Souk and was so eager to get on one of those famous Abra rides that were plying back and forth between Bur Dubai Station and Deira Old Souk Station with great speed and efficiency.

The Abra Ride that connects Bur Dubai to Deira across the Dubai Creek

We got in the queue, paid two Dirhams to the captain(yes that's right, just 1 Dirham per pax for one way)  and readily stepped into the small boat(or Abra or ferry whatever you choose to call it). It was overcast and the sky had been shrouded by dark clouds since morning but we never expected rains in the desert in the month of February, obviously! But it started to rain even as our Abra boat got unhooked from the dock and began to move towards Deira on the other side of the Creek. Both of us tried to bring our bodies in the scope of the little shelter but in vain as the rain was pouring in torrents along with the wind. But we enjoyed every moment of it- dark clouds thundering, Sea Gulls flying for shelter, Abra boats going about their usual busy business despite the inclement weather and tourists clicking selfies under their umbrellas undeterred. It was apparently a 5 minute ride but it felt cut short as the station arrived sooner than we expected.

At the Gold Souk
Deira, Dubai

We got off and headed towards the main street called Baniya Street(means Trader or Merchant street). Both Shubhankar and I are Baniyas(a caste in Hinduism), so we delightfully clicked a customary selfie in front of the large street sign. We had to reach Radisson Blu in 30 minutes, so we decided to explore the famous Spice Souk and Gold Souk markets of Deira. We went inside the narrow lanes, braving the rain which was thankfully down to a light drizzle by then and saw the Souk with most shops selling all kinds of colorful spices. A few twists and turns away, we found the Gold Souk with shops laden with glittering gold and diamond jewelry. There was not much to do for us, so we didn't waste much time and ran towards the hotel to meet our guide who would take us for dune bashing in the deserts of the U.A.E.

Jumping and playing like kids in the desert (:

We waited for a while in the hotel lobby, had a conversation with him and he was there at the valet within 10 minutes. He greeted us with a pleasant smile, ticked our names in his roster, made us sit comfortably in the SUV along with a Russian family(a father and two daughters) and drove us through the city traffic and out on the expressway towards Oman. We would have driven for at least an hour when we began to see open desert on both sides of the road. We passed a camel farm where many camels were sitting and a minute later we saw a long line of golden Arabic Camels(Middle Eastern camels are much smaller in height and more yellow in color than Indian Camels) walking gracefully towards the same farm in the opposite direction.

Happy to get drenched in the rain

Immediately afterwards, our vehicle stopped and our driver gave us instructions to wear the seat belt and hold onto the handles that were protruding from everywhere in the car(vehicle's interior was especially designed for dune bashing). He gave us the signal to brace ourselves as the adventure was about to begin. Then it was more like a topsy-turvy roller-coaster ride in the desert with long stretches of yellow sand for as far as the eyes could see. We climbed tall sand dunes and came down with great acceleration, sometimes I also felt weightlessness and it was the most thrilling car ride I have ever been in.

The dune bashing lasted for good 10 minutes(it felt more than 10 actually) and then we were out of the vehicle to feel the fresh damp breeze hitting our face, to feel the sand under our feet and to appreciate the vast yellow landscape against a dark cloudy sky. We clicked away many pictures and selfies against the surreal background, ran here and there on the sand, climbed big dunes and came running down the other end and acted more like kids who have been taken to a playground for the first time. This was the highlight of the desert safari trip for me.

The Desert Camp, our little oasis in the middle of nowhere

After this activity, we were taken to the desert camp where drinks, snacks and a lavish three course dinner was ready for us. As it was drizzling, bonfire was out of question but the Belly dancing performance was organised within our camp. We made a light conversation with our co-travelers from Russia, had good food, saw the Middle Eastern dance and ate lots and lots of dates over Arabic black coffee. That evening,with pitch darkness everywhere around except for a little light coming from the moon and the stars, I felt as if I had been transported to a real desert oasis in the middle of nowhere. It was an unparalleled experience of the way of life in the desert.

Making merry in the camp