The futuristic city in the desert, Dubai, is renowned for its modern architecture, symbolic islands, boutique shopping malls and busy traditional souk markets. They have the Burjkhalifa, the current tallest building in the world, the Burj Al Arab Hotel and the manmade “World” archipelago. There are also the beaches of the palm island, Jumeirah, as well as Jebel Ali and Deira that all provide perfect swimming and beach entertainment.

Dune Fun

If however, you fancy exploring the traditional lifestyles of the people of the United Arab Emirates then you can take yourself on a wonderful desert safari. There are regular trips into the peace and solitude of the desert landscape in the back of a 4×4, riding along on a camel or busting sand dunes on a dune buggy.

Tourists can experience the pleasure of an early morning safari, drive into the great outdoors for an evening desert buffet or spend a night in the middle of a sea of sand. Visitors get to sit around a burning campfire, enjoying the tastes of authentic Arab cuisine, while listening to traditional music, belly dancers and having henna tattoos.

Bedouin Buffet

The early morning trips concentrate on turning the desert into sand filled roller coasters, riding the sandy waves and cruising across the landscape. There are visits to camel farms and you can enjoy a lunch of tea and dates with your Bedouin hosts. The evening tours are always popular with guests, dressed in traditional Arabic costume, and riding camels into the sunset for a BBQ of grilled food, salads and sweets with accompanying appetisers and refreshing drinks.

The night time excursions include the expected excitement of bouncing over the sparse dune filled landscape and camel farm tour but have the added thrill of spending the night away from civilization under the star filled sky. Despite the remote locations the camps have all the modern facilities of toilets, showers and washrooms as guests experience the sounds and peace of the desert night.

Souk Shopping

Another great way to sample the real life in the Emirates is to forgo the modern air-conditioned, marble clad shopping malls and wander around the hectic cramped souk. The old Bastakia district with its narrow maze of shops and stalls displaying carpets, spices and jewellery is the ideal place to have a great shopping trip.

Once it gets to night time you will want to experience a more modern side of Dubai so you can get to sleep in comfort. The Radisson Blu Hotel in Dubai Media City will give you a change from the traditional exploration of the daytime with it’s cutting edge design and style. Located in the heart of Media City it is also close to the excellent shopping and beach areas.

Dubai gives visitors a strange glimpse into a future world but also preserves its fascinating ancient past and allows you to get the feeling of what life was like before the oil was discovered.

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