Guided desert rides
A dirt bike tour Dubai day with us means a KTM 450 CC, the red sand of Al Badayer and a guide riding right alongside you. Before the dunes there is a briefing and some training with an instructor, and the kit and fuel come with the bike. This page walks through the day itself: who it suits, how to time it and how to get out there.
Included
How it runs
01what the tour is
Think of a dirt bike tour Dubai booking as a guided ride rather than a bike handed over at the edge of the sand. You reserve a single KTM Dirt Bike 450 CC for a set length of time, and a guide heads out onto the dunes with you. Nobody is left to work out the desert alone, and nobody is hurried past their own pace either.
Three lengths sit on the form: the 1 Hour Ride, the 2 Hour Ride and the 3 Hour Ride. All of them are priced per bike, so a group of three riders books three bikes. The cost of each slot, and the sums on which one gives the best value, are set out on our KTM rental page. Here we stay with what happens on the day.
One thing worth knowing early: the clock includes your warm-up. On the shortest slot, the instructor's time with you comes out of the hour, leaving about 40 minutes of actual riding. If the riding itself is the point of your trip, a longer slot gives the warm-up less weight.
02who it suits
This ride is for people who already ride off-road. Maybe you race enduro or motocross at home and left the bike behind for a holiday. Maybe you live in Dubai, grew up on trail bikes and miss the feel of loose ground under the wheels. Either way, you know how a bike moves when the surface shifts, and you want to try that on red sand.
Two rules apply to everyone. Riders must be 18 or older. They must also be experienced off-road riders. A driving licence is not needed. The training before the ride is there to match you to this bike and this desert, not to teach someone to ride from scratch.
Travelling with friends who have never been off-road? They do not have to sit and watch. Quads and buggies go on the very same booking form, so a mixed group can head out on one trip. Newer riders can start on a quad (see quad biking in Dubai), and pairs or families can share a buggy (see dune buggy rental).
03before you ride
The first part of the day is the briefing, before you head onto the dunes. Your instructor walks you through the controls of the bike, the habits that keep you safe on open sand, and your plan if something breaks or someone falls. Then comes some hands-on training so you can feel how the KTM responds before the terrain gets steep.
While that happens, you get suited up. The riding kit is part of the booking, so there is nothing to rent separately or carry from home:
04what to wear
Under the gear, comfort matters more than style. Pick clothes that let you move freely, such as sportswear or slim casual clothes, and shoes made for sport. Loose, flapping layers only get in the way once the jacket and armour go on top.
Winter mornings and evenings can feel cool, so pack your own jacket for the waiting and the drive home. Everything protective is supplied, from helmet to body armour. Our desert riding clothing guide goes through the details item by item.
05timing
The first slot of the day is 5:00 AM and the last one is 8:00 PM, so you are not tied to the middle of the day. An early start or an evening slot keeps you out of the strongest sun, and the low light over the red sand is a fine bonus for photos.
Work backwards from your slot when you plan. The dunes are 45–60 minutes from Downtown Dubai. With a transfer, the car collects you a full hour ahead of your slot, so a 7:00 AM ride means waiting at your door at 6:00 AM. Leave a little slack after the ride as well, because changing out of the kit and heading back takes time too.
06getting there
You have three ways out to the sand. If you have a car, choose no transfer: the meeting-point location reaches you by email straight after you order, ready to drop into your map app.
Prefer to be collected? A Private Transfer is one car for 5–6 people at AED 450, handy when a group heads out together. Seats in a Sharing Transfer are AED 175 each, though that option only runs when two or more people are travelling from one pickup location. Riding solo from your hotel? Book the private car. Read about the drive and the dunes themselves on our location page.
07extend the day
A handful of extras live on the same booking form, each charged per person. SandBoarding adds AED 50. For a slower pace, the Camel Ride in Desert 20 – 25 min costs AED 150. Staying on for dinner? Pick between two camps: Standard Camp ( BBQ Dinner + Live Entertainment Shows) for AED 125, or Premium Camp ( BBQ Dinner + Live Entertainment Shows ) for AED 250.
Note that the BBQ camp needs a private transfer. Camp pickups run 2:45–3:30 PM in winter (October to March), returning you 9:00–9:30 PM, and 3:45–4:30 PM in summer (April to September). Every rate for rides, extras and transfers sits together on our prices page.
08booking
Booking happens online. Select the KTM, a ride length, a date and a slot. Tick a transfer or extras only if they help, then pay by card on the form. Your confirmation arrives by email, and so does the meeting point if you are driving yourself. Questions before you pay are answered around the clock on WhatsApp.
FAQ
A guide rides with you on every KTM booking, so you are never sent into the dunes by yourself. Before that, an instructor runs the briefing and some training. The guide is part of what the price covers, together with the riding kit and the fuel, so there is no extra fee for having company out there. Ride at your own pace and stay with your guide.
The warm-up counts toward your slot. On the 1 Hour Ride, the instructor's warm-up leaves about 40 minutes for riding the dunes. On the 2 Hour Ride and 3 Hour Ride the warm-up is the same short part at the start, so a larger share of your time ends up in the saddle. If riding time is what you are paying for, the longer slots give you more of it.
The KTM is booked and priced per bike, and each rider takes their own. If you are a pair and only one of you rides off-road, the other can book a quad or a buggy on the same form. If you both want to sit on one machine, both of you fit on our Double Seater Quad Bike ( Open Deep Desert ), which seats two and is also priced per quad, not per rider.
Not on the KTM. The bike is kept for riders of 18 plus who already ride off-road, and road riding is a different skill from handling loose sand. The training before the ride prepares experienced riders for this bike and this terrain; it is not a first lesson. A quad or a dune buggy is the better start, and both are on the same booking form.
Slots open at dawn, 5:00 AM, and the final one starts at 8:00 PM. The earliest and latest slots avoid the hardest midday sun. With a transfer booked, the driver arrives sixty minutes ahead of the slot, so an 8:00 PM ride means being collected at 7:00 PM. If you are driving yourself, allow 45–60 minutes from Downtown Dubai.
Change and refund terms are not spelled out on this page, so send us a WhatsApp before paying and we can explain how a new date or time would work. Our team answers booking messages 24/7, which means you can check the details at any hour and pay only when you are happy with the answer you get.
Choose the KTM, a quad or a buggy, add a pickup if it helps and pay online on the same form. Skip the pickup and the meeting point reaches you by email.