DUBAI

A night under the stars

April 2019

On dusk the sands of the Arabian Desert are painted an extraordinary shade of pink. Smoothed by the winds, the dunes resemble flowing sheets of silk rising and falling across the giant dunes like the undulating waves of the ocean. The deserts of the Middle East have always fascinated me, inspired by the tales of female adventurers Gertrude Bell and Freya Stark and their encounters with the Bedouins, I have always had the desire to visit the lands that fill the pages of their books.

We have explored some amazing attractions in Dubai and her surrounding areas over the years, one of our all time favourites has been a night spent under the stars surrounded by the sparse beauty of the Arabian desert.

24 HOURS IN THE ARABIAN DESERT

Collected from the hotel the journey out in to the Dubai Desert takes around an hour. The landscape is captivating, a blanket of sandy terrain smoothed and shaped continuously by the seasonal winds that blow across this inhospitable terrain. There are a handful of groups that offer these types of tours, Heritage Desert Safaris is the one we have returned to time and again, offering a myriad of unique, sustainable desert experiences, highlighting the local Emirati culture and heritage. With a husband who is an avid vintage car enthusiast, traversing across the desert in museum quality 1950’s vintage Land Rovers is a surreal way to explore the area. These vehicles were the first motorised vehicles used in the deserts throughout this area and have become symbolic of Dubai’s heritage and ventures in to unexplored territories.

To kick off the tour we travel into the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve where we are overwhelmed by an encounter with an array of desert animals including the native Arabian oryx, and gazelles. We listen to the stories of the Bedouin, the nomadic people of the Middle Eastern deserts, who for centuries have roamed the arid terrain of Northern Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Syria. After experiencing this environment we marvel at how they have survived this scorched landscape and done so in harmony with this unique ecosystem.

Still within the reserve we are indulged in a Falconry demonstration. A professional Falconer holds court with his magnificent student, educating his captivated audience on the ancient training techniques of these spectacular creatures. Used by the Bedouin for thousands of years to aid them in hunting, the power and intelligence of these birds is staggering.

After a full afternoon exploring the reserve we are warmly welcomed into the heart of the private desert retreat, a Bedouin camp. Here camel rides are enjoyed followed by an Arabian feast, henna painting, shisha and a traditional performance.

The skies at night put on a spectacular show, the perfect way to end the evening before retiring to the traditional Arabic stone dwelling. Sliding down into the comfortable bedding and listening to the desert night sounds is a surreal experience, it transports you back in time and gives you an insight into how the traditional nomads of this area would have lived for thousands of years. The full 24 hours is a unique experience, one that we still talk about to this day, add it to your bucket list when travelling to Dubai.