Camel ride in Dubai: short rides, treks, falconry and prices

You can ride a camel in Dubai in two very different ways. Almost every desert safari includes a short ride at the camp, a few minutes on a led camel, which is enough for photos. For longer in the saddle, a camel trek gives you 40 minutes to an hour crossing the dunes, usually at sunset, often with a falcon show and dinner. Below, the two compared, with prices checked on 2 November 2026, and what to look for so you ride with an operator that looks after its animals.

What is the difference between a safari camel ride and a camel trek?

A safari camel ride is a short loop near the camp, while a camel trek is the main event, with 40 to 60 minutes of riding. On a typical shared safari the camel ride is a single line in the itinerary: Excursion Point’s evening safari gives 40 minutes to dune bashing, 20 to sandboarding and five to the camel. A trek reverses that, with no dune bashing on some trips and the ride as the centrepiece.

Ride times from the operators’ listings, checked 2 November 2026.

If you have done one short ride and want more, book a trek. If the dune drive is the main draw and a camel photo will do, the ride on a standard safari is enough. Our desert safari guide explains the different safari types.

How much does a camel ride cost in Dubai?

A camel ride on its own costs from AED 180 for 10 minutes on the beach at JBR to AED 795 per adult for a 45-minute trek with dinner in a protected reserve. A standard safari with a short ride included starts lower. These are the prices we found:

Checked 2 November 2026. Prices change by date, and two of the GetYourGuide prices were discounted from a higher list price when we checked.

OceanAir’s sunset trek includes hotel pickup, a 40-minute ride, camel feeding, a falconry show, a horse show and a BBQ buffet over about six hours, but no sandboarding. Platinum Heritage’s Camel Desert Safari costs more and takes you into the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, with a four-course dinner and a stargazing session. For the wider picture of what safaris cost, see the desert safari price guide.

Where can you ride a camel in and around Dubai?

In the desert outside the city, on the beach at JBR, and further afield in Al Ain. Each place gives you a different ride:

• The Lahbab red dunes. Many safari camps are in the red dunes around Lahbab, where Excursion Point’s evening safari stops for its camel ride. Rides here are short loops or caravans at sunset.
• The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. A protected stretch of desert, described in our desert safari guide. Platinum Heritage runs its 45-minute camel trek here, collecting guests between 2pm and 4.30pm depending on the season.
• JBR beach. A 10-minute guided ride along the sand near The Walk, with views of Ain Dubai and the Marina towers. No transfers are included, and there is a 100 kg weight limit.
• Al Ain. Jebel Hafit Desert Park, at the foot of the mountain, offers camel rides, and Al Ain Zoo lists camel riding among its activities. Al Ain also has a working camel market; see our Al Ain day trip guide.

Where can you see falconry in Dubai?

At many evening desert camps, and on dedicated falconry mornings in the conservation reserve. Both of the longer camel treks we priced include one. OceanAir’s sunset trek includes a traditional Yola dance and falconry show, plus photos with a falcon. Platinum Heritage’s Camel Desert Safari includes a sunset falcon show.

For more than a show, Platinum Heritage’s Royal Falconry Training and Nature Safari is a private morning built around the birds. It includes a 75-minute session with a professional falconer, where hawks, falcons and owls fly to your gloved hand, a 60-minute nature drive in the reserve, and breakfast at Al Maha. Pickup is between 5.30am and 6.30am, it runs from 1 November to 30 April, and it cost AED 3,995 per private vehicle on 2 November 2026. Children need to be 10 or older for the Al Maha breakfast.

How do you tell if a camel ride is well run?

Look at the camels before you get on: they should be resting in shade with water, free of sores and limps, and carrying one rider each. Those checks come from UAE animal welfare rules and from ABTA’s animal welfare guidelines for tourism, whose second edition says:

• camels shouldn’t be ridden before they are four years old;
• no more than one person should ride a camel at a time;
• loads should suit the animal’s size, body condition and fitness;
• working animals shouldn’t work in the hottest part of the day;
• they should get at least an hour’s rest between working periods, with saddles and equipment taken off;
• young, pregnant, nursing, injured, ill or elderly animals shouldn’t be ridden.

UAE rules agree on the basics. Gulf News reports that the executive regulations of Federal Law No. 16 of 2007 treat denying an animal enough food, water or shelter, or putting riding animals under excessive stress whatever their strength, age or health, as cruelty.

At the camp, a good sign is a handler who leads on foot and talks to the camel rather than hitting it, and an operator that states a weight limit, as the JBR ride does at 100 kg. A bad sign is a line of camels saddled and tied in the sun all afternoon. If something looks wrong, skip the ride and tell the operator. ABTA’s advice for travellers also suggests raising concerns with your travel company.

Can children ride camels, and what is the minimum age?

Yes, most operators take children, but each sets its own minimum age. On the listings we checked:

From the operators’ listings, checked 2 November 2026.

A camel stands up back legs first, which tips you sharply forward, then rises at the front. Lean back and hold the saddle handle, and hold small children firmly. ABTA’s one-rider guidance means a parent and child sharing a camel isn’t ideal, so ask whether a handler can lead the child’s own camel alongside yours. Our guide to a desert safari with kids covers the rest of the day with young children.

What should you wear for a camel ride?

Trousers or long shorts, closed shoes, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. A skirt or short dress is awkward when you swing a leg over the saddle, and the saddle rubs bare legs on a longer trek. OceanAir asks trek guests to bring comfortable shoes, sunglasses, a sun hat and sunscreen. Platinum Heritage adds cool, comfortable clothing, plus something warm for evenings from November to March. Leave large bags behind; OceanAir doesn’t allow them. Our guide to what to wear on a desert safari has a season-by-season list.

Which Yalla Dunes safaris include a camel ride?

Two of the four Dubai safaris list one, and all four Abu Dhabi safaris do. In Dubai, the private evening safari includes red dune bashing, a camel ride and a belly dance show, and the morning safari includes dune bashing, sandboarding and a camel ride, back by late morning. The kids-friendly safari and the candlelight dinner for two don’t list a camel ride, so ask before you book if it matters to you.

In Abu Dhabi, every Abu Dhabi desert safari option includes a camel ride, and the kids-friendly morning safari and kids-friendly evening safari add a visit to a camel farm. None of our safaris lists a falcon show, and the Dubai kids-friendly safari lists falcon photos as not included. Every trip is private, with your own driver and hotel pickup. If a long camel trek or a falconry morning is what you want, book a specialist operator such as Platinum Heritage instead.