By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 7 min read
What is the difference between a private and a shared desert safari?
Both trips go to the same dunes, drive the same sand and usually end at the same kind of camp. The difference is who shares the vehicle with you, and everything that follows from that.
| Shared safari | Private safari | |
|---|---|---|
| Who rides in the 4x4 | Other guests, up to the seats in the car | Your group and nobody else |
| Pickup | A window that covers several hotels | One stop, at the time you agree |
| Pace on the dunes | One pace for the whole car | As hard, gentle or short as you ask |
| Photo stops | When the convoy stops | When you ask |
| Leaving the camp | When the shared car leaves | When your group is ready, within camp hours |
| Camp seating | Shared tables | Shared, unless you add a private setup |
| Price basis | Per seat | Per vehicle |
Listings use the word “private” loosely. On some it means your own 4x4, on others a private table at a shared camp. Ask which parts are private before you pay. For trips beyond the dunes, our guide to day trips from Dubai covers every emirate.
The pickup: one stop at your door or a loop of hotels
A shared 4x4 collects its guests hotel by hotel before it leaves the city. Where you sit on that loop matters. Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah are 63 km from the Lahbab dunes, Downtown Dubai is 48 km, and Downtown is 21 km from the Marina. A car that collects in both districts adds that city leg to the evening of every guest on board. The return drops each hotel in turn too.
A private safari has one stop. Assure runs it in two ways:
- A private 4x4 from your door. A desert 4x4 and driver from a safari operator in our partner network, subject to availability, collect your group and stay with you all evening.
- An Assure car to the edge of the desert. Your chauffeur drives you out in a road car. A private partner 4x4 takes over for the dunes and the camp, and the same car brings you home.
The second option also lets the trip start at Dubai International, 47 km from Lahbab. After an airport pickup at DXB, your luggage stays in the road car while you are on the sand.
In the dunes: who sets the pace and the stops
On a dune drive the 4x4s usually run in single file behind a lead car, with the tyres let down for grip. In a shared car, the driver sets one pace for everyone on board. If one guest wants the steepest dunes and another feels sick on the second crest, the car finds a middle line.
In a private 4x4, your group decides. The driver can take a longer, steeper run, a gentle one, or a flat track around the dunes. You stop when the light is right: in mid-December the sun sets at about 5:30 pm, so ask to be in the dunes by 4:30 pm.
In a shared car, a guest who is pregnant or has a bad back, neck or heart cannot ask the other guests to give up the dunes. In a private car, the driver takes the flat track for your group.
At the camp: shared seating, private tables and VIP areas
On both options, the camp is normally shared with other guests. Dinner, the show and the camel rides happen in the same space for everyone.
If you want the camp evening to be private too, three options can be added. Each is quoted on top.
- A private table for your group at a shared camp.
- A private setup, where the camp offers one.
- A VIP camp evening, at camps that run one.
The VIP desert safari pairs a VIP camp evening with a chauffeur-driven Cadillac Escalade or GMC Yukon on the road. Your quote states what the camp includes on your date.
Is a private desert safari worth it for your group?
The price logic decides it for most groups. A shared seat is priced per person, and a private 4x4 is priced per vehicle. For 1 or 2 guests the gap is at its widest, because the whole vehicle costs the same however few people sit in it. As your group fills the seats, the vehicle price spreads further and the gap narrows.
Beyond price, these groups gain the most from going private.
- Families with small children. UAE rules require a child seat for children under 4 and keep children aged 10 or under, or under 145 cm, out of the front seat. Send ages with the enquiry so the right seats come with the car, and leave the camp when the children are tired.
- Older guests. A private driver can pick a soft line over the dunes, or skip them.
- Honeymooners and anniversaries. A private table can be added at the camp.
- Groups of 7 to 19. One Mercedes-Benz Sprinter carries everyone to the desert, and the 4x4s drive together from there.
- Guests short of time. No hotel loop at either end of the evening.
Solo travellers who do not mind company usually get the best value from a shared seat, where one is running on the date. The private desert safari page sets out the private version in full, and the evening desert safari page covers the shared one.
How the price works: per seat vs per vehicle
There are no published prices. The WhatsApp quote is built from the factors below.
| Factor | Shared safari | Private safari |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Per person | Per vehicle |
| Group size | Every seat adds to the total | The total changes when you need another 4x4 |
| Road car | None | Optional Assure car, from a Lexus ES 300h to a 19-seat Sprinter |
| Pickup area | Sharjah and Ajman on request | Any Dubai address; Sharjah and Ajman on request |
| Camp | Standard seating | Standard, private table, private setup or VIP |
| Extras | Quad bike or buggy time | Quad bike or buggy time |
| Date | Busy dates such as New Year’s Eve | Busy dates such as New Year’s Eve |
Who drives the 4x4 and what to check
The Assure fleet is made up of road cars: sedans such as the Lexus ES 300h and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, SUVs, and vans up to the 19-seat Sprinter. None of them goes onto the dunes. The dune drive is always done in a desert 4x4 by a desert-trained driver from a safari operator in our partner network, subject to availability.
On the car plus 4x4 option, the road leg can run in one of our luxury SUVs, the GMC Yukon or the Cadillac Escalade, each seating 6.
Whoever you book with, check these points:
- The operator’s name. Ask who runs the 4x4 and who runs the camp.
- Seatbelts. Every seat in the 4x4 should have one that works.
- Child seats. Confirm in writing that seats can be fitted for each child’s age.
- The tyre stop. The driver should let air out of the tyres for grip before the first dune.
- Driving in a convoy. 4x4s on the dunes should run with a lead vehicle, not alone.
Questions to ask before you book
- Is the 4x4 private, the camp table private, or both?
- How many seats are in the 4x4, and how many guests will share it?
- What is the pickup window, and how many hotels are collected before mine?
- Who operates the 4x4 and the camp?
- Does every seat have a seatbelt, and can child seats be fitted?
- Can the dune drive be made gentler, shorter or skipped?
- What does the camp include, and what is a paid extra?
- What are the cancellation terms?
Send these with your enquiry on WhatsApp to +971 56 684 8148, and the answers come back with the quote. If you are still choosing the time of day, read our morning vs evening desert safari guide, then pack with the desert safari clothing checklist. To fit the desert into a longer day with your own driver, see private tours from Dubai.
Photos in this guide
Three safari SUVs spread across the dunes outside Dubai, with tyre tracks in the sandRob Young / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Safari SUVs driving one behind another along a dusty sand track into the desert outside DubaiRob Young / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Floor cushions, lanterns and shisha pipes laid out on the sand at a Dubai desert camp at duskImage by www.traveljunction.com / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
A white Toyota Land Cruiser on a sand track in the Dubai desert at duskGrocerbix / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
