Camel rides at Qasr Al Sarab, Abu Dhabi: Review with prices

Camel rides at the Qasr Al Sarab are one of the many activities available at Abu Dhabi’s incredible dunes hotel. The evening rides take in the sunset.

The Qasr Al Sarab is a remarkable hotel based deep in the Liwa desert dunes in Abu Dhabi. It’s a fantastic place to stay if you want to make your Abu Dhabi stopover truly memorable. To book a stay at the Qasr Al Sarab, head here.

Qasr Al Sarab activities

But the Qasr Al Sarab isn’t just somewhere impressive to stay. It also prides itself on offering a wealth of experiences. Activities available include desert drives, fat biking, archery, sand boarding and horse-riding.

Evening camel rides at Qasr Al Sarab

The evening camel rides from the Qasr Al Sarab head out across the stretch of desert that is very close to where the opening scenes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens were shot. The camels are less inclined towards death-defying action sequences, though. They are quite happy to plod along, in a very specific order that maintains dominance hierarchies, as the sun lowers itself on the skyline.

Getting on is quite the experience – the camels lurch upwards as they get to their feet – but the ride is less bumpy and uncomfortable than might be imagined. The main thing to contend with is the camel behind nuzzling curiously against your leg.

After the Qasr Al Sarab camel ride, it’s time to get down again. The jolt as the camel gets to its knees is just as lurching and ludicrous as the one where it gets to its feet. But awaiting is an impromptu ‘café’ with tables full of drinks, and rugs on the sand, at the top of a dune. As sunsets go, with the camels being led back to their farm in the background, it’s pretty exquisite.

How much do camel rides at the Qasr Al Sarab cost?

The sunset camel rides from the Qasr Al Sarab cost 500 dirhams for adults and 400 dirhams for children. All prices are correct at the time of writing.