The United Arab Emirates features the amazing places for campers who want to try their hand at desert camping whether it’s at the beaches, mountains or the desert itself, the UAE provides a lot of prime locations just for those seeking an adventure. But do remember to bring your gear to camp and bring lots of water and food to stay hydrated whilst you enjoy the beautiful views and wilderness of the campsites.
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Hajar Mountains
The Hajar Mountains are located in between Oman and the UAE and are one of the best destinations for your camping trip. Remember to bring your hiking and trek gear as it will be quite a trek before you can find an ideal place for you to pitch your tent. The reason why we recommend camping on this site is because of the beautiful views you get overlooking the mountains and desert. Experienced campers who have trekked before list this as their preferred spot to camp. You can travel with a 4×4 if you want to explore the area by booking a safari trip where you can uncover wondrous canyons and valleys of the mountain range.
Al Dhafra Beach
The beach can be found outside of Abu Dhabi and is a great spot for desert camping. You are free to camp by the sea and enjoy the scenery and wildlife. Turtles and other sea life are some of the inhabitants of this beach. If you’re into water sports then this is a perfect location for you, the list of activities includes Kayaking, snorkelling and diving. For those who want to relax in their time here, you can fish by the sea or enjoy the delicious grilled fish and barbeque meat.
Umm Al Quwain Beach
Again, like at Al Dhafra, you can camp anywhere on the beach shoreline. However, it is recommended that you avoid camping next to the river as the high tides can floor your tent, another note is to avoid private areas because it would be troublesome to be asked to move after you have already pitched your tent. The beach has the same activities that you’ll find above including swimming, kayaking, fishing and barbeque. If you want to fish, you can check out the fishing villages at Al Raas. This beach is home to many wild birds and even flamingos so remember to bring your binoculars if you want to spot them.
Al Qudra Lakes
Located 30 minutes away from the Mall of the Emirates. Al Qudra acts as both a desert and oasis, there are many dunes in this area and if luck is on your side, you can see wild camels in the morning hours. You can witness the flamingos, swans and other species of birds here and is a perfect place for you to take photos of them in their natural habitat. For those who are more sporty, there is a track where you can cycle. Great camping spots include the Al Qudra Lakes East and the Love Lakes, the latter of which is a romantic spot for couples.
Fujairah
Fujairah is one of the best places to camp overnight in the Emirates. With its great scenery of mountains and Sheesha beach. It is a convenient place to camp and activities you can find here include snorkelling and diving. There is a plantation camp available here and the package comes with a buffet dinner and breakfast. Bunk beds are provided however you will need to bring your toiletries, towels and sleeping bags. Facilities like Male and female bathrooms with showers are offered here, you can even add a dhow cruise or speedboat trip around the coast
Jebel Al Jai
Known to be one of the highest mountains in UAE and is recognised as the Grand Canyon of Oman as the scenery here is breath-taking. Hiking here will net you great mountain views where you can appreciate the canyon, best of all it’s not a hard trek as the track is considered flatter than most and easy to climb. This is a perfect place to camp to enjoy the sunrise and also the starry night on top of the mountains.
Fossil Rock
Fossil rock is best known to be one of the finest camping places in the UAE and is popular amongst campers. The location is bordered around many dunes and is great for large camping groups. Its advantage is that it is away from the bustling city of Dubai but is also conveniently located close to populous society. It’s a textbook place to go dune bashing in a 4X4. Dune buggying is a hot activity in the area and it is recommended that you visit Big Red and the Camel Rock if you’re interested in trying.
Ras Al Khaimah Desert
If you want a proper desert camping experience that is still close to civilisation then Ras Al Khaimah Desert is a good option. There are local farms and camel pens spread around with tracks for campers to follow. Here you can find other tourists and explorers trekking around with camels or driving 4X4s. remember to bring plenty of food and water, even though there are the aforementioned farms, it’s still a harsh desert and therefore much safer if you are you bring your necessities.
Ajman
Ajman is where you will find a bunch of SUVs lined up parks in the desert, this is the perfect place to view the beautiful sunset which attracts many families to the location, it is also a major location to camp and enjoy a barbecue grill, if you decide that it’s too cold at night you can get up and leave.
The Longbeach Campground
Camping doesn’t have to mean spending hours trying to pitch a tent and sleeping in a sleeping bag. The Long Beach Campground is where you can enjoy deluxe pre made tents filled with kings size beds, nice decorations and sea views. The beachfront site has bubble tents where you can see the night sky. Each private lot contains its hot tub and bathroom. There is also a choice in upgrading to the safari suite tent which provides a private terrace and en-suite bathroom. Other facilities you can find here include a volleyball field, swim-up bar and a barbecue dinner with live cooking stations.
