Abu Dhabi: Private City Tour + Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque + Qasr Al Watan Palace

We did the tour with Jamshi and Mani (ask for them). They were very kind and professional. The Abu Dhabi Mosque and the desert safari is a mustsee if you visit the UAE.

We went on Grand Mosque and a Desert Safari tour on Monday, November 4, 2024. Overall, it was a day full of mixed experiences and a bit chaotic. The day started with a late pickup by our first guide, Santos, due to traffic, which is unfortunately very common. The drive to Abu Dhabi was long, but the Grand Mosque was spectacular, and Santos was very friendly and eager to share information with us, which we appreciated. After our mosque visit, we were picked up by another guide, Sajeer, to continue the trip to our hotel and then on to the desert safari. The hotel break was meant to last an hour, but this wasn’t mentioned anywhere beforehand, and we waited longer than expected. Because of delays from traffic, we only got 15 minutes at the hotel, and we had to insist on even getting that time, as otherwise they wouldn’t have taken us back to the hotel at all. Sajeer was very kind, but through no fault of his own, we ended up spending a lot of time on the road. We had to drive over an hour across Dubai to pick up two more groups, followed by another hour to reach the desert. Once we arrived, we had to wait more than 30 minutes while another group went for their buggy rides. Unfortunately, Sajeer didn’t inform us why we were waiting or how long it would take, which left us feeling a bit uncertain at first. The initial parts of the experience were quite mixed. The camel ride was extremely short, lasting about a minute over a small stretch, and the camels seemed tired, so we wouldn’t choose that again. However, the dune bashing was a highlight! Sajeer handled the vehicle expertly and made the experience thrilling and fun. The sandboarding was also an exciting addition that we enjoyed. Afterwards, we waited another 20 minutes while the tires were re-inflated and then drove about 40 minutes to the Bedouin camp. There, we were served dinner (Indian food) along with drinks like Coca-Cola or water. We also enjoyed the evening program, which included belly dancing, a fire show, and more. Overall, the experiences were fantastic, but the organization was poor. If we were to do it again, we would definitely book the activities separately rather than a combined package. Despite the logistical issues, we appreciated the interesting information we learned from Sajeer, who was truly kind and attentive.