On a Saturday evening, my wife and I went to Sharjah-Hatta desert to experience a different kind of dune buggy adventure. The Night Raid Buggy Tours is one of the adrenaline-fueled activities of Big Red Adventure Tours where one can enjoy driving through the desert dunes for two hours and at night time.

While we’ve experienced driving a dune buggy in the desert before, this was our first time to try driving in the dark, which made it all the more interesting.

TRIVIA: Will Smith is one of their customers. We saw a signed waiver with the Hollywood celebrity’s name framed and displayed in the counter.

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night raid tour on a dune buggy

Buggy Adventure Tours by Big Red DXB

Dune Buggy at Night in Hatta-Sharjah Mleiha Archaeological Site

Driving towards the meeting point took us about 50 minutes. We didn’t realize how big Sharjah was until we drove that far and we never passed through other emirates.

As we arrived, the sun was already setting and we were excited to try this extreme activity. We signed a waiver and secured our safety gear. It was time to start.

Big Red Adventure Tours Dubai

getting our safety gear

starting point

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Starting the Desert Adventure

They gave us a dust mask to put underneath our helmets. We started the trip around 6:30pm and we passed through dunes and climbed slopes. At one point I got stuck on a slope and didn’t know what to do that I just froze. Sebastian and Donovan quickly assisted us and told us to reverse the engine so we could slide down backwards.

At times it felt the drive was scary, and we could hardly see the view. But this was all part of the desert adventure and something adrenaline enthusiasts might fancy.

going over slopes

dusty ride

following our guide

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Tourists Stuck on the Desert

We saw a group of tourists in a Land Cruiser and were stuck in the sand. We paused for awhile so our guide could help them. He gave the number of their Recovery Team in order to assist them with their dilemma.

He says that a lot of people drive with their private vehicles in the desert. Desert dune drivers require special and driving license since this is on a different terrain. It was good that we were there so we could somehow help them as they were there for a few hours already.

tourists that got stuck with their private land cruiser

passing through trees in the desert

Marshmallow Snack & Campfire

We passed through trees and afterwards, we stopped to make a quick campfire. They brought out marshmallows for us to roast and have a short snack.

We didn’t expect the marshmallows to be a nice added touch to the experience. We munched on them while gazing at the stars. We didn’t realize the drive lasted for about an hour and the camp was a good break before heading back to the site.

putting out the fire and getting ready to head back

on our left is Donovan, on our right is Sebastian

marshmallows

Heading Back to the Site

We drove back to the site and still passed through desert dunes and slopes. It was a bit more adventurous this time. I guess our guides were able to assess our level of driving. Soon-after, we arrived at the main site and finished our experience.

By the way, it was really dusty driving the buggy so the helmets were really useful.

passing through more slopes

desert dune buggy at night in UAE

It was an exhilarating activity altogether and just to share an insight, we didn’t really see much views of the desert. But it was still a thrilling drive because of the added degree of difficulty.

If you have not experienced a dune buggy tour at all, I would suggest you try the morning or sunset tour first so you can see the beauty of the desert during day time, especially from this desert where the famous Mleiha Archaeological site is located.

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night raid tour by Big Red DXB

great dune buggy desert experience

Safety and Security

Big Red Adventure Tours have professional drivers and guides. Sebastian and Donovan assisted us during the tour and from the onset, they taught us the basics of handling the vehicle and what we should do when on the desert sand. They were very serious with their duties and advised us to follow them on the trail at all times.

We are, after all, handling machines and it’s not all just fun and games when you drive. You also have to practice caution. The instructions they gave were helpful and reminded us that we should remain responsible during the drive.

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Video: Dune Buggy at Night in Dubai

Here’s a video clip of our experience during the dune buggy at night in Dubai:

As the need for extreme adventure in human nature becomes more apparent day by day we have created a product for you to explore the depths of your own adrenaline.

– Big Red DXB

Thank you to Sebastian and Donovan for being excellent guides!

I would like to give credit to my wife who took pictures while I was driving. I wasn’t able to use my camera during the drive and she used my Samsung Note8 to take photos.

Contact Information

Address: Hatta Road, Sharjah, UAE Sharjah, UAE – Sharjah
Phone: +971 50 919 2394
Website: https://www.bigreddxb.com

Instagram: @bigreddxb
Facebook: @BigRedDxb
Twitter: @BigRedDxbTours

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Google Map Location

Below is a map guide to the Big Red DXB adventure site which is the starting point of the adventure. It took us about an hour to reach the site (from Sharjah).