Desert Dunes in Abu Dhabi

About an hour from the blue waters of Port Zayed are the dunes of Abu Dhabi, a location that is in the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Desert.  Here you can find some of the world's largest dunes, camel farms, and even camels who just wander the desert.

We made a quick stop for photos at a farm that had lots of awkward looking baby camels.

It was feeding time when we were there and both mothers and babies were digging in.

These were our three cars, rather than the original two I had planned on.  I have to tell a funny story here.  As we were driving around in Mumbai, Mark got a message from our friend Kim asking him for info on the dune dinner tour that he had sold to her.  He and Jane were originally on the tour but had changed plans when they found out a family member would be home in Abu Dhabi to visit with.  Anyway, Mark told her she must be mistaken but then realized as they messaged back and forth that she had indeed paid him for his tour spots.  The problem was that he had also sold them to another couple, somehow forgetting that he had already sold them to Kim and Fred.  The look on Mark's face as this all went down in Mumbai had me laughing out loud!  For him to make a mistake like that was totally out of character as he is one of the most organized people I have ever met.  I immediately contacted the tour company and they were happy to accommodate two more guests but said we'd need to add another car, which made it more comfortable for all of us since then we were four per vehicle rather than five.  And the mistake didn't cost Mark a whole lot to fix so that worked out okay as well.  Definitely a good laugh for me and ammo for harassing Mark!

These are Arabian, or Dromedary camels, the kind with only one hump.

These little ones will grow up to be "ships of the desert", just like their parents.  These camels also have long eyelashes in double rows and a third eyelid that is sort of like a windshield wiper as it washes sand or dirt out of their eyes.  Their nostrils can also close to protect them from blowing sand.  Just for information's sake, the hump does not hold water, it stores fat for when food is scarce.

Just me and a few camels.  You can see here that I've removed my Abaya.

Next we went to what our driver, Fahim, called the base camp, where those who wanted to could take a camel ride, or have their photo taken with a camel like we did here.

Before I knew it Karl was on a camel and off on a ride.  He was the only one who went solo.

They didn't go far and everyone riding said they were grateful for that.  The dismount videos were pretty funny here.

You could also do sand surfing or dune boarding at the base camp.  Luckily we were there before a couple of hundred people showed up on a Royal Caribbean shore excursion, only a lot more crowded and noisy.  Some people came down standing like the kid in this photo, others just scooted down on their fanny.

This big kid kept telling everyone that he "wasn't 17 anymore" when they asked if he was going to try the dune boarding.  But after watching for a few minutes he got up and grabbed a board so that he could prove he actually was still a teenager.  Just glad he didn't get hurt!

The sun started setting and every view was a beauty, photo overload coming!

This one with dunes, clouds and sun was glorious.

There's just so much emptiness on the dessert, but bits of green here and there show signs of life.

These next two photos 

are two of my favorite sunset shots from here.

Here's our driver/guide Fahim.  He did a great job explaining the area to us as Abu Dhabi has always been his home.  He reminded us that it is one of the richest cities in the world, definitely the wealthiest of the Emirates.

We made a stop to get some pictures on the dunes at sunset.

Okay, this one is a favorite too!

And a selfie here with another type of favorite, my buddy LeaAnn.

We look like we're amazing jumpers in this photo!  Fahim know how to take pictures so that you LOOK like you're jumping high when you're actually only going up a couple of inches.  Apparently it's all about perspective.

Yeah, I really loved this picture and the next one as well.  Before we got to this point though we did a little "dune bashing".  It was SO...MUCH...FUN!  The only thing I can liken it to is kind of like riding a dune roller coaster.

They deflate the tires so that you actually start sliding down the dunes sideways.  Or you're at the top of a tall dune and then all of a sudden there's nothing in front of you and you know you're going to be dropping like a stone.  Dune bashing, try it!

Here's part of our party coming to our private area to party.

This was the setup that Desert Rose Tourism had arranged for us.  I had told them we had a few that wouldn't be able to sit on the ground so we'd need at least four couch spaces for sitting, but they gave us enough for everyone.  Desert Rose was a great company to work with.

Just a couple more sunset photos because by now you ought to know I can't help myself.

Not one of our cars but this is what we would have looked like cruising across the dunes.

It was a little breezy when we got there, you can see the sand blowing off the top of the dune, but it calmed down as promised by the time dinner was ready.

For appetizers they brought us a fruit basket.  We had this huge assortment of fruits and we were excited to eat mangosteen again, middle left. The dates were good, if you like dates, which I don't, but Karl does.  I tried a polite bite!

We just sat on our couches, snacking and watching the sun go down, enjoying one another and the evening.                 

Here's the spread they provided for us out on the dunes, pitas, hummus, kebabs, salads, a curry, and even a sort of bread pudding dessert.  It was all lovely.

Too soon, even though we'd been there for almost two hours, it was time to head back to the port for our late departure on Serenade.  I would highly recommend doing an excursion like this with a small group in Abu Dhabi. This evening turned out to be one of our favorite excursions of the whole trip.  And I was so grateful that everyone else felt the same!