Overnight Safari and Sunrise Hot-Air Balloon Ride

Meet your driver at your Dubai hotel between 2:30pm and 4:30pm, depending on when the sun is due to set. Exact pickup times will be provided before 1pm on the day of the tour. Climb into the open-roof vintage Land Rover, a mode of transport often used in 1950s desert expeditions, and set off for the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve.

As you travel, listen to your guide’s stories about Dubai past and present, as well as the many customs and traditions you will experience throughout the evening. At the conservation reserve, keep an eye out for Arabian gazelles and oryx before stopping for the night in a Bedouin-inspired camp in the grounds of a private royal retreat.

Pose for a photo in the sand dunes as the sun goes down, then enjoy a falconry display and relax with an Arabic coffee as dancers perform to traditional Emirati music. Perhaps smoke a shisha pipe (Arabic water pipe), get a henna tattoo, or try the traditional mode of Bedouin transport – a camel. Then take a seat at the shared table for a 4-course feast beneath the stars. Traditional Emirati dishes, which combine flavors from the Middle East, will set you taste buds alive.

After dinner, sit around the bonfire and gaze up at the stars. When you're ready, make your way to your Arabic tent, complete with comfortable mattress, pillows, and blanket, and settle in for a night sleeping in the heart of the desert.

Early the next morning your guide will escort you to the hot air balloon site, only a few minutes from your camp. After a safety briefing, climb inside the basket of the balloon with an experienced pilot at the controls and feel your adrenaline race as you drift upward.

Gently float over the pristine dunes of the Dubai desert as the sun rises over the Hajar Mountains. As you rise higher, marvel at the awesome sunrise views as your pilot shares interesting facts about the geology and wildlife of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. See falcons flying up to 4,000 feet above the earth from the Balloon and, down below, animals such as gazelle and camels roaming around the reserve. After approximately 1-hour in the air, enjoy a smooth touchdown and step back on to solid ground ready for a gourmet breakfast back at the Heritage Camp. If you wish, you can buy a professional video of your flight (own expense) so you can relive the experience at home.

After a Gourmet breakfast a minibus will take you back to your hotel in Dubai, where the tour ends.