What to Wear on a Dubai Desert Safari as a Female Tourist: An Honest Take
Wondering what to wear on a Dubai desert safari as a female tourist? Read along for Dubai outfit inspiration for your desert safari excursion!
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably scouring the Internet trying to find exactly what you can and can’t wear in Dubai on a desert safari. I just knew I didn’t want to be too hot, but I also wanted to dress appropriately for the area.
Thankfully, I’ve learned that Dubai is pretty laid-back, and it is very likely that you won’t have any issues with your desert safari outfit!
This post is all about what to wear on a Dubai desert safari.
Here’s What to Wear on a Dubai Desert Safari
Before going further, I thought I should add the disclaimer that I am from the United States and my outfit recommendations are based on my personal culture and the modern nature of Dubai. If you are from a different country and must dress more modestly then this post with Dubai outfit recommendations isn’t for you. 🙂
Dubai Dress Code: Things You Should Know
I visited in late 2023 and can tell you that Dubai is relaxed and MODERN when it comes to what you can wear as a female tourist. Yes, you will absolutely see many women covered up, but you will also see a LOT of women wearing sleeveless tops and dresses, shorts, etc.
From my experience, the people living there really did not care what you wore. Dubai is a very touristy city, so it’s not abnormal for them to see tourists wearing their normal clothes — sleeveless tops and all!
Obviously, I wouldn’t walk around Dubai wearing the shortest shorts or a bikini top around the city (bikinis are fine at the beach/pool!), but whatever you’re packing is probably fine.
Desert Safari Dubai: How to Plan What to Wear
Now that we’ve discussed the modernity of Dubai, let’s chat about what you’re actually here to learn about: What to wear on a Dubai desert safari.
What to Consider When Planning Your Desert Safari Outfits
Time of year
We visited Dubai in November, so the weather was still warm, but the heat wasn’t anywhere close to the high temperature you’d experience during a desert safari in the summer!
Our desert safari tour guides told us that the temperature has even gotten as hot as 51 degrees Celsius (AKA about 124 degrees Fahrenheit) during their tours in the summer! NO THANK YOU!
Needless to say, the sand can get HOT depending on the time of year you go.
If you go in the cooler months like I did, then shorts and open-toe sandals with a strapped back totally work fine. If you go in the warmer months, you may consider wearing closed-toe shoes and lightweight/breathable pants, only because of how hot the sand can get.
I know this recommendation sounds the opposite of what you should be doing by wearing pants in the warmer months and shorts in the cooler months, but you just want to make sure you’re dressing for the heat of the sand!
Quick Tips on What to Wear on a Dubai Desert Safari:
- If you DO decide to wear sandals, I recommend wearing sandals that have a strap on the back, rather than sandals that can easily slide off. You don’t want to worry about losing your sandals while sand boarding or riding the camel!
- If you’re visiting in the warmer months of the year, consider wearing materials or colors that don’t show your sweat 🙂
Morning vs. evening safari
The next thing to consider when planning your outfit is whether you are taking a morning or evening desert safari.
If you chose the evening desert safari and you’re visiting during the cooler months, consider bringing a light jacket. Although we went on our safari in the morning and I can’t necessarily speak to what the temperature would be like for a desert safari in the evening, there were a few times when we were exploring around Dubai in the evening that I got a little chilly — especially at the pool! Keep in mind that we visited in November, so the temperature wasn’t too hot to begin with.
Type of activities for the day
Dubai desert safari activities typically include one or all of the following: dune bashing (driving in a car over the sand dunes at various speeds), sand boarding, an ATV ride, a camel ride, and sometimes a dinner and show.
The initial plans for our Dubai desert safari comprised of dune bashing, sand boarding, and a camel ride; however, we also spontaneously added on the ATV ride once we made it out to the desert.
With that being said, I recommend dressing with the expectation that you’ll be at least a little active during the desert safari. For example, I wouldn’t recommend wearing a dress, skirt, or anything that may slip up and show something inappropriate (if you catch my drift), like deep V-neck tops, for example.
Take a look at your desert safari plans, think about your level of activity for the plans, and then base your outfit on that.
Side Note: I do NOT recommend bringing fancy jewelry, like wedding or engagement rings, nice earrings, etc. It’s just way too risky to wear those expensive items and lose them in the sand.
Research What Other People Wore on their Desert Safari in Dubai
Before I went to Dubai, I did a LOT of research to make sure what I was packing was actually appropriate to wear.
I read through a lot of threads on Reddit and did a lot of Google searches on what to wear on a Dubai safari, but the thing that actually helped me the most was doing some research on Instagram and finding photos of what other people wore!
Researching Dubai outfits on Instagram is a great research tactic because it shows you what people recently wore on their trip to Dubai, rather than just depending on random, outdated articles online saying you can’t wear certain types of clothing.
How to Research Dubai Safari Outfit Ideas on Instagram
Before you start searching for Dubai desert safari outfits on social media, you should know that not all of the desert safaris are actually in Dubai itself.
For example, we were picked up in Dubai for our desert safari; however, they drove us about an hour away to a desert in Sharjah, another city in the United Arab Emirates. Keep this in mind when doing your research!
Before I went on my trip, I was pretty much only researching “Dubai Desert” on Instagram and just looking at the photos of the locations because I didn’t know there were other desert safaris to look for.
Now that I know better, here are some locations, keywords, and locations with links to check out to see what other people wore on their Dubai desert safari! Be sure to also check the “recent” images, as well as the “tagged” images for outfit ideas.
Some Desert Safari Locations to Research on Instagram:
Be sure to look at the “Recent” images section on these locations.
Some Desert Safari Accounts to Check Out on Instagram:
In addition to the photos featured on each page’s feed, be sure to also look at the “Tagged” images section on each of these pages.
If you can’t already tell from the pictures on Instagram, it’s totally okay to wear a tank top and shorts on a Dubai desert safari! 🙂
What to Wear on a Desert Safari in Dubai: My Outfit
After I did a ton of research online, I decided to wear a light-colored tank top, high-rise denim shorts, some open-toe sandals with a strapped back, and a sun hat as my Dubai desert safari outfit.
My only regret with this outfit was that the denim shorts I wore have a rolled-up hem on the legs, so I definitely had some sand get in there that was hard to get out. Other than that, the outfit worked perfectly!
Pro Tip: For the ladies who also hate wearing bras, these nipple covers on Amazon are absolutely incredible. I wore them on the desert safari under my tank top and they stayed on with no issues. In fact, I’ve worn them so many times in other situations where I get hot and sweaty and they stay on just fine. I just hate wearing a bra so much, and I especially hate sweating in a bra. You can’t even see the nipple covers under your tops! 1,000,000/10 recommend!
What to Wear on a Dubai Desert Safari: My Outfit
Other Tips for a Dubai Desert Safari
- WEAR SUNSCREEN! You’ll be out there in the middle of the desert with the sun beating down on you, so sunscreen is a must.
- Prepare to get sandy! Literally everything was covered in sand — our phones, clothes, etc.!
- Bring cash for tips. Before leaving your hotel, stop by the ATM to grab some cash. Consider bringing a little bit more than for just your tour guide(s). Our tour guides took us to this sand hill with a man holding a bird to take photos. Of course, the man wanted us to tip him, which made it a little awkward since we only brought enough cash to tip our tour guides.
- Bring a portable phone charger to keep your phone charged while you’re out there. The battery drains quickly when you’re taking photos and such!
This post was all about what to wear on a Dubai desert safari.
Want more travel inspiration? Check out my other blog posts featuring destinations all over the world!
