Sandboarding in Abu Dhabi: A Journey to the Heart of the Hillock

If you have never tried it, picture snowboarding, only warmer and far more forgiving. You take a waxed board to the top of a dune, point it downhill, and slide. Most people sit or lie on the board for their first go, which takes no skill at all and is enormous fun. The braver stand up and carve, snowboard-style, once they have the feel for it. And when you fall, and you will, you land in soft sand and laugh. There is nothing to be nervous about.

Here is the thing many visitors never realise. A lot of desert operators keep sandboarding convenient. They use a small slope right by the camp, a quick slide so nobody has to walk far. It is fine, but it is over in a few seconds and it rarely gets the pulse going.

We do it differently. On our safaris we take guests out to a genuine tall dune, the hillock, and let you ride down from the top. The climb is part of the adventure, the view from up there is worth the photo alone, and the run down is longer, faster and properly exciting. A better dune simply makes a better ride, and that is the whole point of coming to the desert in the first place.

A small slope gives you a slide. The hillock gives you a ride you remember.

Getting to the top of a hillock takes a little effort, and that is part of what makes it special. As you climb, the camp shrinks behind you and the dunes open out in every direction, ridge after ridge of gold. At the crest you catch your breath, take in the view, and for a second the desert is completely still. Then you sit on your board, shuffle to the edge, and go. It is the kind of small, real adventure that children and grandparents enjoy just as much as thrill-seekers.

Timing matters more for sandboarding than people expect. In the cool of the morning or the golden light of late afternoon, the sand is comfortable underfoot and the dunes photograph beautifully. In the middle of a hot day, the sand can be too warm to enjoy. That is why the best runs happen on a cooler morning safari or as the sun drops on the classic evening safari. If you want the boarding paired with a bit more adrenaline, a sunset safari that adds a quad bike is hard to beat.

Sandboarding is part of nearly every experience we run, so you rarely have to choose between it and everything else. It is included when you come out to a relaxed desert camp visit, it is there on the early sunrise tour for those who love first light, and it is one of the quiet pleasures of an overnight in the dunes, when you can ride the hillock with almost no one else around. Whichever you pick, just tell us you want the big dunes and we will plan the route around the best hillock we can reach that day.

You do not need to be sporty, young or fearless to enjoy sandboarding. It is one of the most democratic thrills in the desert: a six-year-old and a sixty-year-old can share the same dune and both come down grinning. Our guides show you how, choose a line that suits you, and are there at every step. All you bring is a willingness to get a bit sandy.