Dazzling Dubai - Off to the Desert

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This was the highlight of Dubai, and one of the best experiences of my life. We had arranged to go with a company called Platinum Heritage into the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. As we drove for over an hour out of the futuristic metropolis, we passed multiple building sites, and even saw some camel racing tracks with dozens of camels being herded to and fro from track to track. Finally we entered into the anciently traditional Middle Eastern landscape - pure, undisturbed desert.

We transferred from our air-conditioned mini buses into 1950's original desert jeeps (luckily with a modern-day back-up car in case of break downs-eek!).

We journeyed over the dunes, stopping occasionally to take in the views and learn about the few plants growing in there. We learnt about which ones were poisonous, and which could store water; have healing powers; work as a natural insect repellent or even a sun screen - all of which travellers years ago would have needed to know to survive. We also saw some of the few species of wildlife that live in this remote region: the Arabian Oryx.

We finally arrived at a small camp area where we sat on Persian rugs, sipped sparkling date juice (superbly refreshing after being sand blasted in the jeep) and sat down to watch a falconry display.

We were fervently told that falcons are not pets and can never be tamed, that the one the handler had only stayed with her for food. Indeed, travellers years ago would often capture falcons to help catch prey, but again, the falcon would only stay for the food so it would be vital to track your falcon once it had caught the prey to recapture it and use it the next day, whilst a family could feed off its prey.

After watching the breath-taking swoops and dives of the majestic bird, we were then able to hold the falcon - a daunting yet exhilarating opportunity.

From the small, rugged area, we got back into the jeeps and travelled to our final destination: an authentic Bedouin camp. We were greeted by the sight of camels, palm trees, stove fires, homemade camel stew, 8-hour-roasted lamb (that literally fell off the bone) and a traditional henna  artist. Before our meal began, we went  for a camel ride. It was extremely good fun, but I hadn't quite realised exactly how high the animals were! After the camel rides, I went and had a traditional henna tattoo. It looked stunning but felt peculiar as the natural dye set on my hand before I could rub it off to leave the intricate traditional pattern that Arabian women would have worn during special occasions such as weddings.

The meal we had was absolutely delicious, even the camel was tasty (although it felt odd to have just ridden one and now be eating another) - a little on the chewy side but it tasted good - like a mix between beef and pork. After the meal, we were treated to some shisha and a performance from a real Arabian dancer. This consisted of a lot of hear tossing and head flipping - I felt like I was watching an Arabian Beyoncé!

The most memorable part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience was the journey back to the minivans. We had actually travelled quite a long way from our original base, but this time we were travelling under a beautiful blanket of stars. They were so clear and bright, and that view mixed with the silent desert dunes and cool air rushing past us felt truly magical.

Overall it was a truly incredible experience and although it was far from the glamour and grandeur of Dubai, it was certainly the highlight of the whole trip!

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