Ride anything in Dubai and it will most likely be over sand. The dunes of the Lahbab desert begin 45 minutes to the southeast, and that is where dune bashing happens: a 4x4 with its tyres let down, a driver reading each crest for the right angle, and an hour that behaves like a rollercoaster with no rails under it. The red dunes near Al Faya are steeper, the golden ones out towards Al Ain run longer, and anyone who has done it once asks for one or the other by name.

You can also take the wheel. Quad tours start at 30 minutes on marked tracks beside the camp and stretch to two-hour guided runs deep into the dunes; buggies seat two to four and reach ground where a quad would go over. No licence is needed, though longer routes reward some experience — sand punishes a heavy throttle in a way that gravel forgives. Slower again: camels, either a quarter of an hour inside a safari or an hour at sunrise across Al Marmoom, where the racing animals train.

The city has its own version — track laps in a sports car at Dubai Autodrome, or a supercar hired by the day for Sheikh Zayed Road. All of it works from October through April; at the peak of summer only the early-morning slot holds up, and some camps shut from mid-June. Pregnant guests and anyone with back trouble should take the route that skips the dune driving. Ask how long the whole trip lasts door to door: Lahbab departures usually return three-and-a-half to seven hours after pick-up.