Al Awir or Al Marmoom: which area should you pick for your safari?
Who picks Al Awir and who picks Al Marmoom
Pick Al Awir if the shared evening is the plan, and pick Al Marmoom if the protected reserve is the reason for the trip. That is the whole Al Awir vs Al Marmoom desert safari decision for most guests, because the two areas sit on different packages rather than at different prices of the same one. Read the full guides to Al Awir and Al Marmoom for each place on its own.
- You book the shared evening safari at AED 199 per adult
- You want the shorter drive, about 25 minutes from Dubai
- You are content to have the area assigned by day and pickup zone
- You want the camp programme without paying for a private vehicle
- You want to be inside a Dubai Municipality protected reserve
- You can fill a private Land Cruiser, up to six guests
- You want the area with a documented wildlife record
- You accept a drive of about 40 minutes
Al Awir and Al Marmoom side by side on 7 attributes
Seven attributes separate the two areas. Each row comes from a Dubai Municipality page, the 2018 launch report, or the details BookMySafari publishes on its evening safari and private safari pages. Where no official source speaks, the cell says so.
| Attribute | Al Awir | Al Marmoom |
|---|---|---|
| Official status | Not on the list of eight protected areas that Dubai Municipality publishes. | One of the eight. The Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve sits on the same list as Ras Al Khor and the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. |
| What an official source says | Dubai Municipality named Al Aweer as the location for its temporary winter camps in the 2024-25 season. It publishes no profile of the dune area. | Open to the public year round, per Dubai Municipality. |
| Character of the land | No official description found. | Described at its 2018 launch as the first unfenced desert conservation reserve in the UAE, with Al Qudra Lakes inside it. |
| Wildlife record | No official wildlife record found. | The launch report names one of the largest Arabian gazelle herds in the UAE, a Houbara bustard colony and a flamingo population of 300 to 500 birds. |
| Drive from Dubai | About 25 minutes. | About 40 minutes south. |
| On the AED 199 shared evening | Yes. Lahbab or Al Awir, assigned by day and pickup zone. | No. The shared evening does not route to Al Marmoom. |
| Private option on the private safari page | None listed. | Premium private: a private Land Cruiser inside Al Marmoom with a chef-curated plated dinner, AED 1,499 per vehicle. |
Which area each BookMySafari package goes to
Three packages decide which area you drive in. The shared evening goes to Lahbab or Al Awir, and the desk picks between them by day and pickup zone. Al Marmoom is not part of that package at all. A guest who books the shared evening and wants the reserve changes package instead of asking for a different area.
| Package | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Shared evening safari | Lahbab or Al Awir dunes, assigned by day and pickup zone | AED 199 per adult |
| Standard private safari | Lahbab dunes | AED 1,194 per vehicle |
| Premium private safari | Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve | AED 1,499 per vehicle |
The evening safari page tells guests to ask the desk to confirm the area at booking. Ask which area your date and hotel zone get, because the answer changes the drive time and the dune you cross. The private safari page carries the vehicle limit of six guests on all three private options.
What a protected reserve changes for a visitor
Al Marmoom is a protected reserve and Al Awir is not, and Dubai Municipality's own list shows the difference. It lists eight protected areas, among them the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, and puts them together at approximately 31% of Dubai's area. It states the aim of those areas as protecting, restoring and promoting their ecosystems and biodiversity. Al Awir does not appear on the list.
Dubai Municipality says Al Marmoom and Ras Al Khor are open to the public year round. The 2018 launch report called Al Marmoom the first unfenced desert conservation reserve in the UAE, with Al Qudra Lakes inside it. We found no current Dubai Municipality rulebook for Al Marmoom visitors, so this page states no rule. Ask what applies to the route you book.
For Al Awir the municipality's own page is about something else. It named Al Aweer as the location for its temporary winter camps in the 2024-25 season. That shows the municipality uses Al Aweer for seasonal camps. It does not tell you where any safari camp sits.
What the public record says about animals and water
The record favours Al Marmoom. The Gulf News report of the 2018 launch names one of the largest Arabian gazelle herds in the UAE, one of the richest Houbara bustard colonies in the region and a flamingo population of 300 to 500 birds, and it puts the Al Qudra Lakes inside the reserve. Those are launch-time statements, not a count for your date.
No official source we opened gives a wildlife record for Al Awir. That leaves one area documented and one not, which is a gap in the sources and not proof of an empty desert. No safari route guarantees a sighting in either area. The UAE desert wildlife guide covers the species by habitat.
About 15 minutes each way separates the two
The evening safari page puts Al Awir at roughly 25 minutes out, and the safaris hub puts Al Marmoom 40 minutes south. The gap is 15 minutes each way and 30 minutes on the round trip. Khaleej Times gives 25 minutes for the Al Aweer winter-camp area and 30 to 45 minutes for Al Qudra Lakes, so independent figures sit close to ours.
Your hotel decides the real figure. Pickup point and traffic move both numbers, and a Sharjah or Marina pickup starts from a different place. Ask for the timing from your hotel when you book.
6 travellers and which area fits each
Six profiles cover the main reasons guests ask about the two areas. Each one pairs a traveller with a package, a price drawn from the package pages and one question for the desk.
Book the shared evening and ask which area you get
The AED 199 evening covers hotel pickup, a 25-minute dune drive, a sunset photo stop, the BBQ buffet and the tanoura, belly-dance and fire-show performances. Lahbab or Al Awir is assigned by day and pickup zone, so Al Awir is possible and never promised. Ask which area your date gets before you pay.
Book the premium private option
One Land Cruiser carries up to six guests. AED 1,499 split six ways comes to about AED 250 each, against AED 199 for a seat on the shared evening. The extra buys Al Marmoom and a chef-curated plated dinner in place of the buffet.
Start from the shared evening unless the reserve is the point
The premium private price stays AED 1,499 per vehicle however many guests ride in it. Two guests split it to about AED 750 each, and three to about AED 500. A guest who comes for Al Marmoom itself pays that. A guest who comes for a Dubai evening is better served by the shared seat.
Al Marmoom has the record, and no route promises a sighting
The public record names gazelles, Houbara bustards and flamingos at Al Marmoom and names no wildlife for Al Awir. A record is not a sighting, and no safari route in either area guarantees one. Read the wildlife guide first for what each habitat holds.
Skip the dune drive and ask which area your route uses
Guests ruled out of the dune drive by pregnancy, back or neck issues or motion sensitivity take the no-dune-bashing route at the same AED 199 headline. The driver takes a direct line to the camp. Ask which area the route uses on your date, because this page does not state it.
Al Awir gives back about 30 minutes of the evening
The package pages put Al Awir at about 25 minutes from Dubai and Al Marmoom at about 40. The 15-minute gap runs each way, so a round trip to Al Marmoom costs about 30 minutes more in the car. A tight evening favours the shorter run.
What no public source settles
This page ranks the two areas only where a source backs the call. No public survey measures dune height or sand colour for both, so it makes no call on either. It does not say where a camp sits inside Al Awir or Al Marmoom either, and it quotes no price band for either area beyond the three package prices in the booking map. The Al Awir location guide and the Al Marmoom location guide describe what guests see in each place.
Ask the desk which area your date gets
Message the BookMySafari booking desk on WhatsApp with your date, your hotel, the size of your group and whether the reserve is the reason for the trip. The desk names the area and the package. Bookings on this page are fulfilled by Velari Tourism L.L.C, DET license #1491675.
Message us on WhatsAppAl Awir and Al Marmoom: common questions
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Al Awir vs Al Marmoom desert safari: which one should I choose?
Choose by package. The shared evening safari at AED 199 per adult runs on the Lahbab or Al Awir dunes, assigned by day and pickup zone, so Al Awir comes with the standard evening and the shorter drive. Al Marmoom is a Dubai Municipality protected reserve, and the private safari page lists it on the premium private option at AED 1,499 per vehicle. Pick the shared evening for the standard programme. Pick the premium private safari when the reserve is the reason for the trip. -
Is Al Marmoom a protected reserve while Al Awir is not?
Dubai Municipality lists eight protected areas, and the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve is one of them. Al Awir is not on that list. The status difference is the clearest fact an official source gives on the two areas. -
Which area does the AED 199 shared evening use?
The Lahbab or Al Awir dunes, assigned by day and pickup zone. Al Awir is the shorter run, about 25 minutes out, and it steps in when the pickup zone or eastbound traffic favours it. The shared evening does not go to Al Marmoom. Ask on WhatsApp which area your date and hotel get. -
Which BookMySafari package goes to Al Marmoom?
The private safari page lists Al Marmoom on its premium option: a private Land Cruiser for up to six guests, a chef-curated plated dinner, AED 1,499 per vehicle. Ask the desk which package fits your date. -
How long is the drive to each area?
The package pages give about 25 minutes to Al Awir and about 40 minutes to Al Marmoom. Khaleej Times gives 25 minutes for Al Aweer and 30 to 45 minutes for Al Qudra Lakes, which sit inside the reserve. Your pickup point and the traffic move both figures, so ask for the timing from your hotel. -
Is Al Marmoom better documented for animals than Al Awir?
The public record points one way. The 2018 launch report for Al Marmoom names one of the largest Arabian gazelle herds in the UAE, a Houbara bustard colony and a flamingo population of 300 to 500 birds. We found no official wildlife record for Al Awir. No safari route guarantees a sighting in either area, so Al Marmoom is the better documented area and never a promised one. -
Can I visit either area without a tour?
Dubai Municipality lists Al Marmoom as open to the public year round. We found no official visitor statement for Al Awir. Neither answer covers driving onto the dunes, and this page makes no claim about it.
