05:00 o’clock
“The early bird gets the worm” is the motto of today, as the alarm clock mercilessly rings at 04:25. Already departure? No, we have booked a safari into the desert.
Abu Dhabi: Jeep Safari with sunrise in the desert, Bakadi Dreams, 60 dollars per person
At the exit of the terminal we are welcomed by a friendly Dutchman with a very good knowledge of German, the remaining payment is taken and we are directly distributed to the jeeps. An hour later, our seven-jeep tour group has reached the edge of the desert, where we take a short break at a camel meeting point, where pressure is released from the tires in order to be able to drift better in the sand dunes now lying ahead of us.
And it’s actually extremely cool and just as you’d imagine: Steep dunes up and down, lots of driving fun at dawn. As the first jeep ahead, the driver alone knows behind which hill we will come to a stop.
The drive was worth it, the panorama that opens up before us shortly before sunrise is idyllic. With about 15 degrees, but hardly a breeze, it is actually still too cold for shorts, which we – equipped for the whole day – wear. The only thing that helps is a long-sleeved jacket, which we can later stow in our backpacks.
It looks a little enchanted, because light fog still lingers in the lowlands and we do not have a completely clear view. In my eyes, however, that makes it all the more beautiful. We enjoy the moment, before it goes with a stop at a small oasis (here also the air pressure of the tires is adapted again to tarred roads) then back to civilization. It will take us about an hour to drive south on the E22 back to Abu Dhabi.
The last rest leads us to a small oasis in the middle of the desert. Instead of water we get the much needed coffee and tea.
Around 09:00 we let the driver drop us off at the Abu Dhabi Mall, from where we will later take a free shuttle provided by AIDA back to the ship. We find that unmistakable at the main entrance of the mall. Even though the mall doesn’t open until 10:00, we pass the time looking for breakfast without any problems until then.
// Sunrise Safari: Bakadi Dreams
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