Best Camping Spots in the UAE

No announcement of the 2026–27 winter camping season dates was found as of 1 October 2026. For reference, Dubai Municipality's seasonal winter camping opened on 21 October in 2024 and ran to 30 April 2025 (Dubai Municipality, 17 October 2024), and permit applications for 2025–26 opened on 21 October 2025 at 10am, for a season running from 1 November to the end of April (Khaleej Times, 21 October 2025). Check dm.gov.ae or the DubaiNow app for this year's dates before you plan around one.

Those dates apply to the seasonal camps at Al Aweer in Dubai, which are booked for three to six months. Casual overnight camping in the desert is a separate question, covered in the table below. Umm Al Quwain runs its own winter permits: for 2025–26, applications were reported open from 11 November to 30 April (Gulf News, 24 October 2025).

Rules differ by emirate and, within an emirate, by site. Where sources disagree or no official page was found, the table says so rather than guessing. Federal law applies everywhere: dumping, burning or burying rubbish outside designated areas carries fines of up to AED 30,000 for individuals under Federal Law No. 12 of 2018, and driving into a valley during rain carries AED 2,000, 23 traffic points and 60 days' vehicle impoundment (Gulf News, 19 October 2025; What's On, 20 October 2025).

Drive times below are the ones given on each place guide, which quote them from central Dubai rather than from Dubai Marina specifically; allow extra on Fridays and weekends and for any unpaved final stretch. "Not confirmed" means no source gives a time from that city.

Visit Abu Dhabi says camping is allowed in the emirate, but advises against setting up on private land or at the base of dunes, leaving food out overnight or using heated equipment inside the tent. Its list of ten places to camp gives no permit or fire rules and, for most entries, no price, so confirm the current terms before you go. Take all rubbish home: dumping or burning it outside designated areas is a federal offence.

Al Wathba Lake Camp is the best documented public site. Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities and Transport opened it in February 2022 with 13 campsites and 24 picnic sites (Visit Abu Dhabi). Gulf News (21 November 2023) describes it as free and open 24 hours, with dedicated barbecue areas, and mentions no permit.

Al Quaa Desert, in southern Abu Dhabi on the Al Ain road, is free with no facilities and no permit needed for a standard visit, according to our guide; it is one of the darkest accessible skies in the UAE, so pick a moonless night. Zakher Lake near Al Ain sees informal camping along the dunes and reed beds, with free parking and no official campsite; swimming is not permitted.

Liwa Oasis sits at the edge of the Rub' al Khali and is on Visit Abu Dhabi's list with no price stated. Our Liwa guide says camping is usually arranged through an operator or, in festival season, the Liwa Sports Club; our Empty Quarter guide reports one Liwa operator saying no permit is needed for wild camping on public land, and not on private land. Visit Abu Dhabi also lists Mirfa Beach and Al Dhafra Beach, and says tents can be set up across the open shoreline at Al Dhafra Beach; neither has a price or permit statement, so read the signs on arrival.

Two places that come up in searches are not free Abu Dhabi sites. Jebel Hafeet Desert Park, near Al Ain, offers tents, domes and bubbles that Visit Abu Dhabi lists as paid options, from a basic bring-your-own-gear pitch upwards (see our Jebel Hafeet guide). Mleiha is in Sharjah, not Abu Dhabi, about 45 minutes from Sharjah city: Visit Sharjah mentions camping there but gives no price or permit rule, and our Mleiha guide says the park runs a bookable overnight camp rather than casual free camping across the protected desert.

For a weekend tent in the desert, Gulf News (updated January 2022) reported that campers need no prior permission, while longer stays need approval and fees. Our guides cover the usual choices: Love Lake, where camping is allowed; Crescent Moon Lake; Al Qudra Desert Lake, where reports on camping and fires conflict (Dubai Municipality signboards reported by Gulf News in November 2018 banned camping, bonfires and barbecues at Al Qudra Lake), so read the signs on the day; and Hatta, where Khaleej Times lists designated campsites with barbecue pits but no single official page sets out permit rules.

Seasonal winter camps are different. Dubai Municipality issues permits for plots at Al Aweer through its website (wintercamp.dm.gov.ae) or the DubaiNow app, with a minimum three-month booking and a maximum of six. For 2024–25 the fee was 44 fils per square metre per week for up to 400 square metres (Dubai Municipality, 17 October 2024); the 2025–26 fee was not stated in the Khaleej Times report. Permits are for personal or family use and cannot be used by hotels or companies (Khaleej Times, 21 October 2025); older reports differ on who may apply (Emirates 24|7: citizens only; Gulf News: residents and visitors). Jebel Ali Beach allows caravan camping with a free no-objection certificate for up to 30 days. Burning or burying waste outside designated areas is illegal, per Khaleej Times.

Jebel Jais has bookable camps on the mountain, listed by Visit Ras Al Khaimah and named on our Jebel Jais guide. A local guide reported the mountain closed for seasonal maintenance on 14 September 2026 with no reopening date, so check visitjebeljais.com before going. PropertyFinder (20 February 2026) reports informal roadside camping at the lower viewpoints and three government-designated campsites, with entry needing a booking or the AED 10 Viewing Deck Park ticket; no official page confirms where camping is permitted, so treat that as reported. The operator's FAQ says barbecuing is not allowed in open areas. PropertyFinder also says camping in wadis is strongly discouraged because of flash floods.

Ras Al Khaimah Municipality banned camping on public beaches outside allocated sites in May 2022. Wadi Shawka is described by Visit Ras Al Khaimah as a popular free camping spot, with no permit mentioned; our Wadi Shawka guide gives the facilities. Our Wadi Kub guide covers wild camping near Masafi, and Jebel Yanas has flat ground on its ridge. Visit Ras Al Khaimah describes Al Rams Beach and Saraya Island as suited to pitching a tent and needing a 4x4, yet a visitor reports signage against camping, as our Al Rams Beach guide notes. Check the signs on arrival.

Sources disagree on permits. A PropertyFinder guide (30 July 2025) says no permit is typically needed for casual beach camping in Fujairah and lists Faqiat Beach as allowing bonfires and barbecues; another PropertyFinder guide (January 2026) says Al Aqah beach camping has no formal fees and inconsistent toilets. A law-firm summary (23 November 2025) says Fujairah requires special permits for mountain and beach camping and bars open fires near dry vegetation. Contact Fujairah Municipality before a longer stay, and keep fires off dry ground.

On the Sharjah side, a guide dated 16 June 2025 names Mleiha, Al Badayer (Big Red) and the Khor Fakkan and Kalba areas as places to camp, and says fires are allowed only in fire pits or portable barbecues. The law-firm summary cites permits and fines from AED 2,000 for unauthorised camping. Sharjah's ruler announced about 800 campsites at Al Hefaiyah Lake, Kalba, in April 2024; it is not confirmed whether they are open.

Our Dibba Rock and Snoopy Island guides cover snorkelling and access rather than camping. Al Rafisah Dam is a landscaped park, and Wadi Kub sits near Masafi on the RAK and Fujairah border. Never camp in a wadi bed if rain is forecast.

Winter nights in the desert and the mountains are far cooler than the days. Visit Abu Dhabi's camping checklist starts with warm clothes, a charged phone and power bank and a first-aid kit. Pack a warm layer you can put on after sunset, a hat and a dry pair of socks for the morning, and keep heaters and gas stoves out of the tent.