# Under the Stars

> A private site in the deep desert, a majlis built for the evening, falconry at golden hour and a telescope after dinner. No camp, no other groups, no quad bikes.

Package B-03 from Offsyte, corporate recreation in the UAE · [Desert](https://offsyte.ae/catalog/desert-team-building/) · Web page: https://offsyte.ae/packages/under-the-stars/

- **Duration:** 7 hrs
- **Ideal start time:** 15:00 pickup — the light between 16:30 and 18:00 is the whole reason for the timing
- **Departure window:** 14:30–15:30
- **Group size:** 20 min — 60 max
- **Emirate / venue:** Dubai or Sharjah inland — private licensed desert site, not a commercial camp
- **Season:** Oct–Apr
- **Booking lead time:** 18 days

## Price per person, excluding 5% VAT

| Group size | Per person | Billed for at least |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| 20–29 people | AED 1,450 | 23 people |
| 30–49 people | AED 1,300 | — |
| 50+ people | AED 1,180 | — |

A group smaller than a band's "billed for at least" figure is still served, and is invoiced for that many people.
Where a larger band costs less in total, it is quoted instead: groups of 27–29 are billed as 30 people at the rate for 30–49 people; groups of 46–49 are billed as 50 people at the rate for 50+ people.

Payment: 50% advance on signature. 100% cleared 3 working days before the event. Numbers lock 7 days prior.

## Why this is not the retail version

A retail desert safari is **AED 150–250 a person** and B-01 Camp Takeover, our own exclusive-camp evening, is AED 580. So the honest question is what AED 1,300 buys that AED 580 does not.

**A camp and a site are different things.** B-01 buys out a commercial camp — a good one, and it is the right answer for most groups. This builds an evening on **private licensed land where no camp exists**: no permanent structures, no quad-bike noise from the next enclosure, no henna queue, no other company's banner at the far end.

The food is **cooked in front of the group** rather than held in a buffet line, the falconry is a handling session rather than a photo opportunity, and there is an astronomer with a telescope at 20:30 — which is only possible because there is no floodlighting on the site.

**What is deliberately absent is the point.** No quad bikes, no sandboarding, no dune bashing. Every retail safari sells adrenaline because it has forty people to entertain for four hours. This sells an evening that a senior team can hold a conversation through, and the things left out are what make that possible.

**Propose it for client entertainment, board dinners and year-end senior events** — not as the whole-company desert night. That is B-01, and confusing the two loses both sales.

## Timeline

- **15:00** — Coach departs client office to the staging point
- **16:00** — Staging point. Transfer to the 4×4 convoy — six per vehicle
- **16:15** — Dune drive to the private site. This is a scenic drive, not a bashing session
- **16:45** — Arrival. The site is already built — majlis seating, low lighting, welcome gahwa and dates
- **17:00** — Falconry. A handler, the birds, and everyone who wants the glove gets the glove
- **18:00** — Sunset. Nothing is scheduled against it
- **18:30** — Live cooking stations open. Chefs working in front of the group, not a buffet line
- **19:00** — Dinner. Live oud through the meal
- **20:30** — Astronomy. Telescope, guide, and the sky forty minutes from the city
- **21:30** — Convoy departs
- **22:00** — Coach departs staging point
- **22:00** — Arrival at drop point

## Included

- Coach transfer from client office to the staging point, both legs
- 4×4 convoy with experienced drivers into the private site
- Exclusive private site — majlis seating, carpets, low lighting, no other group on it
- Welcome gahwa, dates and canapés
- Falconry display and handling session
- Premium live cooking stations — chefs on site, full dietary coverage
- Live oud or saxophone, two hours
- Astronomy guide with telescope
- Full custom branding — themed setting, menu cards, signage
- Photographer, videographer, drone and an edited 90-second reel within 5 working days
- Two event coordinators on site
- On-site medical team

## Not included

- Alcohol
- Quad bikes, dune buggies or sandboarding — deliberately excluded, see below
- Overnight camping (see add-ons)
- 5% VAT

## Weather and backup plan

- **Trigger:** Rain, wind above 25 knots (which ends both the falconry and the cooking stations), or a sandstorm warning.
- **Fallback:** B-01 Camp Takeover at a contracted commercial camp, same date, with the falconry and astronomy carried across and a AED 380/person reduction. The site build is the loss, not the evening.
- **You are told by:** By 14:00 the previous day — the site build begins at 08:00 on the day and cannot be reversed after that.

## Customisation options

- Overnight — private tented accommodation and breakfast: AED 620/person
- Camel arrival for the senior party: AED 2,400/event
- Traditional Ayyala performance: AED 3,200
- Fire performance at dinner: AED 2,600
- Upgrade to a plated seated dinner with a named chef: AED 220/person
- Additional 4×4s for a longer scenic drive: AED 550/vehicle
- Full 5-minute film of the evening: AED 3,200
- Branded gifting at the majlis: AED 25–150/person

## Questions about Under the Stars

### How much does Under the Stars cost per person?

AED 1,450 per person for 20–29 people; AED 1,300 per person for 30–49 people; AED 1,180 per person for 50+ people. All figures exclude 5% VAT. A group below a band's minimum chargeable size is billed at that minimum: 23 people in the 20–29 band. Where a larger band costs less in total, it is quoted instead: groups of 27–29 are billed as 30 people at the rate for 30–49 people; groups of 46–49 are billed as 50 people at the rate for 50+ people.

### How long does Under the Stars take, and when does it start?

7 hrs. Ideal start: 15:00 pickup — the light between 16:30 and 18:00 is the whole reason for the timing. Departure window: 14:30–15:30.

### What is not included in Under the Stars?

Alcohol; Quad bikes, dune buggies or sandboarding — deliberately excluded, see below; Overnight camping (see add-ons); 5% VAT. These are stated before enquiry rather than raised at invoice time.

### What happens to Under the Stars if the weather turns?

Trigger: Rain, wind above 25 knots (which ends both the falconry and the cooking stations), or a sandstorm warning. Fallback: B-01 Camp Takeover at a contracted commercial camp, same date, with the falconry and astronomy carried across and a AED 380/person reduction. The site build is the loss, not the evening. You are told: By 14:00 the previous day — the site build begins at 08:00 on the day and cannot be reversed after that.

### How far in advance do we need to book Under the Stars?

The booking lead time is 18 days. Ramadan and December dates book out first.

## Read before you book

- [Desert camping and glamping overnight for a UAE team](https://offsyte.ae/blog/desert-glamping-team-overnight-uae/): A desert or farmhouse overnight for a UAE team starts at AED 1,070 a person excluding VAT. The season, the night cold and the sleeping plans to sort first.

Request a proposal: https://offsyte.ae/enquire/?package=B-03 · proposals@offsyte.ae