By Jim Brennan
Buckle up and hold on tight–it’s not called the “white-water rafting of the desert” for nothing! 
Here is an article that appeared in Automotive Traveler this past January, written by Srinidhi RV Lakhanigam who hails from Bangalore but is currently studying here in the US. He also has his own blog called “View from the Passenger Window” and is an interesting read. According to Srinidhi:
Dune bashing is often called the “white-water rafting of the desert,” and it’s a very popular sport in the United Arab Emirates. Don’t get worried by the name. Dune bashing isn’t some bizarre violent activity, but a serious adventure sport, which involves driving flashy cars/bikes/buggies into the open desert and having some serious fun climbing up and down the mountain-sized sand dunes. Of course, getting stuck and extricating a buggy is also an adventure.
Since I was new to the activity, I decided to take the soft option–dune bashing with a powerful 250cc buggy and then going for a full-fledged desert drive in a chauffeured Toyota Land Cruiser. Travelers are driven into the desert and taken on an exhilarating ride up and down sand dunes in 4×4 vehicles, mostly powerful Toyotas or Pajeros.
You can read the rest of the article at Automotive Traveler.