Just because something is safe doesn’t mean it can’t generate an adrenaline rush. Such is the case with Sun Buggy Fun Rentals.

Located in North Las Vegas next to the Las Vegas Motorsports Speedway, this company rents souped-up dune buggies and offers a number of different tours, from the nearby Nellis Dunes to the largest sand dunes in the Western Hemisphere at Amargosa. A more tame tour through Valley of Fire—being a state park there are restrictions on where and how off-road vehicles can proceed through the area—is also available.

The Nellis Dunes Mini-Baja is the company’s most popular tour. The 15,000-acre desert terrain just 15 minutes north of the Strip is a challenging and technical course. It runs through sand dunes, gravel-covered creek beds and rock-lined valleys. You can go slow, if you must, but there is no fun in that.

To really challenge the riders, a guide drives a chase vehicle. The guide goes as fast as possible, pushing the limits of what an inexperienced driver can handle for 90 minutes. The only time the guide will slow down is to allow people to catch up. The adrenaline rush that comes from climbing up dunes before suddenly diving down a 60-degree incline is something everyone must experience.

The Big Dune at Amargosa is a longer ride through dunes exceeding 500 feet in height. This is a free-roaming adventure, where drivers are turned lose on the terrain following a few lessons in navigating the land (it’s more technical than many people think, but not terribly difficult).

This is also a considerably longer adventure than the Mini Baja, in part because of the two hour shuttle ride to Amargosa itself. Once there, drivers are set free to roam the area for three hours. Support staff stays in the area to provide assistance should a buggy experience any mechanical difficulties. If three hours isn’t enough, you can arrange to spend the night and drive again the next day on the 24-hour tour. (Sun Buggy Fun Rentals can also arrange a helicopter ride—for an extra fee—if the two-hour drive is more than you want to deal with).

The last area tour is a calmer trip through Valley of Fire. This is a more scenic and photogenic tour, as the restrictions of the state park limit how aggressively off-road vehicles can drive through the area. The 3.5-hour trip runs along the Logandale trail through some of the most picturesque areas of the park.

Sun Buggy Fun Rentals has also put together a trip it calls the Las Vegas Mini Dakar. This event starts with a 2.5-hour trip through Valley of Fire followed by a two-hour run through the Nellis Dunes.

The cost for these adventures ranges from $200 to upwards of $600. For more information, contact Sun Buggy Fun Rentals at 702-644-2855.

By Greg Jones

Greg Jones is managing editor of Casino Connection Nevada, as well as associate editor of Global Gaming Business magazine.

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