Liwa Oasis, UAE

Trip to the Liwa Oasis, United Arab Emirates. 

I finished my first year of uni and thought I would do some travel over the summer, seeing as i had until the 1st of October to be back at uni to start the new year. I headed back to Dubai to see the family and took the opportunity to have a look at the impressive sand dunes in Liwa.

Liwa Oasis is about 100 km south of the Persian Gulf coast and 150 km South South West of the city of Abu Dhabi, on the northern edge of Rub' Al Kali desert. The drive took about 3 hours with no traffic apart from the odd water transport truck speeding by, on its way to a power plant somewhere in the desert. 

The Empty Quarter (Rub Al Kali) is a colossal sand desert encompassing most of the Southern Arab Peninsula, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. 

The desert is 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) long, and 500 kilometres (310 mi) wide. Liwa is among a belt of 50 other oasis villages that mark the northern reaches of the Empty Quarter. The unmarked boarder of Saudi is only 16 - 35 km South.

                                                                                                               

Every now and then you would see a tracker along the side of the road, which i can assume is used to keep the every changing sand dunes at bay from swallowing the road. The road is a new feature to the desert, making it easier for less adventurous travelers to trip and get a glimpse at the epic sand dunes. However if your feeling up to it you can grab a few friends, lots of water, essential gear and most importantly powerful 4x4 for cruising over the desert peaks and weaving in and out of sand bowls. Always travel with more than 2 cars, never 1, because the sand is really soft and the heat is difficult to bare.

5 Miles to the Saudi Arabian Boarder.

Daily maximum temperatures in summer average at 47 °C (117 °F) and can reach as high as 56 °C (133 °F)!

Although the temperatures are insane in summer the 

humidity levels seemed to be lower than that of Dubai or Abu Dhabi, so it was a bearable heat, especially as the sun started to set.  I would recommend anyone who wants to visit Liwa to go in winter when the weather is much cooler and the sand is harder with annual rainfall, making driving easier too.

There are plenty of places to camp along the side of the road and a few hotels situated in the desert, one in particular stands out called, Qasr Al Sarab. Its like living in an old French Foreign Legion settlement. Very cool! 

Please come back to check out some more blog post about 'post TastyTrek'. There are more Liwa trips and even a trip to an old peoples home in Goa. 

Stay cool and chill out DM Ford. :)