04Experiences

Experience

A night in the desert

No visit to the UAE is complete without the desert. In Liwa, on the edge of the Empty Quarter, red dunes rise as high as 300 metres at the Moreeb Dune, and their colour shifts from gold in the morning to copper at sunset. The best desert hours are just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the light softens and the sand cools. Camel racing belongs to this landscape, and UNESCO added it to the UAE's intangible cultural heritage in 2020. In winter Liwa hosts annual festivals of off-road driving and camel races. If you plan to drive on sand, book with a licensed operator and never take an ordinary car into the dunes. Carry more water than you think you need and a warm layer for the night, as temperatures fall quickly after dark even on hot days. If time is short, a half-day trip from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to nearby dunes gives a taste, but a night in Liwa gives full silence and a sky crowded with stars.

About 300 m

Moreeb Dune

2020

Camel racing on UNESCO's list