Abu Dhabi has launched six new desert driving routes designed to make the most of the emirate's dune-surrounded location.
The Off-Road Driving in Abu Dhabi Project consists of off-roading routes crossing Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafrah and Al Ain. Adventure-seekers can follow the routes to head out for a desert experience in their own vehicles.
Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the routes are suitable for anyone with a 4x4, whether you are a complete beginner or a more advanced desert driver.
Each route is ranked by difficulty and marked with interesting places to stop along the way. Drivers can decide which road to take depending on whether they are interested in cruising over sun-kissed dunes, navigating endless desertscapes or spotting camels along the way.
From Al Remah to Al Ain
The routes include Al Remah, Al Ain to White Sands, the Hameem Loop, Umm Al Oush, Liwa Crossing and Al Khazna. Each is available to follow on Google maps to help drivers stay on course and there's a comprehensive checklist and instructions to ensure everyone remains safe on and off-road.
“Abu Dhabi is a wonderful destination for adventurers and those looking to connect with nature, thanks to its diverse and rugged landscape. Off-Road Driving in Abu Dhabi will provide adventurers with the opportunity to explore Abu Dhabi’s beautiful landscape and embark on exciting and varying adventures throughout the year," said Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, executive director of tourism and marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi.
Travellers thinking of embarking on one of the drives need to first make sure their car is fully serviced and insured for off-road use. People should not go alone, but in a convoy with at least three or four other four-wheel-drive vehicles. Essential items to pack include plenty of water and food, a first-aid kit, and a spare tyre.
Drivers who haven't taken on the desert before can get some practice beforehand by getting in touch with the tourism operators working with DCT Abu Dhabi. And if you don't fancy tackling desert terrain alone, you can also book to try the off-road routes via these operators.
Whichever route you decide to traverse, make sure you leave the desert as you found it and take all your waste home with you so that we can all enjoy the desert for a long-time to come.
A guide to Abu Dhabi's new off-roading routes:
1. Al Remah
Distance: 67 kilometres
Difficulty rating: Easy
What to expect: Designed to be accessible to anyone, the Al Remah Route takes between six and eight hours to complete. It starts at a camel farm just off the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road and winds past the camel racing track taking towards Telal Nature Reserve then taking in the Zaman Lawal Heritage Village and Naqrah Lake. With high dunes and long sandy valleys, there are lots of opportunities for dune-bashing and fun-driving, as well as camping opportunities.
2. Al Ain To White Sands
Distance: 157 kilometres
Difficulty rating: Easy
What to expect: This route winds through Liwa's dunes and can be completed in four to eight hours, it can also be done in either direction. It's a good pick for those who want to spot camels as they drive, since it crosses several camel farms. There are also lots of good remote camping spots around the Abu Hiraybah area if you fancy a night under the stars.
3. Hameem Loop
Distance: 55 kilometres
Difficulty rating: Intermediate
What to expect: For drivers with a bit of experience, the Hameem Loop is an adrenalin-filled route with towering dunes, deep bowls and slip faces. It takes about five hours to complete, and travellers can expect to see plenty of gazelle, camels and goats. There's also an abandoned Nissan Patrol surrounded by desert dunes and a disused solar power bank to look out for.
4. Umm Al Oush
Distance: 60 kilometres
Difficulty rating: Intermediate to advanced
What to expect: Not recommended for beginners, the Umm Al Oush route is a deceptive trail that encounters steep climbs, sharp drops and highly technical dunes. Starting at the services area near Al Quo'a, this is one for those heading into the desert with a local operator or with plenty of desert driving know-how. The dunes tower up to nearly 250 metres in some spots. Pick a spot along the route for overnight camping and you'll feel as if you have the desert entirely to yourself.
5. Liwa Crossing
Distance: 109 kilometres
Difficulty rating: Advanced
What to expect: For anyone who craves a challenge, this is the one to try. The Liwa crossing route takes up to two days to complete as it passes over some of the country's largest sand dunes. It's also entirely remote – so make sure you take everything you need with you and be prepared for some technical driving. To master it, you'll need to navigate some tricky desert crossings alongside some side sloping and cresting. But the challenge comes with its own rewards. From the forests near Al Mirayr to the salt paths near Bateen Liwa, it's worth the journey. There are plenty of places to pitch a tent, and you're also right beside the five-star Qasr Al Sarab Resort by Anantara, if all that driving has you craving a night of luxury.
6. Al Khazna
Distance: 45 kilometres
Difficulty rating: Advanced
What to expect: Shorter than the other advanced routes but no less difficult, the Al Khazna route can be completed by experienced drivers in about four hours. Expect steep climbs, sharp drops, deep bowls and highly technical dunes – this route is easier to tackle with a long wheel-based car.
Take your time with it and enjoy the surrounding landscapes that include an oasis, camping area, starfish dunes and more. Along the way you'll see a collection of abandoned old cars sinking into the dunes. There's a desert safari camp on the route if you want to spend the night.
View coordinates and find out more about each of the routes on the VisitAbuDhabi website.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
More on Quran memorisation:
Result
UAE (S. Tagliabue 90 1') 1-2 Uzbekistan (Shokhruz Norkhonov 48', 86')
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
