Photo: Jc8136 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Nature · The United Arab Emirates
Liwa and the edge of the Empty Quarter
The tallest dunes in the Emirates and a silence nothing breaks. Two nights in the desert, far from everything.
Abu Dhabi · The United Arab Emirates
The experience
Liwa is the desert as one imagines it: orange dunes rolling to the horizon at the edge of the Empty Quarter, with small palm oases strung in a crescent. It lies about 250 km from Abu Dhabi city, and so stays quiet even at the height of the season.
Here Moreeb Dune rises some 300 m with a steep face, one of the tallest dunes in the world. Drive up before sunset with a driver who knows the sand, then sit in complete silence as the colour shifts from gold to copper.
To stay, Qasr Al Sarab lies among the dunes about two and a half hours from Abu Dhabi, with villas that have their own pools. From there we arrange camel rides at dawn, an introduction to falconry, and a walk on the sand that ends in a dinner where no one can see you.
This is for those who know the desert and love it, and want stillness from it rather than thrills. Two nights are enough to come back with a clear mind.
The United Arab Emirates
More to do
Adventure
A private desert camp
A drive through golden dunes, then a camp set up for you alone under a sky full of stars. Falcons, camels and an Emirati dinner, without the crowded camps.
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Sea and islands
A day on a private yacht
A yacht of your own from Dubai Marina or Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi. A swim at sea, lunch on deck and the sunset over the water.
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Culture and heritage
A day in the Saadiyat Cultural District
Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum in one place, with a private guide. The Emirates you have not yet seen.
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