Drive Hard 7.1 - The Liwa Experience
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Iqsaan
- Intermediate
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:47 pm
Rugged and unpredictable dunes , breathtaking drops and high speed sabkhas ...
You haven't seen the desert until you experience Liwa !!!
Day1:
Started with a rushed departure from Dubai; just before 8pm and after a long drive , I arrived at the Adnoc Hameem , refuelled and hurriedly made my way to the camp .
Arrived to be greeted by over 20 Almosters , relaxing around an inviting campfire.
The night was spent in chit chat and after midnight , most decided to rest before the demanding full day drive..:2 z Z:
Day2 :
Awakened at 5:30am to be greeted by crisp air and mist covering the nearby date farm and the majestic dunes in the distance.:like:
A lazy start , breakfast , light-hearted chat followed by the pre-drive briefing just past 9am.
The group was split into two convoys ; Newbie and Intermediate.
The Newbie convoy were first to leave with Bu Salem as lead and Abu Jimmy & Caprihorse in support
The Intermediate convoy had Yoghybear carving out the track initially , the lead was later rotated between Strawb & Rashidjass.
Expecting a very technical drive , I fastened my seat belt and followed Duck Commander past the farm to our day long playground . The drive progressed well , the scenery was mesmerising - Nature at its best! ... Tall dunes riddled with a maze of pockets ; large flat sabkhas held captive by intimidating sand mountains and gigantic sand walls.
We played HARD the entire day - side sloping and cresting every dune the marshals could find ... but nothing prepares you for the incredible descents ... we were easily around 100-150m up on some of the slipfaces and the ride down was the height of exhilaration , my heart pounding in my chest and bursts of adrenaline helping to cope with the uneasy slide down these almost vertical sandwalls .. :wtfsmilie:
The recents rains had dampened the sands but not our spirits and it was an amazing drive with friends, experiencing the best nature has to offer.
We arrived at Moreeb after covering 150km of desert driving at around 5pm , then headed to Liwa to refuel ,before we made our way to the next campsite.
A smaller group of offroaders now as the Newbies had departed but another great social evening with great company , great food and lots of laughter.
Day 3 :
With the 4x4s all repacked, we set off at 10am following Bu Salem's tracks with Abu Jimmy watching over the entire convoy .
Just to ensure that we were all fully awake, we were surprised within the first few minutes with a jaw-dropping descend which made the drop at Fossil Rock look like a small hill .
This was a taste of things to come ... the sand was much drier having soaked up the previous day of sunshine which made for a more rewarding drive . It was a day of extremes ... With EXTREME side sloping and EXTREME cresting many, many metres above the safety of flat ground which demanded nothing less than perfect execution . Bu Salem took us to his favourite 'play areas' all of them providing unique experiences that only Liwa has to offer... The endless side sloping on the Great Wall was spellbounding .
At one point we had to evade an extremely deep conical bowl . In all likelihood if anyone was drawn into this great abyss , there would be no chance of recovery. To safely reach the exit required a fair deal of sidesloping followed by a brief crest ride to the ' balcony' of the dune on the other side . It was this and other gravity defying stunts that kept the morning interesting.
An hour long lunch break under shade generously provided by Bu Salem's portable awning and a bit of ingenuity from Sarookh ensured that we could comfortably enjoy a meal while recounting our experiences of the morning . Lunch was followed by an afternoon high speed drive through Sabkhas to reach our final destination Ghost Town ... but its seems the ghosts had relocated and the place had simply vanished off the face of the earth.
We all inflated at the road nearby and made our way back home.
I now understand why Liwa is the pinnacle of offroading ...
The unique terrain tests both driver and car to the EXTREME in an unforgiving environment.
THANKS FOUNDERS AND MARSHALS FOR ORGANISING THIS EXTREMELY REWARDING EXPERIENCE.
CANT WAIT FOR DRIVE HARD 8.0 !!!!
You haven't seen the desert until you experience Liwa !!!
Day1:
Started with a rushed departure from Dubai; just before 8pm and after a long drive , I arrived at the Adnoc Hameem , refuelled and hurriedly made my way to the camp .
Arrived to be greeted by over 20 Almosters , relaxing around an inviting campfire.
The night was spent in chit chat and after midnight , most decided to rest before the demanding full day drive..:2 z Z:
Day2 :
Awakened at 5:30am to be greeted by crisp air and mist covering the nearby date farm and the majestic dunes in the distance.:like:
A lazy start , breakfast , light-hearted chat followed by the pre-drive briefing just past 9am.
The group was split into two convoys ; Newbie and Intermediate.
The Newbie convoy were first to leave with Bu Salem as lead and Abu Jimmy & Caprihorse in support
The Intermediate convoy had Yoghybear carving out the track initially , the lead was later rotated between Strawb & Rashidjass.
Expecting a very technical drive , I fastened my seat belt and followed Duck Commander past the farm to our day long playground . The drive progressed well , the scenery was mesmerising - Nature at its best! ... Tall dunes riddled with a maze of pockets ; large flat sabkhas held captive by intimidating sand mountains and gigantic sand walls.
We played HARD the entire day - side sloping and cresting every dune the marshals could find ... but nothing prepares you for the incredible descents ... we were easily around 100-150m up on some of the slipfaces and the ride down was the height of exhilaration , my heart pounding in my chest and bursts of adrenaline helping to cope with the uneasy slide down these almost vertical sandwalls .. :wtfsmilie:
The recents rains had dampened the sands but not our spirits and it was an amazing drive with friends, experiencing the best nature has to offer.
We arrived at Moreeb after covering 150km of desert driving at around 5pm , then headed to Liwa to refuel ,before we made our way to the next campsite.
A smaller group of offroaders now as the Newbies had departed but another great social evening with great company , great food and lots of laughter.
Day 3 :
With the 4x4s all repacked, we set off at 10am following Bu Salem's tracks with Abu Jimmy watching over the entire convoy .
Just to ensure that we were all fully awake, we were surprised within the first few minutes with a jaw-dropping descend which made the drop at Fossil Rock look like a small hill .
This was a taste of things to come ... the sand was much drier having soaked up the previous day of sunshine which made for a more rewarding drive . It was a day of extremes ... With EXTREME side sloping and EXTREME cresting many, many metres above the safety of flat ground which demanded nothing less than perfect execution . Bu Salem took us to his favourite 'play areas' all of them providing unique experiences that only Liwa has to offer... The endless side sloping on the Great Wall was spellbounding .
At one point we had to evade an extremely deep conical bowl . In all likelihood if anyone was drawn into this great abyss , there would be no chance of recovery. To safely reach the exit required a fair deal of sidesloping followed by a brief crest ride to the ' balcony' of the dune on the other side . It was this and other gravity defying stunts that kept the morning interesting.
An hour long lunch break under shade generously provided by Bu Salem's portable awning and a bit of ingenuity from Sarookh ensured that we could comfortably enjoy a meal while recounting our experiences of the morning . Lunch was followed by an afternoon high speed drive through Sabkhas to reach our final destination Ghost Town ... but its seems the ghosts had relocated and the place had simply vanished off the face of the earth.
We all inflated at the road nearby and made our way back home.
I now understand why Liwa is the pinnacle of offroading ...
The unique terrain tests both driver and car to the EXTREME in an unforgiving environment.
THANKS FOUNDERS AND MARSHALS FOR ORGANISING THIS EXTREMELY REWARDING EXPERIENCE.
CANT WAIT FOR DRIVE HARD 8.0 !!!!
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Bu-Shahid
- Intermediate
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:51 pm
Day 1
[IMG]http://imageshack.com/a/img833/2650/bjpa.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.com/a/img543/8549/tpuw.jpg[/IMG]
Day 2
[IMG]http://imageshack.com/a/img716/1456/uigs.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.com/a/img191/4966/wb9r.jpg[/IMG]
to be continued...
[IMG]http://imageshack.com/a/img833/2650/bjpa.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.com/a/img543/8549/tpuw.jpg[/IMG]
Day 2
[IMG]http://imageshack.com/a/img716/1456/uigs.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.com/a/img191/4966/wb9r.jpg[/IMG]
to be continued...
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ginger
- Intermediate
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 10:16 am
Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 What an amazing experience Liwa is, it’s so much more than I had imagined.
On Thursday evening lots of chit-chat over tea, followed by a surprisingly good night’s sleep; then to be woken by cockerels and a view over the date palms to the dunes beyond.
Friday morning we split into 2 convoys, and I was delighted to be 2nd lead to Bu Salam, and to have Abu Jimmy and Caprihorse in support. We started with fast safari-style moving quickly to our first drop. You really have to concentrate on those drops, moving to 4-low and trying to brake on the engine yet balance the car with the right momentum.
Stopping for a quick lunch on the edge of some huge dunes allowed us to ‘take in’ the views and peace around us.
The Sabkahs (salt flats) were just huge and we were able to travel really fast, well over 100km/h, and cover big distances. It was fun to see the border fence (no bees thankfully!), and then we drove back to Moreeb through the oil fields. It was great to see gazelle and there were parts of the trip that made me think of what it must have been like for Wilfred Thesiger crossing the Empty Quarter in the 1950’s (there were more bees in those days)
The sheer scale of the views and huge dunes means that having tasting Liwa (just a little bit) I absolutely have to see more of it!
Many thanks to all the organisers.
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On Thursday evening lots of chit-chat over tea, followed by a surprisingly good night’s sleep; then to be woken by cockerels and a view over the date palms to the dunes beyond.
Friday morning we split into 2 convoys, and I was delighted to be 2nd lead to Bu Salam, and to have Abu Jimmy and Caprihorse in support. We started with fast safari-style moving quickly to our first drop. You really have to concentrate on those drops, moving to 4-low and trying to brake on the engine yet balance the car with the right momentum.
Stopping for a quick lunch on the edge of some huge dunes allowed us to ‘take in’ the views and peace around us.
The Sabkahs (salt flats) were just huge and we were able to travel really fast, well over 100km/h, and cover big distances. It was fun to see the border fence (no bees thankfully!), and then we drove back to Moreeb through the oil fields. It was great to see gazelle and there were parts of the trip that made me think of what it must have been like for Wilfred Thesiger crossing the Empty Quarter in the 1950’s (there were more bees in those days)
The sheer scale of the views and huge dunes means that having tasting Liwa (just a little bit) I absolutely have to see more of it!
Many thanks to all the organisers.
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ginger
- Intermediate
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 10:16 am
What an amazing experience Liwa is, it’s so much more than I had imagined.
On Thursday evening lots of chit-chat over tea, followed by a surprisingly good night’s sleep; then to be woken by cockerels and a view over the date palms to the dunes beyond.
Friday morning we split into 2 convoys, and I was delighted to be 2nd lead to Bu Salem, and to have Abu Jimmy and Caprihorse in support. We started with fast safari-style moving quickly to our first drop. You really have to concentrate on those drops, moving to 4-low and trying to brake on the engine yet balance the car with the right momentum.
Stopping for a quick lunch on the edge of some huge dunes allowed us to ‘take in’ the views and peace around us.
The Sabkahs (salt flats) were just huge and we were able to travel really fast, well over 100km/h, and cover big distances. It was fun to see the border fence (no bees thankfully!), and then we drove back to Moreeb through the oil fields. It was great to see gazelle and there were parts of the trip that made me think of what it must have been like for Wilfred Thesiger crossing the Empty Quarter in the 1950’s (there were more bees in those days)
The sheer scale of the views and huge dunes means that having tasting Liwa (just a little bit) I absolutely have to see more of it!
Many thanks to all the organisers.
On Thursday evening lots of chit-chat over tea, followed by a surprisingly good night’s sleep; then to be woken by cockerels and a view over the date palms to the dunes beyond.
Friday morning we split into 2 convoys, and I was delighted to be 2nd lead to Bu Salem, and to have Abu Jimmy and Caprihorse in support. We started with fast safari-style moving quickly to our first drop. You really have to concentrate on those drops, moving to 4-low and trying to brake on the engine yet balance the car with the right momentum.
Stopping for a quick lunch on the edge of some huge dunes allowed us to ‘take in’ the views and peace around us.
The Sabkahs (salt flats) were just huge and we were able to travel really fast, well over 100km/h, and cover big distances. It was fun to see the border fence (no bees thankfully!), and then we drove back to Moreeb through the oil fields. It was great to see gazelle and there were parts of the trip that made me think of what it must have been like for Wilfred Thesiger crossing the Empty Quarter in the 1950’s (there were more bees in those days)
The sheer scale of the views and huge dunes means that having tasting Liwa (just a little bit) I absolutely have to see more of it!
Many thanks to all the organisers.
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Mubz
- Newbie
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2013 9:51 am
well anything I would say about the trip wont match anything close to what Iqsaan mentioned, he is a true off roader and by reading his trip report I believe he works at Gulf News.
Well My Liwa trip was short compared to intermediates, only allowed one day in the playground but it was the day I can never forget, I must add this to my CV that I've been to Liwa :)
Well day started on Thursday when I finished work early and headed towards the destination, picked my cousin from Abu Dhabi and we were off . Met Green Giant ( Jeremy) on the way and we were the first two to arrive at the adnoc station, after a long wait marshals were there and we headed to the camp site, it was breath taking view for the duner and when you look up sky was like nothing I've seen in UAE.
Well after mid night headed to my tent and woke up to witness something amazing, date farms covered with clouds hiding the mighty dunes behind it, after a tough inspection by Strawb and breakfast we had a brifing which showed what we were up against, so newbie convoy was lead by Bu Salem, support by Chienf and Swept by Abu Jimmy.
Bu salem started of with safari style and the Enjoyment started, it was great drive all the way. high duens, few big drops loooooooooog and fast paced sabkhas and then jumping balconies, we ended up touching saudi border glad they were polishing their guns and we managed to escape the bees :)
Bu Salim found a play area for newbies and we all showed what we learnt it was amazing experience, after coverying about 110 Km we went to the shops and inflated and said good bye to liwa just to come again for a Drive hard 8.0 or 8.1 :)
Thanks Alot to all the organizers for Arranging this epic drive and letting newbies play as well.
Thanks to Bu Salem for awesome lead
Thanks to Chief for non-stop support and mid trip briefing
Thanks to Abu Jimmy for endless support before and during the trip
Special Thanks to Everyone who joined it was amazing.
see you soon in Sands :)
Well My Liwa trip was short compared to intermediates, only allowed one day in the playground but it was the day I can never forget, I must add this to my CV that I've been to Liwa :)
Well day started on Thursday when I finished work early and headed towards the destination, picked my cousin from Abu Dhabi and we were off . Met Green Giant ( Jeremy) on the way and we were the first two to arrive at the adnoc station, after a long wait marshals were there and we headed to the camp site, it was breath taking view for the duner and when you look up sky was like nothing I've seen in UAE.
Well after mid night headed to my tent and woke up to witness something amazing, date farms covered with clouds hiding the mighty dunes behind it, after a tough inspection by Strawb and breakfast we had a brifing which showed what we were up against, so newbie convoy was lead by Bu Salem, support by Chienf and Swept by Abu Jimmy.
Bu salem started of with safari style and the Enjoyment started, it was great drive all the way. high duens, few big drops loooooooooog and fast paced sabkhas and then jumping balconies, we ended up touching saudi border glad they were polishing their guns and we managed to escape the bees :)
Bu Salim found a play area for newbies and we all showed what we learnt it was amazing experience, after coverying about 110 Km we went to the shops and inflated and said good bye to liwa just to come again for a Drive hard 8.0 or 8.1 :)
Thanks Alot to all the organizers for Arranging this epic drive and letting newbies play as well.
Thanks to Bu Salem for awesome lead
Thanks to Chief for non-stop support and mid trip briefing
Thanks to Abu Jimmy for endless support before and during the trip
Special Thanks to Everyone who joined it was amazing.
see you soon in Sands :)
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Duck Commander
- Golden Member
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2010 2:09 pm
It was nice meeting my old buddies, took alot of photos and enjoyed 150 plus sabka drive. Still my ribs are paining :)-
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OffroadRon
- Intermediate
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:03 am
Thank you Marshals for taking us to the amazing Liwa and being able to spend great time with Almost 4x4 friends......Iqsaan has already described the trip in it is full glory , I can't add much too it anymore
Looking forward to the next Liwa trip, hopefully very soon! Unfortunately it will be without chief Marshall.......thanks again Silvester for all the nice trips, advices, humor etc.. Wish you all the best!
See you guys in the sand!
Looking forward to the next Liwa trip, hopefully very soon! Unfortunately it will be without chief Marshall.......thanks again Silvester for all the nice trips, advices, humor etc.. Wish you all the best!
See you guys in the sand!
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caprihorse
- Golden Member
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2010 1:23 am
- Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
- Been thanked: 3 times
- Contact:
[TABLE="width: 1400, align: left"]
[TR]
[TD]Total Length: 312 km
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][IMG]http://www.drivingindubai.com/various/track50.jpg[/IMG]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TR]
[TD]Total Length: 312 km
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][IMG]http://www.drivingindubai.com/various/track50.jpg[/IMG]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
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FrancisJK
- Intermediate
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 11:46 am
I will just make this short & sweet. I must say the 300+ kilometer drive from Dubai is all worth in this trip. We reach the camp site around 11pm, meet & greet the members and after finishing the Karak Tea offered by Chief we set up our camp, rest and prepare ourselves for a long drive in just few hours ZZZzzz...
I woke up in the morning with a nice view of clouds covering the dunes & the palm trees, cool surfaces, warm breakfast & the sunrise. Newbie convoy started to drive around 9am. To be honest and I must admit that I have this fear in driving in Liwa territory (well because it's my first time & it's the "real deal") but this fear just disappeared when I saw the convoy formation led by Al Shamsi, Caprihorse in the middle section of the convoy & behind my back (I am again the last car in the convoy... as usual) sweeping was Abu Jimmy. The fear suddenly change into fun, thrill and learning. Lovely sand formation, breathtaking scenery & great tracks made this trip memorable.
In LIWA desert everything is big! Driving in Liwa for me is a dream came true so Big thanks to Almost 4x4 for another breathtaking, wonderful, thrilling experience. I cannot drive there without your guidance & support so again BIG THANK YOU!
I woke up in the morning with a nice view of clouds covering the dunes & the palm trees, cool surfaces, warm breakfast & the sunrise. Newbie convoy started to drive around 9am. To be honest and I must admit that I have this fear in driving in Liwa territory (well because it's my first time & it's the "real deal") but this fear just disappeared when I saw the convoy formation led by Al Shamsi, Caprihorse in the middle section of the convoy & behind my back (I am again the last car in the convoy... as usual) sweeping was Abu Jimmy. The fear suddenly change into fun, thrill and learning. Lovely sand formation, breathtaking scenery & great tracks made this trip memorable.
In LIWA desert everything is big! Driving in Liwa for me is a dream came true so Big thanks to Almost 4x4 for another breathtaking, wonderful, thrilling experience. I cannot drive there without your guidance & support so again BIG THANK YOU!
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Eric Hummer
- Intermediate
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 9:30 pm
The best trip i ever have so far
… The fun started when we arrive at the camp meeting fellow members and organisers……with welcome drinks "karak" provided by Chief….Thanks
In the morning we were greeted with a midst of fog covering the farm near to our camp… After a nice warm breakfast… we started preparing the required tools for the marshals to inspect the necessary items in order to join the trip …...the convoy started at 80 kph thru flat ground till we reach the big dunes and there where i got overwhlemed i thought that i will never make it at all…. thanks to Bu Salem, Chief and Bu Jimmy for providing constant info over the radio…… i made it thru with no hassle till the trip ended..
Thank you to the organisers and members……see you all next time:045:
… The fun started when we arrive at the camp meeting fellow members and organisers……with welcome drinks "karak" provided by Chief….ThanksIn the morning we were greeted with a midst of fog covering the farm near to our camp… After a nice warm breakfast… we started preparing the required tools for the marshals to inspect the necessary items in order to join the trip …...the convoy started at 80 kph thru flat ground till we reach the big dunes and there where i got overwhlemed i thought that i will never make it at all…. thanks to Bu Salem, Chief and Bu Jimmy for providing constant info over the radio…… i made it thru with no hassle till the trip ended..
Thank you to the organisers and members……see you all next time:045:
