A complete guide for travellers & photographers planning to visit, explore and take amazing photos of Liwa Desert, the Empty Quarter of Abu Dhabi.

Empty Quarter or in Arabic Rub' al Khali, the largest sand desert in the Arabian region is spreaded across 1000 kilometers between Uited Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman. The desert covers almost the entire southern Arabian Peninsula. Tall sand dunes with elevation of almost 800 meters gives beautiful and mystic look during both day and at night.

Let’s add a little touch from the history that the famous explorer, writer and traveller, Sir Wilfred Thesiger crossed the Empty Quarter with the assistance from his Beduin guides during 20th century. His famous masterpiece book the “Arabian Sands” has featured almost everything about the Empty Quarter and the life inside it during 20th century.

Why one should visit Liwa Desert?

Nature can be seen anywhere. In the misty mountains or in the lush green fields, in the freezing tempretures or in the shattering blow of heat wave. It’s just a matter of time, when one realises what inspire and takes him to the dreamy world. For the same passion and love, there are people who give up their lives every single year on dangerous elevations of mountains or swimming along side predators.

When it comes to desert, the world is completely different. Imagine you wouldn’t see a single manmade structure in 100 kilometers around you. You dont have luxuries of life, you are back in time, trying to do things in old ways. The only thing you have in front of you is the curved shape sand dune, so fragile, ready to get into another masterpiece with a stroke of a wind. You put your feet on it and it feels so unstable and yet it holds you.

Everything in this world has some permanent shape, except desert. Desert will change its shape everyday.

Liwa Desert Dunes - Empty Quarter Abu Dhabi

Although, UAE hold approximately 10% of the total Empty Quarter desert but still going there and seeing it with your own eyes is simply amazing. Its like the same feeling of watching movies like interstellar or imagining going to Mars where you cannot see anything artificial. It is vast, filled with nature and and simply peaceful. You will be surprised to know that these fragile sand dunes are upto 2600 ft high, which is equal to 25 story building.

The tarvel time

Travel time depends on where you are residing in the UAE. From the city of Abu Dhabi, it will take at least three hours drive at an average speed of 100 to 120 KM per hour. But if you hare based in the other cities/Emirates of the UAE like Dubai, Sharjah or further towards Ras Al Khaimah, add another 2 to 4 hours of drive. This is the time you will take to reach Liwa Desert.

Do you need a 4 wheel drive?

Vehicle choice is one of the most important decisions to make before you visit such remote places. So do you need a 4 wheel drive SUV to go to Liwa Desert of Abu Dhabi? Asnwer is no but if you can arrange one, it would be awsome. Because with the help of a powerful SUV, you can drive up on the sand dunes while staying in the vehcile. The whole area will be more accessable for you and surely more fantastic places for you to expolore.

But getting a 4 wheel drive is not everything because driving in sand isn’t like driving on the road. Its totally different, quite slippery as the sand moves beneath your tyres which can be very risky. So get yourself a trained, experienced driver who has the license from the respective authorities within the UAE to drive at such places.

Importantly for those who are wondering, you can go there on a sedan too. Roads till the end, which ends with the Saudi Arabian border are well paved with road lights. Just make sure you dont take your sedan car to the sand because then I have only thing to say, Good Luck getting it out of the sand.

Liwa Desert Dunes

Stopping by or pulliung over your vehicle is totally fine as far as you are creating a road hazard, which is totally illegal as per the laws of Abu Dhabi. As far as you can park your vehicle on the side, without creating any hazard for passing by vehicles, you are fine. But remember, if you are driving a sedan, you shouldn’t park on the sand because then it might be impossible to drive out of that area as your vehicle tyres will get stuck inside the sand immediately you try to move. Trust me, you don’t want that because it will take at least an hour for you to get yourself out of there. I did this mistake twice and its not a nice experience.

My personal advise is to make several stops, whenever you like the view, just stop your veichle on the side, get out of it and enjoy the view. If its worth taking photos, bring your camera out and take photos. This amazing desert will not disappoint you.

What to shoot and what camera gear you might need?

Don’t forget, Liwa desert or even the entire Empty Quarter is wide and gigantic, even for telephoto lenses. So focus on small deatils, patterns and shapes. Fine art photography is the key element there. I always keep a telephone lens (200mm) with me because it gives you reach towards the subject. Landscape is also a key element to capture but the due the fact that Liwa Desert is so huge, I think your compositions will become too wide if you use a wide angle lens. So here is the recomended gear for shooting in the Liwa Desert:

Two camera bodies (one for static tripod and other one handheld). I used Nikon D810 and Fujifilm XT4 for my trips to Liwa Deserr and found both working fantastically.

Lenses should be in a range from a telephoto to macro and standard prime lenses. I used Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 VR along with Tokina 23 and 33mm F1.4X lenses for Fujifilm and a macro lens, which is Tokina 100mm F2.8.

You should keep filters too. Even the possibilities of magical sky with clouds is kind of rare in the UAE, but you never know when the weather will shift in your favor. I used Lee ND Filter Kits (SW150 system for wide angles and Deluxe 100mm Kit for telephoto).

A tripod is a must too. You should be able to put one camera on the tripod and keep the other one with the strap on your shoulder. I took Benro tripod which I am using for the last few years.

Camera bag is a very important element of your photography journey to Liwa Desert. Keep in mind, you wouldn’t be able to roll your bag wheels there so don’t go with a trolly bag. Moreover, a heavy bag can become an issue too, especially when you are climbing sand dunes. So keep something which is compact. Let me add a hazard here. You will be in sand, which will be moving and getting spreaded everywhere around you with a stroke of a wind so be very careful when you are opening and attaching lenses on your camera because sand is the last thing you need in your camera sensor.

Climbing assist can be useful for some people. So if you need one, try to use your tripod as a hiking pole. Walking in sand is like walking in snow. Its fragile, soft and slips beneath your feet every time you move your body. Be careful !

Drone can be a very good advantage there. Even though I have never taken a drone shot but its really amazing to capture bird eyes view. So if you have a drone, bring it along.

Here is what you can shoot :)

Closeup landscapes

Considering the fact that you will see an ocean of sand dunes in front of you, wide angle compositions doesn’t usually work. But cropping something out of a wide view will give so many interesting photos.

Fine art - lines & patterns

This is probably one of the most facinating aspect of desert. Everyday there are new patterns, changing shape with the stroke of wind. But there is one issue, if you will end walking over all of the beautiful patterns and lines sand is making on a particular sand dune you are climbing, you will end up destroying them for good, unless you come back again tomorrow which is close to impossible. So don’t walk all over everything, keep the details intact.

Add other elements in your composition

If you are lucky or lets just say well prepared, you will be able to add other elements into your photos of Liwa Desert. Human element, animals like camels and pasing by vehicles are the best options. For human element, its entirely in your hand to ask someone to be there so you can include them in the photo. Human element gives your photos a lively and unique perspective. There is always a lot of space, you can simply ask your friend to walk a bit further from you, probably to the next sand dune and put him/her somehwere alligning with the patterns of the sand.

But when it comes to other elements like vehicles and animals, its totally your luck. Finding vehciles doing sport (dune bashing) is still easy but animals like camels can be a pain. I have been to Liwa Desert so many times myslef and found camels only once. So I wish you good luck !

Camping in the Liwa Desert

Camping in the desert is allowed by UAE laws. If you visit Liwa desert during the weekends and especially during winter season, you will see a lot of people having camps for the night stay. But it is very important for everyone’s knowledge that as per the laws of Abu Dhabi, littering especially charcoal (for BBQ parties and bonfire) in the desert is a legal offence and you get fined for that. So make sure you are taking garbage back to your place in plastic bags or place them inside the designated bins.

Hey ! If you camp for the night, you will be able to see the milkyway too.

In case of any emergency

Abu Dhabi is one of the safest cities in the world with crime rates close to none. If you are tarvelling inside the city or in the outskirts like Liwa Desert, consider yourself 100% safe. The mere fact behind that is the efficient and freindly police department of Abu Dhabi.

Even though I have never heard about any incidents in the liwa Desert but in case of any emergency, you should immediately call the helpline 999 and seek their assistance. One of the most probable causes of any of such incidents are when you roam around on foot, far away from your group or vehicle and without considering the uneven terrain of the desert. If you do such things, you will either get lost or get yourself injured by falling from a higher sand dune. Even though its totally fine to walk around but dont go too far in taking risks.

In my opinion, one should be careful of desert insects too. I have never encountered any reptile or dangerous insect there but its a remote area so the probablity of such encounters is there like any other wild area. Better wear closed high shoes with full pants, covering your whole body.

Summary

In summary, Liwa Desert, which is part of the mighty Empty Quarter is one of the most naturally beautiful places in the Middle Eastern region. It provides an absolutely pure touch of the nature, wilderness and peace. The place is not just for photographers, travellers or tourists but for everyone young or elderly to have a meditating charm from the mother nature.