Looking for an overnight camping trip that's ideal for beginner off-roaders? Paolo Rossetti visits Al Hayer Forest, a leafy oasis nestled below sheer 'sand cliffs'
Imagine a grove of more than 100 trees, their canopies casting welcome shade over a parched piece of ground. Could this be in the UAE, where deserts and stark mountains reign? Indeed it is; let's spin our wheels to Al Hayer Forest.
Getting your bearings
Just south of Al Shwaib is a forested area trapped between a wide wadi and red sanddunes. It is an ideal destination for an overnight camping trip, even if you're going in a large group.
Shwaib is located south of Al Madam Roundabout if you're coming from Dubai and on the East Coast road you're if driving from Al Ain. We start from the only Adnoc gas station in Shwaib, at N 24°44.508' / E055°48.038'.
First, let's get an overview of the area. Standing in the Shwaib Adnoc gas station, you will see an expanse of sanddunes to the south, rolling in waves as far as the eye can see. Our destination - the forest - lies behind them, where the dunes abruptly end in a steep slipface.
To the east, is the outline of an imposing rocky massif in Oman. In front of the gas station is a wide alluvium plain called Wadi Sumayni. A fortified border fence bisects the wadi and access to the Omani side is denied.
To reach Al Hayer Forest, head towards the wadi then circle around to the south, driving on an easy sand track, instead of crossing the dunes in a straight line. This trip is suitable for beginner off-roaders and it is a gentle drive, but I would advise that at least a few experienced off-roaders be in your group, just to be on the safe side.
Set off from here towards the mountains, following the tarmac road to the right of the gas station exit in an easterly direction. At the first opportunity, take the tarmac to the right/south and head towards the dunes.
You will soon see a hard track that climbs up the sands - drive towards this even if there are other tracks zig-zagging off from the tarmac road you are on.
Once on the hard track, climb up the dunes and keep left, trying to curl around, away from the open sand. The hard track does not require 4WD and it soons become evident that you are not driving on sand, but on compressed earth that was trucked in to stabilise the track.
Keeping on the track, you soon descend into Wadi Sumayni, where you will come across the border fence.
At the fence, turn right/south and stay on the track that runs along the fence, until it climbs back up into the sands and makes an abrupt left turn. Here, you will see a sandy track heading right/north to a well-established farm. Behind it are trees in the distance - that's your destination!
Skirt around the farm, staying to the left of it, and head out across the small dunes towards the trees.
Easy dune driving
The drive takes you across gentle rolling dunes and there are no sudden or hidden obstacles, so simply deflate your tyres to about 15psi, engage 4WD, stay in high range and slowly cross the dunes maintaining momentum without speeding or revving your engine - easy does it.
If possible, try to maintain a constant speed and avoid stopping in the flat or turning yourtyres at sharp angles.
This is an ideal learning area for sand driving. Should you get stuck, immediately stop spinning your wheels, which will just dig you in deeper.
Engage reverse and gently back out of the soft patch. No matter what, do not use your right foot too heavily; sand driving is based on finesse and not brute strength (please tell that to your friends, too!).
Camping haven
Eventually, you will enter the forest - which is about 1.2km from the farm where you left the border fence - and if you have kept a fairly straight bearing (going north) you will see a slipface, or sand cliff, in front of you.
The coordinates are N 24°38.639'/E055°46.427'.
This is a perfect camping spot: in real estate they say "location, location, location". You are protected from winds by the slipface, you've got flat open spaces to pitch tents, shade from the trees. But resist the urge to collect firewood from fallen branches. It's best to bring your own wood or fuel and leave the area the way you found it.
One word of caution is in order, though. And this is not meant to scare you, but simply to make sure you take precautions. It's not only "location, location, location" to you and your camping friends; it's heaven on earth for many desert creatures. Here I have seen owls, rabbits, mice and many other critters, including scorpions. There, I've said it! Scorpions.
This is a scorpion haven, especially adjacent to the roots of trees. Children must wear their shoes at all times, and they must not pick up anything off the ground with their bare hands.
In the morning, pick up and move tents before rolling them up, as during the night insects will burrow underneath. If you leave your shoes outside, ensure there's nothing inside them before slipping them on.
Gosh, so much for a beginner-friendly forested area, eh? Not to worry, and I hope I'm not putting you off. Scorpions are not the least bit interested in us; they just want to be left alone.
In the eventuality of a sting, from what I've been told, it is most likely to feel like a very painful wasp sting. Children, or people with allergies, though should take extra care to avoid the experience.
In over a dozen overnight stays in the area, I have found scorpions three times, and only once was a member of our party stung (on the knee as she rolled up her tent in the morning), so it's not as if the place is crawling with them.
So, having enjoyed a scorpion-free camp-out, and probably survived even an early-morning visit by friendly marauding camels from the nearby farms (these do not sting, or spit, or attack campers!), to return home, follow the slipface west (take care not to accidentally follow a track climbing up into the dunes) until the slipface ends and a network of farms appears.
All tracks heading west will eventually converge on the Al Ain - Dubai highway, the entry of which is at N 24°36.808'/E055°43.823', where following the traffic direction will lead you towards Dubai.
Wheels well spun!
