Tackle dunes at the Gulf News Fun Drive

The Empty Quarter for once will be full, at least next weekend when close to 600 off-road vehicles will descend on the massive Liwa desert for the Gulf News Overnighter Fun Drive supported by Al Futtaim Motors-Toyota.

This year's Fun Drive is the 31st in the series and is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in the Western Region. For the lucky participants, the excitement stretches all the way across 300km, through some of the most picturesque UAE landscape.

"You are going into an area of outstanding natural beauty with dune formations that no designer or artist could possibly conceive. It's nature at her best," says Jehanbaz Ali Khan, who has been the Fun Drive route director for the past 21 years.

The Gulf News Fun Drive began in 1986 and has become extremely popular as a family event in which anyone with a good four-wheel drive vehicle and a little desert driving experience can enjoy some of the most challenging terrain in the country knowing that expert help is always at hand.

This year, the two-day event starts on January 13. Registered Fun Drive participants can collect their information packs from the Gulf News office on Shaikh Zayed Road on January 7 and 8. The vehicles will be flagged off at 7.30am from the Mafraq Hotel in Abu Dhabi. An overnight camp is being set up in the heart of the Empty Quarter, against the backdrop of the majestic Moreb Dune, the tallest in the UAE, where participants can enjoy five-star catering and night-long live entertainment.

"The route to the Rub Al Khali, as the Empty Quarter is known locally, is one of the longest ever charted out for the event - over 300km from the start to the campsite," says Jehanbaz. "We've budgeted over eight hours drive, which is at least an hour longer than previous Fun Drives."

While the route has adopted some tracks used during the previous Liwa trip, participants can look forward to new experiences considering the desert is constantly changing, driven by the wind and weather conditions. At the same time, familiar locations will be revisited simply because they are breathtakingly beautiful.

"There is one section which lasts for about 10km which we call the Camel Spider Track that has about a dozen amazingly steep slopes. It is what I call a real white-knuckle job," says Jehanbaz.

As the participants take to the desert, hundreds of volunteers and 60 marshalls will be working overtime to ensure the event runs smoothly. Needless to say, participants must ensure their vehicle is in good condition. Some experience in desert driving will be an advantage. Jehanbaz advises special attention must be given to tyres, including the spare one. "Check the battery and battery mounting. Recovery ropes with shackles and a shovel are musts,'' he says.

Jehanbaz says every participant must respect the outdoors and every creature that is out there in the desert. With considerate thoughts for the environment and a well-maintained vehicle, participants can look forward to another fun-filled drive at Liwa.

For more information, email promotions@gulfnews.com.