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Al Ruwais is a town located some 240 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi city in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi Emirate And almost 350kms from Dubai. 

Its a very long drive to Ruwais. After a few 100 km's from auh the roads narrow down to 2 lane and the road speed reduces to 80km/h. There are lots of radars on the way and all of them are  working so be careful with your speed limits.The best way to spot the radars is to look out for large solar panels on the road as all the Radars are solar powered, almost all. 

The drive itself isn't scenic in spite of being a coastal road. But once you reach your destination itll be worth it. This  off-road trip is meant only for people who like to run away from city and like to camp in the middle of nowhere. All the mentioned camping spots are completely isolated with no  human contact for miles.  The beaches are beautiful ,but don't have any waves maybe i was there during the wrong season. The temp was low at the beach where we camped in Sila. So if planning for a winter drive make sure to carry warm clothes. 

Shuwayhat Island is a scenic place for photography. Camping is not recommended on this island as it is visited by loc als and they usually don't welcome outsiders. Plus there's a military base nearby hence camping is really not advisable. Also people wanting to do night photography will have too much light pollution in this area. Its a good drive to go and explore the island and take some pics.

Sila beach is long stretch of coastal road where you can camp anywhere and everywhere. The shore is quite far during low tide almost a kilometer away from the road. Onc can walk inside all the way if they want. People interested in bird photography will find lots of bird species in these mangroves. There's also a spot where you can spot 100's of flamingos.  

It was long and stressful drive if you don't have cruise control,but overall it was fun to get away from the city and sleep beneath the stars. Hope you guys enjoy it. 

Shuweihat Island, Location, Waypoints, Photos, Videos, Reviews and Feedback from the travellers who visited before.

 

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This place looks really awesome, should visit as soon as I get my 4x4 shortly. Thanks for sharing.

Cars My passion :mrgreen:  :ugeek:

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  • 1 year later...
  • 1 year later...

Bumping this old topic for knowing the possibility of "camping on shuweihat island"

A lot of my friends and family have been asking about this, seems like a new great destination in UAE.

@EmVarlet as you have been lately to the shuweihat island, can you please explain everything in full detail like the route, accessibility for car / 4x4, a possibility of doing camping on shuweihat island, how busy or empty it is during holiday season, nearby attractions or places to visit while going to shuweihat island etc.

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Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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I can’t say much about the surroundings of Shuweihat, since we went straight to the point to spent one night camping on the island. Well, to be frank, it was a terrible idea to do it during the last National Day week-end ! The place was crowded, maybe 400-500 cars on the island, most of them tourists and residents in UAE, and of course (of course ?!!) covered with garbages. We thought about heading out to find a quiet, clean and isolated place, but unfortunately we had to spend the night there because our friends were joining us in the next morning, and we wanted to keep for them the small spot we found on the sea. If you’re going on a Friday or Saturday, I think it’s wiser to follow Jeh’s recommandations : visit the Island, enjoy the beautiful creeks and the scenic views... and  leave the place at the end of the day to camp anywhere else… However, if you have the possibility to go there during the week, it may be an excellent idea to settle on the island for a night or two.

I will share here the nice area we found on the West side of the Island (my guess is that it can really be like heaven if you go outside the rush times). You can reach it with a simple SUV if you drive carefully, but definitely not with a sedan. Even if you are driving a 4x4, be careful once you reach the sea because the rock can be sharp. By the way, if you want to swim, don’t forget to take strong plastic sandals.

Once you get on the Island, go straight on the track until you get close to the GSM antenna (yes, you have some network there), go left towards the hill and cross the fence (there a small gate in it), then follow the fence on your left hand and a few meters before the beach, turn right and find your way to your spot. 

Left a good news for the end : the speed limit Jeh was talking about has changed. Now, it’s 160 km/h after Abu Dhabi, which means that you can reach the Island in slightly more than 3 hours when you come from Dubai !

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On 12/7/2018 at 2:07 PM, EmVarlet said:

I can’t say much about the surroundings of Shuweihat, since we went straight to the point to spent one night camping on the island. Well, to be frank, it was a terrible idea to do it during the last National Day week-end ! The place was crowded, maybe 400-500 cars on the island, most of them tourists and residents in UAE, and of course (of course ?!!) covered with garbages. We thought about heading out to find a quiet, clean and isolated place, but unfortunately we had to spend the night there because our friends were joining us in the next morning, and we wanted to keep for them the small spot we found on the sea. If you’re going on a Friday or Saturday, I think it’s wiser to follow Jeh’s recommandations : visit the Island, enjoy the beautiful creeks and the scenic views... and  leave the place at the end of the day to camp anywhere else… However, if you have the possibility to go there during the week, it may be an excellent idea to settle on the island for a night or two.

I will share here the nice area we found on the West side of the Island (my guess is that it can really be like heaven if you go outside the rush times). You can reach it with a simple SUV if you drive carefully, but definitely not with a sedan. Even if you are driving a 4x4, be careful once you reach the sea because the rock can be sharp. By the way, if you want to swim, don’t forget to take strong plastic sandals.

Once you get on the Island, go straight on the track until you get close to the GSM antenna (yes, you have some network there), go left towards the hill and cross the fence (there a small gate in it), then follow the fence on your left hand and a few meters before the beach, turn right and find your way to your spot. 

Left a good news for the end : the speed limit Jeh was talking about has changed. Now, it’s 160 km/h after Abu Dhabi, which means that you can reach the Island in slightly more than 3 hours when you come from Dubai !

WhatsApp Image 2018-12-03 at 15.59.42.jpeg

WhatsApp Image 2018-12-03 at 15.59.42(1).jpeg

WhatsApp Image 2018-12-03 at 15.59.43.jpeg

WhatsApp Image 2018-12-07 at 13.39.46(2).jpeg

WhatsApp Image 2018-12-07 at 13.39.46(1).jpeg

WhatsApp Image 2018-12-07 at 13.43.58(1).jpeg

WhatsApp Image 2018-12-07 at 13.43.58.jpeg

wish i had seen @EmVarlet last way point pic of yours☹️!!

we went around the mountain and parked on the other side. and walked with our gear to this specific spot.

sure there was a big crowd last national day holiday, but by the night time everyone left, only a handful were camping.

next time will plan for camping @sila beach shore..

 

 

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  • 2 years later...

This seems like a fantastic opportunity, but a long drive so I would ask if an AWD capable of passing an absolute newbie drive can manage. The car I would like to use is a Mercedes GLS 500 

Thank you 

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57 minutes ago, Enrico Biscaro said:

This seems like a fantastic opportunity, but a long drive so I would ask if an AWD capable of passing an absolute newbie drive can manage. The car I would like to use is a Mercedes GLS 500 

Thank you 

doesn't look to be too tough on the older photos, should be fine, but standard rules apply, don't go on your own and carry all the gear, that way if the merc doesn't like it you can get pulled out easily, I think it has those screw in recovery points, so make sure you have all the tools. you may be limiting yourself if you wanted to combine this trip with some other exploration of the area though, having said that cruising down there at what may still be a 160km/hr speed limit in a merc might make it worth it.

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It was pre-covid days (2018/19) when I "tried" to drive there, and it was supposed to be a return trip without camping. I was driving my Santa Fe, and I missed one exit. Google decided therefore that a way through the back side of an Airforce Airfield is the way to go. I am a wuss - unsure if I wanted to proceed any further, I reversed back on to E11 and drove a bit towards Saudi and crossed then under construction Nuclear Power Plant and spent some time at a secluded beach with turquoise waters.

160 km/hr was a bit scary on a lightweight wobbly Santa Fe but, boy was it not fun. I am sure you will enjoy it in your Merc.

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don't drive like its your last one.

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