Al Qudra Lake, Love Lake Dubai, Al Qudra Desert and Camping

[Gaurav]

Best 5 things to do in Al Qudra Lake. Enjoy Love Lake Dubai easy access. Explore Al Qudra Desert with gazelle and camping under the stars including the BBQ.

Al Qudra Lake is the best example of man-made lakes in the middle of Saih Al Salam desert, which is a part of the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve. You can enjoy the best sunset in the desert with a waterfront view and surrounded by wildlife in serene and beautiful lakes. Qudra lakes is a house of beautiful birds and wildlife from flamingo, ducks and swans to Oryx, gazelles and desert fox if you venture little deep in the Qudra sand dunes right behind but with a proper 4WD vehicle and not in sedan or SUV.

 

Al Qudra Lake

Al Qudra lakes have been designed in such a way that you can easily reach them in any type of car from a flat track (not tarmac). You can spend time next to these beautiful Al Qudra lakes, set up a picnic layout, put your chairs and enjoy Karak tea or a shisha with your friends and family. If you plan to do the BBQ then do it slightly away from the lake and do it in the BBQ pit and not on the ground. Idea is to keep it clean and after you finish your BBQ, throw all burnt coal, wood etc. in the garbage drums, conveniently placed almost everywhere.

 

Love Lake Dubai

Recently opened this beautiful Love Lake Dubai has two heart-shaped lakes towards the end of Al Qudra Lake. Although flat track entrance is made until love lake, however, it is very easy to get lost in the sand while reaching there. So if you are driving an SUV or sedan be extra careful to stick to the flat track and not the sand patch. These lakes are so huge that first time we spotted them through Google Earth while planning a desert route from Lisali to Al Qudra Lakes and then we named that drive as Drive in search of love when these lakes were under construction. If you plan to visit Love Lake Dubai from the desert, then be very careful as this lake is surrounded by small technical dunes from three side and only easy doable access is from the front side, from where the flat track is made now.

 

Al Qudra Cycle Track

For bikers, Al qudra lake is a perfect place to enjoy cycling in a safe, serene and dedicated cycle track that offers various length from 10 Kms to 70 Kms. It's an amazing place for cycling, as the track passes through a serene desert that sometimes offers you a glimpse of wildlife along with beautiful scenery to enjoy while pedalling. You can rent the bike from TREK store or carry your own bike and gears, make sure to carry plenty of water as there are no shops or cafeteria around the cycle track. 

 

Al Qudra Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/wV6XSXGtj9Q2 

24°50'59.7"N 55°20'42.3"E  -  24.849912, 55.345078
 

Last Exit Al Qudra: https://goo.gl/maps/k7Yp7LRV9wz 

24°50'57.9"N 55°20'41.6"E  -  24.849409, 55.344886
 

Trek Bicycle Store Al Qudra: https://goo.gl/maps/xyNRPejk4y32 

24°50'59.0"N 55°20'44.4"E  -  24.849732, 55.345676
 

Al Qudra Cycling Path: https://goo.gl/maps/f9ywUmVbT5L2 

24°50'59.6"N 55°20'46.4"E  -  24.849888, 55.346210
 

Mosque for Friday Prayer: https://goo.gl/maps/NsAGr7yNVFv 

24°50'59.3"N 55°20'38.9"E  -  24.849818, 55.344127
 

Al Qudra lake Flamingo, Duck and Swan lake: https://goo.gl/maps/FRMKvFNUXKQ2 

24°50'42.2"N 55°21'04.5"E  -  24.845062, 55.351235

 

Al Qudra Flamingo Lake: https://goo.gl/maps/cPgsGD3aavA2 

24°49'58.8"N 55°22'22.3"E  -  24.832985, 55.372849

 

Al Qudra Flamingo Lake 2: https://goo.gl/maps/U71Bbe1v3T62 

24°50'05.1"N 55°22'31.2"E  -  24.834742, 55.375335

 

Love Lake Dubai: https://goo.gl/maps/RUoRHL739Vp 

24°50'12.7"N 55°24'27.0"E  -  24.836865, 55.407511
 

 

Al Qudra Desert is a perfect place for having a chilled out desert drive away from bustling city routine. Qudra dunes offer a great mix of small to medium dunes just behind the Qudra lakes, but you need a proper 4x4 and not just an SUV and also you need to deflate to 12-15 PSI to enjoy these dunes safely. This area is perfect for beginners offroad driver to fewbie level as close to the solar park side it gets little technical. Qudra dunes always offer a good glimpse of gazelles and oryx, that even in the night drives we have spotted a few. However, remember not to chase the Gazelles as they are very fast and very smart to take you towards the technical dunes to slow you down or even make you stuck on the crest. We have done several drives in this area from newbie to fewbie, you can use the attached track for safe offroading.

• Al Qudra Desert: https://goo.gl/maps/iTKxYm4XWBy 

  24°49'33.1"N 55°21'54.7"E  -  24.825854, 55.365200

  • Newbie+ Drive - Lisalli to Qudra - 73 Images

  • Lisalli to Qudra Lake - 25 Images

  • Lisali to Qudra lake - 31 Images

Al Qudra Desert

Lisali to Qudra 24 March 2017.gpx

Lisali to Qudra 24 March 2017.kmz

Lisalli Qudra.gpx

Lisalli Qudra.kmz

Qudra back dunes.gpx

Qudra back dunes.kmz

    

 

There are few restaurants at Last Exit Al Qudra Parking area near the entrance.

Best time to visit: October to May, when the weather is not too hot for outdoor.

Al Qudra Lake Entry Fee: There are no charges to visit or using public areas

Al Qudra Lake Visiting Time: It is open 24/7, 365 days, but to enjoy nature and wildlife daytime is better.

Al Qudra Camping: You can camp anywhere safely slightly away from lakes, or even go inside the desert if you have a 4WD.

Essentials: Outdoor clothing and closed footwear, Online GPS is a must for driving (offline is even better), carry plenty of water and food if you plan to stay outdoors for long hours.

Keep it clean: Don't litter anywhere, because trash cans, plastic and glass kill wildlife.

Emergency: If bitten by a snake or a Scorpio take a picture or remember the colour and size and rush to the nearest hospital for a specific antidote for that species. Keep yourself calm, so your blood pressure and heartbeat stay low to help you minimize the effect. 

Feedback: Please leave your feedback below if you have been to Qudra Lakes or Desert and like to add something more.

[Frederic]

Brilliant article !

*Al Qudra Lakes are a nice getaway, but can get extremely busy on the late weekend afternoons and evenings. Beware to take your GPS with you because as it gets pitch dark and as all lakes look similar it's very easy to get lost. Most of the trails are easy to drive on, but i've come across quite some areas where people got stuck, especially in the sandy parts between the road and the side entrance of the lakes. Many people that drive towards the lakes have zero to none off-road experience so you'll see many people getting stuck with 7 people in the car and no deflation done. 

* The Love Lakes are definitely worth a visit, especially on weekend mornings between 9 and 12 when it's still calm and peaceful. (ssssst... don't tell the others  )They are easy to reach if you drive all the way up to the Last Exit roundabout, go left and follow the road direction Al Lisaili. Keep going straight for at least 3 roundabouts and then take a right where you will see the sign boards that will lead you to the parking of the Love Lakes. (most of this road is a sandy trail that goes parallel with the High Voltage Lines), it is a road that any SUV can tackle. Even 2WD would work but is of course more risky.

Warning: Google Maps shows another lake called "Love Lake", but this is a wrong pinpoint:

https://goo.gl/maps/nABTVGaT87q

This location is NOT the Love Lakes, so do not look at the reviews of the disappointed people.

*The Bicycle track has different lengths depending if you stay parallel with the main roads or go into one or more "loops" in the track. There are several loops within the track. Avoid taking these loops at night or when you ride alone; there have been reports/rumours of cyclists getting lost, or accidentally crashing into a gazelle or oryx. Some of these loops are close to the Maktoum Solar Park (24.740259, 55.322964). Novice cyclists could go on the Saturday morning breakfast ride that starts at the bicycle roundabout parking at around 6AM (depends on the season), they drive up to Bab Al Shams for breakfast, and then drive back. There are 2-3 groups with different average speeds. I would avoid using these tracks for a leisure ride with kids and the misses, as you'll be shouted at constantly to move over by the wannabe Lance Armstrong types .

As we go camping often; the areas below the Maktoum Solar Park are fantastic and quiet. But don't venture out alone and go at least with 3-4 cars, and keep the nice spots for yourselves

 

 

 

 

 

[Gaurav]

Thanks, @Frederic to help build this article more accurately with local resident feedback, really appreciate it.

Please confirm if this is the love lake route through Tarmac you have mentioned?

Yes, this requires little bit tweaking in Google maps to move the points around.

 

[Frederic]

49 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Thanks, @Frederic to help build this article more accurately with local resident feedback, really appreciate it.

Please confirm if this is the love lake route through Tarmac you have mentioned?

Yes, this requires little bit tweaking in Google maps to move the points around.

 

Thanks @Gaurav your map is correct. On the right side of the road along the way you'll find the signboard that will clearly indicate where to take your right turn. 

[Carnity]

100 Points awarded to @Gaurav for this "Exceptional Post".