Full Day Fewbie Desert Drive - Yellow Truck Pilgrimage - Madinat Zayed - Abu Dhabi - 11 Jan 2025

[Looper]

I hope you had a good week so far. Let's make it better. Please rest well and try to arrive ahead of time. Following will be the convoy order, and we will drive on Ch; 02

[AlexM]

Usual Yellow truck meeting point? After the gates? Or we meet somewhere else before that?

Edited January 10, 2025 by AlexM

[Looper]

Updated the meeting point. Let’s meet just after the gate. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rKBurzvncxvJbZDA7

It is also updated in the calendar entry 

We will end the drive here:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/FPZxHfiRqhcPxa5Y6

[Mahmut]

On 1/4/2025 at 6:39 PM, Looper said:

Yellow Truck Season is upon us. It's an annual ritual held mostly during the winter months. I invite you to the 2024-25 edition of the famed Yellow Truck Drive. 

 My trip to the location last year:

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Yellow Truck, what is it - or should I say what was it?: Buried deep inside the Bu Hasa Desert near Madinat Zayed City, there was an abandoned water tanker truck, which due to its remote location, had become a pilgrimage for many off-roaders all over the UAE. It’s not there anymore, in 2023 soon after our drive it was taken away. Before that in 2021 someone painted the truck in national flag colours. Coming forward to early 2024 someone put another truck, yellow in colour in the same location. It is not the same truck, and frankly I don't feel connected to the new one as much as I did for the last one, because it doesn’t have the same heritage and history. But there is one and would like to go and check it out. May be my feelings towards it will change.

How did it get there? Nobody knows. Only Speculations. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. We can go there and get our own ideas.

What's the location? https://goo.gl/maps/9aiJC29bUyRFHmvJ9

Those who wish to join this drive from Dubai it's a 3+ hours to the meeting point, so ideally well rested body will enjoy this entire day drive without much fatigue, so reaching a night before and camping or sleeping in the car at meeting point would be ideal, but completely optional for everyone. Some say the pre and post drive parties are as famous as the drive itself.

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SIGNUP CHECKLIST

1. MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAR IS IN GOOD RUNNING CONDITION. Your car should have been serviced recently and all the lubes and fluids are topped up. Repairs inside the desert are going to be a difficult endeavor and are despised.
2. A full fuel tank at the meeting point and extra fuel of 20l in jerry can would be needed.
3. The spare tire should be in good working condition. If not been used recently, ensure that you take it out and check the condition properly. Please ensure that your car has the right tool to remove the tires (if needed).
4. Air compressor, proper shovel, flag, fire extinguisher, first aid kit will be mandatory.
5. Fully charged radio (tuned to all Carnity Frequencies) with spare battery / radio. If you have a car charger for your radio, please bring it along. Car charger / battery pack for your mobile.
6. The drive will start at in the morning time to be announced. Make sure that you reach and are ready to leave on time. The drive will last approximately 6 hours and of will be for upwards of 120 km in the desert. 
7. Get lots and lots of rest the previous day. Liwa will not only challenge your vehicle but your mind as well. For those who prefer camping the previous night, you can do so at the starting point as it's a nice spaced-out area. Bring some firewood incase if you wish to have a bonfire to keep you warm. Cleaning up after the bonfire is mandatory.
8. Plenty of water, approx. 5 liters per person per day. Bring along your breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc. in easy to eat packaging. We shall be having breaks during the drive. Dry food, energy bar, cookies, nuts, crisp to munch while driving
9. Bring garbage bags along to carry your trash. Littering in the desert is strictly prohibited.

Please take this event seriously and understand that this terrain, due to its remoteness and size of the dunes will challenge everyone on this drive. If you decide to bring passengers, please make sure they have spent a full day already in a vehicle in the desert and are used to it. There are hardly any nearby exit tracks and rerouting might take hours, so once we are in this terrain the aim is to complete the entire drive and visit the Yellow Truck 

 

 

@Looper thanks organinizing such nice drive. I really enjoyed the day. Everyone made great drive 

[Hani crest king]

My first drive in liwa and it was definitely memorable, great drive route and terrain. We had a handful of stucks and refusals with me sitting at one of the crests to live up to the nickname. 
 

@Looper Can’t thank you enough For the whole experience and sharing your knowledge especially with the sideys. The sand was super soft and was challenging to drive through but everyone got the feel of the sand and kept momentum through the second half. Controlling the car on the slope coming up and down gave more confidence in the drive. 120 km across liwa desert is definitely something to remember with the yellow changed white truck infamous area lived up to its hype. @M.Seidam thank you fir the great help and supervision were great lessons learnt from you on the recovery part. 

[M.Seidam]

@Looper @Glenn @Mahmut @nithish468@Hani crest king @AlexM 

Awesome trip with you all . Abdallah enjoyed it to max especially the post drive camp together with @Looper 

Thank you all for sharing the passion 
 

https://youtube.com/shorts/-DvLmZ1vBB0?si=NJJEGCHhavoe1vDf

[Looper]

Thank you all for a wonderful Yellow Truck pilgrimage.

@Glenn W you were a great second lead, always keeping correct distance and following me on the trot. 

@Mahmut, I was expecting a TJ but got a JT instead. I suppose you would have got a lot of experience with the new car, it is a great choice for the desert since it is made for it.

@nithish468 we drove together longer than anyone on the drive. As soon as I joined E11 from D57, I saw a FJ with a looper sticker on it. Didn't take long to figure out that it was you. I hope you had learnt something on the drive. 

@Hani crest king Our first drive together, and you did a great job keeping the cresting to minimum. More we drive more we learn how to manage the stucks and refusals.

@AlexM  happy to see you back on another annual pilgrimage. You could contrast the differences between both the drives. Obviously it was an IM convoy last year so the drive was much more aligned to that level and this time it was kept slightly easier.

@M.Seidam it was an honor driving with you once again in another weekend. Thank you very much for all the assistance in the refusals. I was much relived with your presence at the back.

I will return with some stats and working on the video. hopefully it will be ready by the weekend.