Morning Newbie Desert Drive - Nahel East - Abu Dhabi - 04 Oct 2025

[JeromeFJ]

We request every member who joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette, and responsibilities.

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquette's
• Emergency details for all off-roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

First time with Carnity Off-road Club:

• Please share your vehicle details - Make, Model, Color, and Year.
• Do you have any prior off-road experience? If yes, pls share details.
• Confirm your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks/eyelets.
• Advise if you don’t have a programmable radio and safety flag.
• MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING
   

Drive Details

Level:  Newbie and above (all levels)

Meeting time: 6:30 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LHbFHb1WQUtA55kV7

Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance.

What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Approximate finish time: 10:30 AM

P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE:

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 6 PM.
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned back - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned back - Without any exceptions.
• Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others.
• Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month.

Please RSVP on below Calendar

 

[JeromeFJ]

We have a few slots available for this Newbie Drive Saturday morning.

Yes it is in Abu Dhabi, but maximum 1h15 min from Dubai.

If you want to join, or switch from the drive of @Davie Smooth_Operator, it is a nice opportunity to discover a beautiful desert area, and to navigate through bigger dunes in a smaller group.

[JeromeFJ]

Dear Desert Drivers

@Theo Prado @Lazy Frog @Aringga @Menon Arun @Walter Palk @Ozgu @Dan S

Before the drive tomorrow, please make sure your car is ready for the outdoors, and remove unnecessary items from the back seat and trunk areas.

Please take the time also to program your radio to the 10 Carnity Frequences if not done already. You can find guidance here if needed.

I will indicate by the end of the day the final list and convoy order. Stay tuned !

Please check your route to reach the meeting point. Coming from Nahel on the E95, about 300m before the final location, you will see a road to your right, with a sign "...Holiday Camp..." Take that road. It is closed by a fence. Reach slowly to the fence, it will open by itself. Then continue until you see the other cars.

[Theo Prado]

Very much looking forward to my 1st drive in Nahel @JeromeFJ  See you in the morning! 

[JeromeFJ]

Dear Desert Drivers

@Theo Prado @Lazy Frog @Aringga @Menon Arun @Walter Palk @Ozgu @Dan S @Vanessa8580 @Rob S

Last updates for tomorrow

Meeting 6:30 AM at  https://maps.app.goo.gl/LHbFHb1WQUtA55kV7

Take a bit of margin as it might be foggy in the morning. In case there is fog on the route, take your time, drive carefully, and observe the reduced speed limit in Abu Dhabi. My mobile if you need it is 05 88 62 09 42.

The convoy order will be 

We will use Carnity radio Channel 5.

Enjoy the evening, have a good rest, and see you tomorrow morning !

[JeromeFJ]

Thank you all for joining me this morning. Finally the weather starts to be nice, and it was a pleasure to start with open windows, gently strolling through the dunes with the morning light.

Starting was easy but soon we hit the first challenge of the day, with a steep climb with little space for momentum, soft sand on the top, and a sharp edge to cross. 2 cars got stuck on the top, good opportunity to learn where to shovel, (team work, thank you all !) and to talk through what might be challenging when crossing a dune without knowing what is behind.

After this warm-up we had a nice flow through bigger dunes, including riding some of the ridges, with nice views of the desert and sabkha around.  After the break, we reached a more technical portion, with hidden soft sand patches and narrow dunes. On a tricky crossing, @Lazy Frog was missing a bit of momentum and was dragged into a small bowl with steep edges. A bit of a scary moment as the car was stopped with a steep angle, but again, an opportunity to learn how to recover. As the angle was increasing during shoveling and a first attempt, we secured the car with a strap to another car above, and with a combination of shoveling, and using the capabilities of the FJ (and its driver of course), he got out of the trap.  

We still had enough time to enter the Ghafeteen bowl and circle around, experiencing the steep descent, and we reached back to our entry point, with a last run at higher pace through the open dunes.

Very well done everyone @Lazy Frog, @Aringga, @Menon Arun, @Walter Palk, our NB squad,  @Ozgu and @Theo Prado and @Dan S went through the challenges as experienced drivers, with a special thank for my second lead @Theo Prado adjusting my lines when needed. Big thanks also to @Rob S and @Vanessa8580 supporting the drive and providing guidance as required.

 

[Lazy Frog]

Thank you @JeromeFJ, @Rob S, @Theo Prado, @Vanessa8580 for your guidance and passionate during the event, it was great opportunity to learn from you all. Beside the technicality (disable ATC, A Trac,  which is so simple that I haven’t tried in the past). Safety is the utmost priority that is my biggest take away from driving this morning. Thank you all and I hope to see you again at the next drive.

[Theo Prado]

@Lazy Frog, you did a great job remaining calm, listening and following the instructions from @JeromeFJ and @Rob S, especially when you got to the bottom of the bowl I though you did well when Jerome was repeatedly moving you back and forth for a safe exit.

I also learnt from the scenario, see you on the next drive and hope you passenger had fun as well  

[Rob S]

Fantastic morning out and a return to the sands after a couple of months for me. Thankyou to @JeromeFJ for leading us through the sands, and @Vanessa8580 for sweeping and supporting. Also well done to @Theo Prado for a very well executed second lead, following Jerome's instructions perfectly. 

Few "crestings" that allowed some teaching of where to dig and how to recover without ropes.

Slight deviation from the track and into some soft sand @Lazy Frog had his first taste of sitting patiently at an angle while the team shovelled and secured the car. Well done for staying calm and eventually exiting the bowl, you got to understand how good the FJ really is!

Well done to the rest of the convoy, keep trying to find balance between "on gas" and "off gas" to keep momentum and how just lifting off can slow the car and limited needs for brakes when navigating the dunes. 

See you again soon