Full Day Intermediate Desert Drive - Al Qua to LIWA (Hameem) - Abu Dhabi - 7 Dec 2025

[nithish468]

@GauravSoni confirm 👍 

[Andrew John Melvill]

All the best guys makings of an epic drive! 

[Glenn W]

Morning @GauravSoni I’ll be 5-10 mins late  getting to the meeting location 

[GauravSoni]

@Glenn W @Giacomo the road from Wathba to Al qua is foggy and visibility is low. Drive carefully. We can delay the start if we can’t make on time.

 

[Giacomo]

Should reach on time almost there

[GauravSoni]

Trip Report:

We completed a memorable Sunday drive starting from the Al-Qua Milky Way Galaxy viewpoint and ending at ADNOC Hameem, covering an area that was extremely soft, technical, and completely new to us—something similar to Yellow Truck but with its own surprises. Our convoy of five—myself, Sam, Giacomo, Nithish and Glenn—began around 8:10 AM, delayed only by the incredibly scenic and fog-filled route leading to the start point. From the outset, the terrain demanded full attention: endless soft patches, first-gear crawling and long stretches of technical driving. Despite the difficulty, the landscape was stunning, and we paused at a few spots to take photos. Midway through, we picked up an unexpected radio call from someone sounding stuck, but the communication vanished immediately. Moments later, we spotted a stranded Nissan Patrol with a local driver and some farm workers trying unsuccessfully to free it. Surprisingly, he had no radio, yet we reached him right on time. Sam pulled him out effortlessly, and we continued our route still wondering who the voice on the radio had actually been.
After a short break and lunch near the halfway mark, we pushed forward—but soon discovered that Nitesh’s earlier wrist injury had flared up, making it difficult for him to keep driving.
We guided him out safely through an ADNOC-used gatch track before continuing toward our final waypoint. The rest of the journey remained soft and technical, but we made the most of it by diverting into dunes and slipfaces whenever possible to break the monotony.

@Giacomoand @Glenn Wdrove exceptionally well—precise, controlled, and disciplined throughout their first intermediate run, showing great skill and endurance. @Sam Selim provided constant support, pulling me out of some crests and nasty popout as I was the only one who managed to get stuck multiple times, including a pop-out on a climb, while the others handled the terrain beautifully.
In the end, we rolled into ADNOC Hameem tired but satisfied. It was a challenging but rewarding drive, made even better by the company and the commitment everyone showed from start to finish.

well done @Giacomo @Glenn W on your first IM.Hope you recover @nithish468 for the coming drive. 
see you all soon on sand!