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Visited recently this camping site (but decided not to camp as even 800m altitude was not enough to get the cool temperature) How to get there - you should follow to the Jabel Jais area, and already from the Jabel Jais secondary road just get the turn right to the offroad track. The first few kilometers are relatively flat, crossing few wadis, but when the road goes up it became really difficult: steep, bumpy, and narrow. Expect to spend at least 30 min for going up. So I wouldn't go there on crossovers, only proper 4-4 At the top, there are 2 campsites, 20 meters between each other. Flat, I would say each can accommodate 4-5 campers easily. The view is absolutely marvelous. Extremely difficult road limits the number of people There is another campsite downhill (it should be at around 400 m altitude - it can be spotted on the photo here) - I've seen youtube videos where people did camping there, it looks very spacious and the road is obviously much easier.

Really sorry, somehow I slept through my alarm clock trying to tell me it's time to wake up. When I woke up it was just too late, but after @Wrangeld courtesy to take my call in between his briefing I dressed up and left home to play catch up. Unfortunately my second issue came with the Sharjah Ring Road being closed by Sharjah Police. Being already late I still kept heading towards Lisali. Once I reached Lisali and deflated I called @Wrangeld again and he immediately sent me his whereabouts. As I tried to make my way to the point it took me a good 45 minutes, I found some tracks and considering them to be the convoys tracks I kept the chase on. Somewhere down the line I had split tracks and tried to follow one of them, unfortunately they lead me to a farm and out to the track with no sign of the convoy. To my luck there was a pop-out and I was sent another waypoint, but you guys were really quick as I reached that spot in about 20 minutes, but once again all I found were tire marks. Once again I followed the tire marks and once again found the tracks without the convoy. At this point I decided to head out and wait, but saw @Frederic and after learning there was a vehicle that needed help decided to help him out. When heading back in I saw you guys with huge smiles, and after witnessing the tracks you all had been through I knew that smile was not for me.😂 I had some extended fun with @Frederic and glad to see everyone exit safe and with smiles. Hopefully my alarm will be a bit more firm to wake me up on time from now on.

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Offroader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (No Newbies) When: 18 Sep 2020, Friday. Meeting time: 4:30 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Murquab: https://goo.gl/maps/VvHKcjX4TjrUGHxC7 Action Plan: Evening drive till about 08:30 PM 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), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Please also make sure you have all the equipment required on board as a Fewbie - Proper shovel, deflation kit, flag. THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A COMPRESSOR, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE. IF YOU ARRIVE AND HAVE NO COMPRESSOR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. End Point: Al Qudra Road nearby Solar Park LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members that do not confirm the terms of the COVID requirements will be removed from the RSVP list. 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 the below calendar

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE - Sea to Mountain Exploration drive's report Exploration was the goal, and explore we did. The drive's idea was to find new locations, off the beaten track, with potential for providing new learning experiences for the members, and the possibility of honing less developed off-roading abilities. This first exploration aimed to find a way from the sea to the mountains of RAK. To face such daunting task, we thought of filling up with some munchies at Barracuda's Thunder Road Grill, before setting off into the little known territory. After meeting up with the rest of the drivers by the Emirates Motorplex, just in front of UAQ's russian plane relic (see link above to witness its last landing), we ventured into the "savannah" like environment that characterizes the first kilometres toward E611. The plants here benefit from the high water level seeping through from the sea, and belong to botanical families which thrive on soils high in salinity. Vegetation is very abundant, mostly of creeping ground plants (gourds), or low bushes, both thorny and succulent. The sand dunes are very low, and covered, for the most part, by the abundant vegetation. Occasional higher cordons rise from the low plain (we are actually below the sea level here), with small goat and camel farms perched on their tops. Even these low dune cordons are tricky to navigate, due to their tightness and the presence of numerous steps and pockets. Moving toward E311 the bushes leave more room to groups of taller Ghaf trees, which become quite abundant once across the highway, giving the area a more forested look. Goat farms, herds of camels, and some small sabkhas, white from the evaporation of saline water, separate E311 from a large, very irregular, cordon of dunes (almost a plateau), beyond which E611 is occasionally visible. Playing on these dunes proved to be a small challenge, due to their tight and unpredictable nature: yet play a little we did, practicing some side sloping in a deep send bowl, with a big Ghaf tree in its middle. With E611 in sight we drove along the eastern side of the sand plateau, on a track jammed between the trees and the dunes, until we found ourselves on an elevated sand ledge, dotted with gnarly trees, where a couple of major stucks on the very churned sand forced us to make a prolonged stop, just while dusk turned into night. That's when the Rumble in the Jungle begun: the whole group came into action, some shoveling, some tying double ropes to the cars, others literally clearing the ares from the sturdy shrubs, or illuminating the very tight spaces where the recovery manoeuvres were taking place. After the successful group recovery effort, the delay meant we had to find our way out of the area with an exiting night drive, looking for, and trying to follow, very faintly marked tracks, away from the fenced area close to E611, and back toward E311, on the other side of the sand plateau. After a couple of failed attempts we did manage to climb the tallest dune of the day (and night), and reached the exit point: it was 4:46 hours after departure, with 38.6Km on the odometer, driven at an average moving speed of 16 Km/h. My hat goes off to all the drivers, for managing very smoothly a very difficult and unusual terrain: good job @Kalahari, @Pancho, @Desert Dweller, @Chaitanya D, @Srikumar (special thanks for your guidance and assistance during the more difficult moments of the drive), @Najeeb Mohammed, @Rinelle Sanaani (you missed the fun night part of the drive), and the Pajeep duo (@Jeepie and @Wrangeld), for brilliantly navigating at the back, on very challenging tracks. See you all soon for Sea to Mountain Part 2: from E611 to Al Khail, at the foot of the Hajar Mlountains. In the meantime, have a great week.

Fred is two steps ahead of all of us. 😁

All shall be revealed in above tutorial 😜

After a weekend of slow paced, finesse driving, here comes the long trek, high energy adventure. Fast, but not furious, as safety always comes first. The longest possible drive without crossing borders, from the boundary with Al Ain (Faqa) to almost Dubai city limits (Qudra Parking). Four fun areas to cross: Faqa (the "arboretum", northern side), Little Sweihan, then up toward Bab al Shams quadrant of Qudra, and finally Qudra proper. Bring your concentration (we wish the convoy to move in unison), nerve (criss-crossing will abound) and stamina (we hope to drive for about 4 hours....inshallah). More news in a few days.

Realized we did that track for 80% last month during noon time. It was 47°C we had to reverse the big Pajero as it was starting to overheat. Our plan was to make another attempt coming winter. https://www.relive.cc/view/vMv8VejdRN6

There you go a quick video! Cheers

Great drive! Enjoyed the speed and landscapes

Ah Ha! Where there is a question there is a thread by Fred

@Shiju Manuel seems you have surprised many guys with your Pajero Congrats buddy you always kept a positive spirit, listened to the instructions, and i am sure you will keep moving forward quickly !

@Ilya Golubinsky Thank you for sharing it’s very interesting as we just visited there on the 2nd September. The view from the top was amazing. My sincere advise to take extra care and highly recommended for 4x4s as mentioned above. Here is some of my captures.

Drive was awesome and thanks @Srikumar for such a wonderful drive. yes the car got burned disturbed me a lot, yes @J J I have seen him waiting for fire extinguisher seems like people either dint have or dint wanted to give. I have given mine but I didn't want to go nearby the car as I wasn't sure till when its safe to be nearby. Still confused is it safe to recover the car then as we don't know in which point the car might blast, I believe if anyone were inside the car then its worth to risk our life otherwise its better to let the car go off and think of insurance etc. Let me know if you guys have a different opinion or what is the right thing to do if we come across such situation. About the drive- almost everyone did exceptionally good. @Febin Frederic, as usual, his favourite spot and did well and more surprising was @Shiju Manuel as I thought he won't be able to make it considering his first drive-in Intermediate etc. 1st time I could reach the top point without any major efforts thanks to @Srikumar as he took it from different angle and before even realizing I was on top.

Amazing!! I'm so happy it was just an easy fix! You are most welcome @Frederic doing the recce was an absolute buzz and the highlight of this weekend's driving for me personally, even although I was just the co-pilot. To be let loose like that was such a thrill. Thanks for the vote of confidence and for entrusting us with such an important task.

Well i can assure you guys that my Xterra won't give any more troubles, cuz its SOLD Just for knowledge, sepcially for all Nissan owners in case the same happend again in futrue, it was just the battery terminal fuse got broken (stupid Nissan design that had so many complaints since forever 🤷‍♂️) @Frederic sorry to disappoint you, but i am gonna have to joing the coming drive with a differt "hopfully" beauty

Nice video. One observation, some of the cars in the front of JJ where making very sharp turns while criss crossing and also fishtailing. While driving on high speeds its very important that you keep a very tight steering control with gradual movements. Never force the car to cross the ridge. In some unforgiving terrains, it might result in a disaster.

The bumper touching the front tyre is a different issue from the skid plate. 1. For the bumper touching the tyre, I recommend to remove the black plast mud guard at the bottom and to trim the bumper a bit. If you could send a picture of your front bumper I can mark it for you. It should not cost you more than AED 200. This should be done asap. 2. The skid plate is to protect the engine from some hard bumps. Now, Pajero does come with a stock skid plate, but its advisable to get it upgraded when possible. A 6mm steel or 8 mm aluminium with perforations should suffice. This would cost you approx AED 700 - 1000. I would suggest to go for a lift at a later stage and not immediately as that can be a major expense as you not only have to increase the height but probably widen a stance a bit to balance the center of gravity.

Nice Drive and experience, Thanks @Srikumar , @Jeepie, @Pancho

Fantastic drive. Thank you @Srikumar @Jeepie @Pancho

@Srikumar @Jeepie @Pancho Thank you for conducting this session! 20200911_Desert_Safari_Pink_Rock_Edit_3.m4v

I noticed this recently in the grading structure and was looking for some clarification. GPS- I assume the app on the phone is sufficient? Floor jack and jack board,- Is the floor jack a trolley jack or is a bottle jack sufficient? I know trolley jacks are preferred but it's not specified tool box - a box of tools....which tools exactly? Ratchets? Spanners ? Hammer? Screwdrivers? Socket set? Jump Leads? What? I have a tool box under my sink which I doubt is what is required so, what should an offroader have in their toolbox? tie-down straps - do you mean ratchet straps? fluids.- brake fluid? Coolant? Oil? Transmission Fluid? Power Steering Fluid? Which fluids? Many thanks in advance

Oh yes, I’m a specialist in replacing the air freshener tree.

Hey @Frederic , if I get all that kit I’ll be better set up than the local mechanic 😅 Do you offer a car maintenance course too ? 😜

Hi @Mohamed Seidam I have moved @Desert Dweller to manage as she will be supporting the drive, this has created an extra space so you have been added. See you on Friday !

Hi @Frederic its all with the support and professional off-road training by Carnity Marshals. On last drive after coming down from super bowl i come to know that it was super bowl because it was my first time driving in super bowl and iftar bowl. Really got surprised how the pajero made it all most at top even through in first gear and really appreciate@Srikumar for the perfect route which makes every one easy.

Congrats @jodha singh shekhawat 👍🏼

Congratulations @Sajit Modiyil 👍🏼

Congrats @jodha singh shekhawat !

Congrats @Sajit Modiyil !

Amazing news! Well deserved buddy! I think you must have broke some kind of Carnity record with your rapid advancements in offroad rankings. Of course this is due to your dedication and extensive investments in Carnity. I’ve been missing in action again due to work and travel obligations, but I look forward to our next drive so I can learn from your new-found skills and expertise.

I will be doing the same this evening. So will send photos of the job. Will use a little sand paper to smooth off the edges. Bash plate ... will look around for options.

OMG i had been looking at that fuse but could not see through it because of yellow fading, walked back to my car to take my voltmeter, but around that time we tried with the booster cable and i forgot to measure out that fuse. Anyways i am looking forward seeing you again soon with your new offroad toy ! Keep us posted !

Cut it along the red line Also, your stock skid plate is already bent, so might as well get it replaced with something better. @Shiju Manuel has just got something done recently and you can check with him as well.

Nice Drive and good experience, thanks @Gaurav @Ashok chaturvedi 20200911_071038_1_1.mp4

In that box I keep every thing almost , apart from the flag stick every thing is in Like compressor , ropes . Shackles, tool kit first aid kit ( I have another one also in my driver side pocket fits Nicly) ...etc and still more space available in ..Capacity exactly i will look at it . When you have all “ the junck” in one big box and in order then the rest of the truck room can be utilized for shopping bags ...etc (things which has high turn over ) and the Permanent offroad stuff in only one place .

@Ashok chaturvedi. Never say never. I have seen people learn faster with less powerful cars. You'll only do better when you get more power under the hood. Keep you basics strong and keep learning the techniques. @Jolly Abraham with his 2.7 litre 4 cylinder Fortuner has taught me how much you can achieve with a moderately powerful car.

Thank you @J J and @Asif Hussain for posting some very valuable videos in order to learn from these mishaps. I think everybody knows the main reasons for the flip, thanks to a very decisive approach by @Carnity to have a structure and teach people slowly and steadily their capability, vehicle capability and understanding the dynamics of each vehicle. On @J J video all I can say I'd fish tailing. When your vehicle is fish tailing to the left, steer left. This could have been avoided if he steer to the left. The left back side of the car got pulled by gravity and he failed to steer the car to the left. A little extra throttle to correct the trajectory of the car could have also helped with correct steering. Knowing the basics is one thing, but practicing these during every drive to know your vehicle dynamics and these principles become a part of your every day drive. @Asif Hussain bhai video, sand reading and knowing when to and when not to do certain manoeuvres are critical. If the driver understood the correct way of criss crossing he would never attempt it on such a sharp ridge at such high speed. The car literally jumped to the other side with the right front tire getting caught by sand while the rest of the car momentum continued to result in a roll over. Never a good sight to see these accidents, not only it dents the car, but also the owners pocket and their confidence. Thus whenever attempting such manoeuvres the trip lead always goes first and advises the others the dangers in @Carnity.

All these sounds like I missed a drive which I shouldn’t have.. Kudos to all those who got such fast fingers. Around 7pm is when usually we (tech guys) get super productive at work (Yes after fixing all the “IT” issues raised by other departments) and 7:01 Carnity drives are full 🤪. Need to find a solution for this problem. Thanks for posting the details and pictures .. @Wrangeld @Lorenzo Candelpergher @Lisa Pemberton I’m reading all to try to get a feel of it atleast 😂 See you all soon on sand 🤞

Hi Everyone.. Extremely sorry for the car trouble and delays... Thanks a lot to @Srikumar @Jeepie @Pancho for the patience and support and Thanks a lot others for your patience as well. Haven't heard yet from garage. Hopefully nothing big 🤞

Drive Report While deflating nearby the Murquab mosque I realized that the last time I was here, we had to pull out a vehicle with a 4x4 issue. Little did I know that yesterday this was the second time Murquab would bite us in the buttocks. We started off wonderfully with the whole convoy easily following and digesting the amazing dune formations on left side of the farm and the smaller technical areas, scattered with barb wire and bushes. Once we reached Tawi Masayati I heard a request from @Biju Abdul that there was an issue with @Ahmed Farghaly his Xterra and asked me to come back to have a look. Upon arrival I saw the Xterra was nicely planted on a sideslope as the engine had cut off without any reason. Knowing that towing back a dead car over this technical terrain was our last resort, we first tried whatever we could to diagnose the car and get it to restart but to no avail. The immobilizer still kept thinking we were trying to steal the car and could not get restarted, even with @Desert Dweller her power booster. With the setting sun, we decided to pull the car out and tow it back into Murquab town, which needed the recce of @Desert Dweller and @Foxtrot Oscar to find clean baby tracks that would make it doable for me to take and get it done safely. Upon my request they scouted the area brilliantly and i thank them both on my knees for rising to this occasion and this made the rescue attempt successful. During the few times we needed some tugs and shoveling several members jumped out with shovels, and helped out with attaching the rope. A fantastic team made such a difference yesterday. Given the fact that we all were so hungry to explore this area, I will schedule the same drive next week same time same channel 😉. I will add your names to the RSVP. Please confirm on Sunday if you guys can all make it. Free spots will be kept open for others to sign up. @Ahmed Farghaly i hope the black beauty finally caves in and roars again soon ! All the best ! @Anish S thx for the great second lead and overall help. @Biju Abdul wonderful sweep duties and well communicated ! See you guys soon back in the sand !

Thanks @Srikumar for a great drive and everybody did quite well ! The fire incident still disturbs me. First , that vehicle could have been saved if atleast the group that came in with the FJ had ensured everyone had fire extinguishers. I also generally see people reluctant to give their extinguishers - I saw the guys looking for extra extinguishers for a good 5 minutes. Second , does off road insurance cover this ? I think it's safe to say that it's a good idea to keep one .

Thank you @Emmanuel for a good drive @Vanessa8580 You were amazing thanks for the recovery. @Jolly Abraham It was really nice watching the Fortuner at the play area

Here come another video, what went wrong here. 119187003_239832810745465_4132309444218868461_n.mp4

You can try, if there is no traffic you can just move with 3 km/hour and should be fine with Xterra

On @Vanessa8580 her Pajero that has the same 2008 front bumper as yours, we trimmed the bumper ourselves with a Stanley knife along the orange line. Make 4-5 cuts along the line and the whole bottom part will come off. On the rearside there are a few small bolts to be removed, but all in all this takes max 45 mins and does not cost anything

Thank you Rahimdad sir this gives me encourement but was also wondering why my pajero could have possibly lost some early climb accelaration in the very last part of the drive. I am getting it looked at today. I noticed some heat up as well. This is a 3.8 V6, model 2005 car done over 250k with recent transmission overhaul. There is some solenoid issue with the transmission panel light blinking differential where the rest of the wheels switch off. Below are my failed Attempts; where near all attempts made by other drivers succeeded: 1. Accelerated on D and just at the near of ridge shifted to manual 1 gear to give it that push.. car slowed down and was 15 metres short. 2. Accelerated and when halfway hit 1 gear, managed to reach a bit higher than 1 attempted. 3. Third attempt went totally manual 1 gear acceleration then hit 2 gear and 2/3 climb hit 1 gear again, could almost reach the edge but not climb over. However, twice early part of the drive, arc and climb I could do it with D and 1 gear easily. It is only the last part of the drive where the car was not picking the early acceleration. Maybe by practice as you and Gaurav jee suggested I might hit the perfect combination as well rectify any other issue if there are. Thank you so much.

Boxes are great idea for storage. Less movement in your trunk and easy to store your equipment. Also you get a extra of just grabing up your box before the drive and be on the road and your trunk doesn't stay full for the whole week.

With the tremendous increase in the number of COVID cases in the UAE, we all have to be responsible while off-roading. Failing to abide by any single precaution at any time during the drive, will result in an immediate ban from Carnity Off-road Club. ZERO TOLERANCE First offender - 1 Month Ban. Second offender - 3 Month Ban. Third offender - lifetime ban and report to authorities. COVID19 PRECAUTIONS 2.0 All Carnity off-road drives will be LIMITED to driving only: No Socializing and gathering allowed at any time. No break for taking photos, breakfast, smoking, etc. No exchanging of off-road or recovery gears. Wear a mask at all times, while outside your vehicle. For passengers restrictions, follow RTA or NCEMA guidelines. All passengers should be inside the car, at all times. Maintain a minimum of 2-meter social distance at all times. Sanitize your hands and recovery gear after use. PS1. If you and your passenger cannot sit inside your vehicle for 3-4 hours please DO NOT JOIN CARNITY DRIVES. PS2. A Member who has RSVP the drive is RESPONSIBLE and LIABLE for their passenger's compliance. PS3. The above precautions apply to everyone irrespective of their vaccination status or schedule. PS4. You can confidentially submit the photo of any offender by sending an email to [email protected]. How to comply Read the drive post before arriving at the meeting point, so that you know your convoy numbering and radio channel. Arrive at the meeting point and switch on your radio to the pre-set frequency of the drive. Stop your vehicle at least 10-20 meters away from each other. Deflate your tires, while wearing a mask, and then go back inside your car. All briefings will be done on the radio now, so pay full attention to a briefing for your own safety. After the briefing, fall in your convoy position just before the drive starts. While driving if you get stuck, announce on the radio and be inside your car at all times. Trip lead and/or support will guide you on the radio for self-recovery or tow-rope recovery. While there is a stuck or a refusal, everyone else supposed to be inside their car at all times. You can only take a bio-break during the drive, by requesting trip lead permission. Once the drive is over exit out to inflate by maintaining 10-20 meters distance from each other. While inflating, only the driver supposed to be out and with the face mask at all times. After the drive, you can talk on the radio for any feedback, suggestions or help you need.