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My First drive (as driver) with Dr. @Chaitanya D Although I have attended some fantastic drives lead by Dr. Chaitanya, it is my first time to have been on the drive as a driver and it was even more thrilling...☺️ The drive was around the pink rock to bumpy🤪 big red area. Along with its technicalities and super soft bowls, it was even more challenging today as the area was just so churned up because of the previous long holiday and altogether made the experience bumpy but still so amazing😄... Thank you so much @Chaitanya D for your super lead...👍 Special thanks to our sweep @Vanessa8580 ...we were so happy to have you today..☺️ Thank you to our great second lead @Islam Soliman and also to our CF @Yousef Alimadadi ... Well done to the whole team...see you soon...

If you intend to lift the vehicle in the desert, you'll need a floor Jack, as a bottle jack is not stable enough unless you weld it on a kind of platform. When buying a 2T floorjack go for the JZX brand available in Dragon Mart or the YATO brand from Speedex. You will only be lifting a portion of the car so a 2ton jack is sufficient. A 3ton is of course better and more stable but extremely heavy to take in your car and carry it around in the dunes.

Trip Report: Driving to the starting point itself was quite an adventure as it was very foggy with very less visibility , especially after exiting off Al Ain road. Thank you every one for turning up on time and starting the drive as scheduled. We drove along the sabkhas to enter a slightly technical terrain , with very poor visibility. But as it was getting brighter by min it was very much manageable. All did well here to get into the long range dunes of Faqa where we started some nice side sloping and ridges. It was here that one of the cars had a pop out in a soft bowl with poor access to the chassis and the LCA covered by the tire. We tried out bit to sort it there ,which was not working as the jack was not lifting the tire enough. Had to pull it out onto a flatter area where it could be fixed easily. Thanks to @Luca Palanca Falsini for doing this perfectly and safely. Even though the tire was fixed but it was found to be leaking along the rim edge and after a chat with the driver, we decided to exit. Driving back we had few refusals which were sorted quickly and some tugging needed as we entered technical terrain again. While doing this the tire with pop out was maintaining the pressure and hence it was amended to continue the drive, but with caution that at any point there is an issue then the exit would be tricky. Thankfully it was all fine till the end, and as a lead some decisions are always tricky. Personally I/We never wish any driver who signs up would exit for things beyond anyone's control, until it is under control. We did out bit going back into the long range dunes that Faqa has to offer, skirting along AD border and winding back onto the Sabkhas taking us to Solar park exit. For the time we drove, it was fast ,exciting and with lot of long ridge rides which was the best part of this eventful (If I can say) drive. You all showed great control of your cars , even for first timers like @Rizwanm2 who did really well. We exited after a slightly longish drive , exercised our driving capabilities in some terrain which had everything on offer . Most importantly we went all in and we were all out safely. @Tamas Hoffmann excellent second lead and well managed to get out of refusals. You were quick to respond for my rerouting advises which was great @Rizwanm2 did wonderful for his first IM drive. You will only get better as you drive more and stick to basics. Well done @Nizam Deen did well except for some instances with refusals and some needed tugging. You have a great car to drive and conquer terrains @Mehmet Volga loves this area - Lisaili/Murquab and Faqa. Never seen him shy of signing on these drives and it was great to have you this time. Well driven my friend @Tero Vallas again gets better quickly and it is indeed a treat to see how well you were driving. Even after the Liwa drive, your enthusiasm was nothing short. Fantastic @Anish S surfed his Pajero , great control in all areas and hardly any issues. Well done buddy @Luca Palanca Falsini quite impressive how quickly you have mastered off-roading and recoveries even in tricky situations. Thanks for all the help you offered @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Jun Zamora and @Jeandre Bezuidenhout - the wrangler boys, hardly heard on radio and absolutely no issues. Great to have you on any drive - full of energy, enthusiasm and involvement. Special thanks to Jeandre for a perfect sweep. At some areas I was driving exactly behind you after taking a loop and it was great to see you handle perfectly even on churned tracks. We at Carnity advised you all to have ABS /Traction kill switch on IM drives as it is very important in soft sand. Please disable your airbags as even on slightly higher side inclines your airbags (especially the side or curtain) can pop out . Get your tire pressure set to a level which is suitable for your kind of driving and your car dynamics. If you are not sure ,start with 15 PSI and go down . The quicker you get to the correct pressure for yourself , you will start enjoying the drives more than fixing pop outs. While this is all great learning and a must for any offroader, we can get better every time as we all try to do the same. Enjoy your week at work, Cheers!

@Veedooshee simply put for your first drive as FB+ , you were in total control . Getting out of refusals in some churned bowls and climbing big red were awesome. Way to go 👍

I had an amazing time and I was glad I joined last minute. I really enjoyed the drive and you are a great lead @Chaitanya D It has been a while since a drove a fewbie plus so I really needed to stretch my legs 😁

@Emanuel @Desert Dweller @Islam Soliman pictures in the gallery @Tero Vallas @Mukundan Nair @Nivin @Kailas @Luca Palanca Falsini @Heisem @Craig Finlayson @Foxtrot Oscar

Yes indeed it was fantastic morning and joy to see how helpful Carnity is helping not just the convoy but someone strange in the desert. Thank you for making that decision @Chaitanya D and everyone. As for drive as always it has been pleasure for me and my kids to be part of this community. We had great day full of fun. See you 🔜 on the sand

Amazing drive day with amazing people Dear friends it was an absolute delight , pleasure and honor to drive with all of you today. Such an amazing day with an amazing people full of energy and life thinking of the other with passion and care. A determined spirit to learn, explore and achieve safely. This is a real enjoyment. Dr.Chaitanya @Chaitanya D you were born to lead and you have earned our hearts so humble and considerate to the other. Thank you for the amazing day we shared all of us together. @Islam Soliman This is the third or 4th time we drive together and in any position you were be it sec lead , CF or sweep you have been always the man. Well done today. @Yousef Alimadadi we communicated on the forum but it was great pleasure to catch up today. Flawless golden ring connecting the front and back. @Vanessa8580 thank you for the marvelous sweep with the big blue sweeping the whole convoy that you spared no effort to help and advise. every one did very well and if I want to say something about my self I really loved being in the back stretching my X to navigate such terrain 🚙😎 Until next round enjoy your week and see you soon again in the desert. cheers 👍💪🙏🏻🚙

Thank you for always being so energetic and enthusiastic, it is totally felt on the drive...😊

It was indeed great you and everyone on the drive enjoyed it. Your presence as sweep helped me to enjoy my lead, and when one enjoys what one does it always gets better. It was fantastic to watch you climb to the top of all dunes at big red .

Trip Report: Foggy mornings and cool weather is a perfect prelude to start your joy ride, especially in Tawi Nazwa/Pink Rock/Big red area. We gave about 15 min extra time considering the fog and the darker situation with poor visibility. All drivers arrived well in time and ready to go. We did a quick debrief and started our foggy drive with lights on. Thank you Vanessa for the numbering and radio checks As soon as we started to enjoy the light getting better and the dunes becoming more visible, I heard a car honking and driver waving at me. We drove towards him and he was seeking if we could help as his friends car had a tire pop out from what I understood. Driving towards the other LC which was crested- probably revving and doing sand splashing, the tire was not popped out but ripped off from the wheel. We had a chat and decided to help them, which is something we all at Carnity are never shy to do. I tugged the car out onto flat and we all changed their tire in quick time, thanks to everyone for the amazing team work. After spending some time here , and the light getting better we continued our drive towards pink rock. Quickly getting onto the top, playing there , before we had four cars in a super soft bowl considering the long weekend churning all tracks. Ashok , and Veedoshee did some amazing self recovery and maneuvering to get out of that bowl. Thanks Vanessa for some fantastic advises , and Islam for tugging me when I got stuck trying to see what was happening. We drove around pink rock, headed towards Big Red which was in and out of bowls like a roller coaster, bumpy of course considering the million cross tracks. Everyone drove so well here that there was absolute Radio silence for almost 45 to 60 min before we took a break. We were at Big red in decent time safely, and played here doing climbs, tall sides and some criss crossing. You all drove really well that we could make it to Big Red ,even after losing time at the start. @Islam Soliman was a perfect second lead, awesome team man and a perfect tamer of his beast Yukon. Great to have you on any drive and thanks for all the support. @Ashok chaturvedi much improved , great driving in and out of bowls. You did really well to oscillate, get momentum and out of the soft bowl at Pink rock, great work Sir @Veedooshee for her first FB + was simply awesome. Great control and some great self recoveries, very energetic as always and full of enthusiasm. @jodha singh shekhawat you have a great car which can be pushed further safely as you get more used to it. You did really well without any issues and sticking to basics.Well done @Yousef Alimadadi did a great job as center forward, and there weren't much instances where he had to come out to shovel /tug. Thank you for all the support. @Abu Muhammad driving a controlled monster was seen having a great time, especially at Big red. I absolutely love the roar of the V8 climbing the dunes and ruffling sand. @Piotr Kolodziej enjoyed the dunes approaching big red area. Controlled driving and maneuvering, considering he was at the back.Well done buddy @Mohamed Seidam did great being at the back of the convoy. Some nicely managed self recoveries , fantastic communication and acknowledgement. Climbing Big red on the X was a treat to watch, well done @Vanessa8580 was late addition to the drive as support , and I must say she was amazing at it. Always getting in quickly to help and advise anyone who had an issue and great to see the energy you bring on any drive by your presence. Thank you so much. @Lucky sAm and @Tariq Carrimjee you missed out on a great drive, but hope your issues are sorted. Take care Enjoy your week at work, to come back again next weekend. You are advised to apply for promotion if you have completed the required drives and have the necessary gear for the next level. Cheers!

Perhaps a bit taxing as I decided to drive with Ajay Shekawat (he has acquired a jeep but landed in Frederic group) we drove near all the night starting from Dubai at 1 am. On reaching Liwa we kind of slept for 1hour+ in the car only. It was an awesome drive quite challenging at times. My Pajero is tiring and shall be replaced yet it managed as much as it could. What amazes me is the expertise and energy of Rahimdad sir, I think he can drive even a boat in the desert.. he actually took the wheel once and drove my car in situation I found absolutly requiring a winch. The drop in temperature has made the sands powdery loose and cars simply sink flat to the belly. Our lead and support were fabulous always ready to help out. Thanks everyone and look ahead to be on the drives with you.. God bless and be safe.

It's been a pleasure to see how you drive and have been constantly getting better , well done 👍

Wow what a nice report of the drive .. looking forward to some good drives with @Chaitanya D Dr ...in this lovely season

As @Frederic mentioned in the desert the bottle jack is very narrow and does not give a good base, very unstable. Thus a floor jack of 2 tonnes should be sufficient. You are not going to lift the complete 2.5 tonnes at any given time. But make sure you're on as flat a surface in the desert before jacking the car and get a jack board as your base.

I have noticed this black pan takes significant scratches from off roading. While we all advise and use the front bash plate , once we start doing more offroading its better to install a transmission protection plate also (basically an extension of the front bash plate to cover this black ATM cover and further ). Generally it is advised for wadis, but safer for sand driving too

If its leaking better get it change soon, if not its completely depending on the bump size. Many car ATF sump has edge bumped, its normal. If its too big bump then its critical to change as it will reduce the ATF required quantity. Magnetic strips or circles are loosely placed on the sump bed to hold any metal shaving that has absolutely no co-relation with bump or its size.

Chaitanya, sorry I had a tyre puncture. Tried filling air, but seems valve is damaged. Was fine till last evening and today morning again the air had leaked. Sorry for the same. Tariq.

@Chaitanya D I am extremely sorry to say can not join today's drive, I have got some medical emergency.

@Craig Finlayson awesome pictures , I liked the night camping setting colors 👍

Thank you Carnity for providing newbie such as myself opportunity to be able drive in the Liwa dunes. The drive helped in many aspects such as planning for such long haul off road drives for me and preparation that went into participate. Qudos to all the members of the convoy as they supported each other in the drives. A big thank you to the marshals and the senior members- @Srikumar @Vanessa8580 @Pancho, V of the convoy who were the safety net and instilled confidence in us that we could do it! Again, got to learn a lot about my own driving, the desert, the car and people. The final ascend to the top of the Moreeb dune which challenged us mentally, the skill and the machine, rewarded us generously with confidence and sense of achievement! Besides the driving also 1. A new place added to my list and probably one on the top for a re-visit 2. Learnt about possibilities of camping in the desert.

Alhamdulillah ‘ala salamatik ya akhee @Zed. I am sad to find out about this and also I thank you for sharing your experience so we can all learn and let this be a lesson for me first and foremost so we should listen to our leader’s advise before things go bad at least try our best InshaAllah. Once again Thanks Allah azzawajal that your are okay which is most important.

What an incredible experience this was. I was only a passenger to @Desert Dweller 's second lead and could see how difficult this terrain was. One small slip and you were in danger of being trapped in one of the many huge bowls with the softest sands. It is to @Emmanuel 's great credit that none of us fell victim to this unforgiving monster of a desert. It is even more exceptional when you consider he must have been exhausted after @Craig Finlayson kept him awake all night crying because he was scared of the dark.