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DRIVE DETAILS Very few places on Earth can rival the mesmerizing beauty of Liwa, nestled within the Rub' al Khali, the vast expanse of the Empty Quarter – the largest uninterrupted desert on the planet! Embark on a thrilling two-day adventure that promises to unveil some of the most immense sand dunes you'll ever encounter! 🐪🌄 Immerse yourself in the raw beauty of nature, far removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Camp beneath a blanket of stars, serenaded by the sounds of the wilderness. Share stories around a crackling campfire, bonding with fellow adventurers over shared triumphs and tales of adventure. Yet, traversing the expanses of the world's largest desert demands respect and preparation. This expedition entails a challenging off-road journey, offering breathtaking vistas at every turn. Brace yourself and your vehicle for an unforgettable test of endurance and exploration! Planning: *Meetup at 8AM in Khanoor: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rnGP9hxzHzt12Ewf7 Decimal Coordinates: 23.08584, 53.61100 * Full Day Drive, making our way towards Moreeb dune. * Set up camp around 6PM and enjoy the evening together. * Exit at Moreeb Dune the following morning around 10AM. Considering its seriousness to keep you and your vehicle safe, these strict rules will be applied to all. Maximum of one passenger allowed - No exceptions. Drive Preparation: Your car should be in 100% pristine working condition, so double or triple check everything. Full-size spare tire with a lug wrench to match your wheel nut size and its depth. For aftermarket rims - Your lug wrench also needs to match the wheel nut depth. As it's a long full-day drive, so catch up with enough sleep in advance. 5-10 liter of water per person. Snacks for breakfast, lunch, dinner and next day breakfast. Keep your car as light as possible by packing what is truly essential. Fully charged radio with spare battery and all other required off-road gears. Gas tank and jerry can should be full upon arrival. (see fuel requirement below) Last petrol station with washrooms and food is ADNOC LIWA (977): https://maps.app.goo.gl/CqSnCNUTfUwySN2Y7 Last Petrol station nearby the starting point is ADNOC KHANOOR: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oxVfp85mBCdrWF6e7 Fuel requirement for every 4x4: Full main tank and 1 additional 25l jerrycan. Drive Details Level: Fewbie Plus and above When: 2 March 2024 Starting time: 8:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Starting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rnGP9hxzHzt12Ewf7 Decimal Coordinates: 23.08584, 53.61100 You can come early and camp at the same starting point if you like. (you can head inside on the same dirt track) Last petrol station with washrooms and food is ADNOC LIWA (977): https://maps.app.goo.gl/CqSnCNUTfUwySN2Y7 Last Petrol station nearby the starting point is ADNOC KHANOOR: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oxVfp85mBCdrWF6e7 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, lunch, snacks, face mask, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: Between 10AM and 12 the next day. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 Fewbie Plus and above drivers. 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. RSVP HERE for lead - Frederic RSVP HERE for lead - Gaurav Soni

This afternoon's desert drive at Qudra, under @M.Seidam lead, was an unparalleled adventure that I was lucky to be a part of. With just three of us, it felt like a personalized journey through the vastness of the desert. Seidam, with his expert navigation, took us through some breathtaking areas, showcasing the desert's beauty. The climate was fantastically cool, making the drive even more enjoyable. Behind Seidam, I was nestled safely in the middle, with @Sunil Mathew's rock-solid driving bringing up the rear, ensuring a sense of security amidst the challenging terrain. The experience was elevated as we drove through the areas of Little Sweihan, where the approaching twilight cast a magical glow over the landscape, transforming it into a scene of beauty. It was undoubtedly one of the most amazing drives I’ve had, a perfect blend of thrill, beauty, and tranquility. @Sunil Mathew, My USB is with Seidam, hopefully I have it recorded in it 😆 and Doc is able to retrieve the files.

thanks for the midweek fun drive @M.Seidam... and good to meet you @Lala G - thanks to both of us , turning up as promised and enabling our doc to proceed with the drive with required minimum quorum ...congrats on being the only driver with no stucks 👍👍....please send me the recovery video on 055 94 98 749 ..thanks in advance its been a while since i did this technical area with the Fortuner at FB+ level, so..i had to get stuck somewhere to do justice to the area ...Doc @M.Seidam took us through some areas which i have never visited..the drive was a combo of some intense moments requiring full focus, some relaxed and laid back driving, and some fast paced criss crossing and ridge rides .. i thought the heavy wind at 3PM when we started the drive was going to create some trouble, but thankfully it died down later into the drive, and the mini double crests created by the wind were skillfully avoided by the doc, making the drive safe and trouble free.. the vegetation and its consequent bumps and ditches were a spoilsport at many places..but qudra , and surrounding parts are turning into grass jungles anyway, offroading communities like us are coming to terms with this new normal, so cant really put any blame on it Looking forward to such mid week "stress buster" drives 🤞🤞

If you want to read more about my advice on buying 360 cameras please read this article: Introduction We all love driving in the desert and few of us can ever have enough of it. The sweet sound of the engines growling, climbing on to those tall dunes at Badayer to the calls of “Yalla Push” or tackling tricky fast paced long-range dunes at Faqa’a we want to live and relive every moment we spend driving in the desert. Some of us record videos of our adventures. A good seamless workflow is important so that you don’t spend a lot of time making those videos, which to be honest we can do only so much since we are not professional video editors. I will attempt to go over the workflows that I follow, which might be useful for some of you. These days I record my videos using Insta360 X3 action camera. I do the initial framing in the Insta360 STUDIO 2022 app on my first generation M1 Mac Mini with 16 GB ram. Post export I do the final edit of the videos in Final Cut Pro X on the mac. In some of the videos I overlay telemetry data using either Insta 360 STUDIO or Telemetry Overlay app. In this thread I am going to post series of articles going over the various aspects of videos editing starting from setting up the action cameras, video editing to exporting and publishing on YouTube and Instagram our favorite destinations for sharing the videos. Why am I writing this? Because I have tried it all, different cameras, different mounting options, various editing medium and software and techniques. I feel I can help the community with the knowledge I have gained. Follow this thread to be up to date. PS: I plan to update and revise certain sections to enhance clarity, streamline information for brevity, and improve language and grammar.

We request every member that 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 Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (all levels) Meeting time: 2:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wEiqyzbm4UTY7AaT8 Action Plan: As some of you know, this Friday Feb. 9th is the last day of the lunar calendar. To usher in the new Year of the Dragon, we'll drive to a nice open desert area where our convoy's tracks will draw a dragon shape on the sand. I have laid waypoints on the map that should allow us to create this "Nazca lines" shape, if followed and reached correctly. Obviously, it's an excuse for a nice afternoon drive to open the weekend. 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: 05:30 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. RECOMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit Fire extinguisher LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 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 - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - 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 THE CALENDAR

No way for me, both look too much like car tires, also 315/70r17 (35inch) BFG KO2 are 29kg and Goelander are 27kg so it’s very marginal to sacrifice the chunky grip which would give more traction in any case. BFG are actually one of the lighter tires in their class like for like on size the Michelin doesn’t come in 315 as far as I can see

Thank you @Lala G and @Sunil Mathew for sharing this lovely afternoon in the sand . Short convoy . Fantastic drive and we all had our fair share of sideway crests 😜 an opportunity to practice self recovery after a long pause 😄 here below our route for your reference . Enjoy Take care and see you soon 🔜

We def need magnetic cars for offroading

Hi @Gary F all well thanks mate and will actually be back in the sand on Friday with @Stumpy and his new toy. Been busy getting the car back on the road and putting the toys back on. After reviewing hours of footage I have come to the conclusion that the cause was the writing was on the wrong side 😜

It was amazing trips with beyond expectations of challenging massive Dunes in Empty Quarter Area ( LIWA- BATEEN) can be concurred with fully adrenaline and enjoying explorations new places, Thank you so much @Asif Hussain Bai, and All Lovely Team.

Let's compile a list of toxic or unsafe plants (fruit or shrubs) found in the UAE Desert while offroading. Desert lemon-looking plants are called Desert Squash (Citrullus colocynthis) (Handhal). https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-798/colocynth

"BATEEN LIWA" It was one more epic drive this time. Driving through liwa dunes every winter is always a dream for me, where I get the chance to explore and learn more, and this time my plan was to pierce the proper liwa dunes and to stay on the top at highest point and drive through those stunning untouched rolling dunes. As usual going to the top is a difficult part and once you are on the top it is a real fun to drive. My favorite second lead @Santoso Marjuki you were truly amazing and i can still feel your Rubicon roaring. @Salim Akhtar i always see you having regret that you are driving a pajero 3.5ltr, i hope you will not now . @Beide Worku hats off to you, the way you control your LWB F150 is really commendable. At every sticky situation i is to worry that you will make it or no, but the moment i looked behind you were just behind us, truly amazing. @Jona best sweep, thank you for not leaving anyone behind. Once again thank you all for making this drive come true. See you soon.

https://www.purdue.edu/hla/sites/famine-foods/famine_food/citrullus-colocynthis/ Yes @Gaurav there is some research on rajasthani version of this plant called " tumba" to use as famine food... There is another very common plant of desert which is highly poisons called "aak".. we should be careful.. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calotropis_gigantea. @Gaurav agree not to encourage touching any unknown plant which may be toxic and ruin our experience.. Thanks

So, Frederic got this knack for dreaming up cool adventures and he's earned titles like "Master Planner" and "Creative Genius" for it. Every season, he surprises us with new ideas, and we're lucky and grateful for adventurous souls like him who lead us with such cool combo concepts. I totally missed out on the 7 Emirates drive, but luckily, I managed to jump into the Scenic Sand and Wadi Adventure last minute. Big shoutout to @Srikumar for letting me tag along in the car and enjoy those rare moments. The turnout for the adventure was impressive, providing an excellent opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces at the expansive sabkha. That little mountain hike offered breathtaking views, reminding us of the joys of exploring on foot. Surely, Fredy, the master planner, selected the three convoy meeting points with similar intentions. Navigating through the winding mountain paths amidst natural elements was truly mesmerizing. The whole convoy waiting for the sheep crossing was the cutest part, the second one was the farm full of black sheep, lol. Despite unexpected delays prompting Fredy to shorten the drive, I found myself hoping the drive would last longer - an indication of the sheer joy experienced, a rarity in off-roading. Thank you @Frederic for your unwavering commitment, brilliance and efforts for multiple recces, and huge patience for handling multiple convoys for such a long drive.

Thank you @JeromeFJ for yesterday's amazing drive. We tasted a bit of every offroad flavour so I got refreshed after some months away. Thank you for giving me this opportunity taking me back ti the desert. @Davie Chase it was reaaly nice to meet you again after such a long time. Thank you for your excellent support and making the life easier for me buddy And each one of drivers in the convoy was amazingly eager to learn and showed outstanding performance in the beginning of this long term adventure.. Keep it up guys. See you on the sand.

If you find the cabin light let’s me know as that has been on my list. Darkest cabin I’ve ever driven and makes finding stuff at night difficult