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Thanks @Frederic, fully agree. Did the crossing a year back supporting Landies from the 60's and 70's. Enough spares to build a complete car. Did it the past weekend with much more capable vehicles, and thankfully all went well.

😀 all right, my dear well noted and will do accordingly

Dear friends! I can report back that the gates at the entrance of the Liwa Crossing are still wide open. The route as described on the visitabudhabi site (https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/things-to-do/desert-and-outdoor-activities/off-road-desert-driving) is very doable for a self drive adventure with a group of friends. There is a small section around 22.83639, 53.85700 where it may be tricky to get accross. Enjoy the adventure!

Thank you all for a great drive today! Everyone drove great and the support team was fantastic as well! Thank you @J-P L @Andrew John Melvill and @Senthil Kumar for quickly and efficiently managing the few stucks and refusals we had today. Great Second Lead by @Jeandre Bezuidenhout, you did great! Hoping you guys enjoyed the track and the arranged air show we had for you! At least @Rodas is convinced it was part of the drive which sets the bar so high for any upcoming drive Next time we should also get the cross tracks sorted out as well along with the air show. Thank you all for coming out on a Sunday afternoon drive and looking forward to seeing you all on an upcoming drive. Special thanks to @DP1011 who was trusting in a very humbling way for every aspect of this drive, A-Z. Thank You DP! Some photos are in the gallery and hopefully Andy will get the chance to upload some as well. @Andrew John Melvill. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday everyone!

In a moonless night and on time every one started to assemble and preparing for the night drive at the meeting point. after checking on the vehicles i took a newbie brief stressing on the safety precautions especially in the dark environment. we took the track straight away to the secret garden and upon entry to the sand the newbie tribe started to get tested where some refusals was expected and it was all delt with by the patience of the participants and the support team till we overcame the initial hiccup toward the clean sand and wider corridors and then the pace increased and became steady with almost no issues till we reached our solitary lake for a good break. the weather was fantastic and the offroad picnic season seemed to hit as we encountered many barbeque and camps around. during the break we took the time to socialize with the new as will as the older friends chatting and taking pictures which was totally a relaxing moments for every one. The second half of the trip even was more interesting at two folds the first one when i got almost perfectly crested and in no time the support team shovels found its proper way to displace the sand sliding softly in to the V ditch created. huge thanks. as we moved we came to the second one but this time it was not our convoy but another short convoy of local friends who have encountered a nasty pop out in one of their vehicles that entailed changing the spare tire and they didn't have the proper lug nut size of it . here our convoy buzzed to help which was really outstanding showing a high spirit of team work which every one felt good after its all over. i have to say that the support team was really prepared and in seconds tools from all kind appeared around and the job was done. time was approaching toward the end so we took the north track completing the loop back to where we started for exit. I have to say that it was one of a kind of a drive in the night where a like minded effective support team intermingled with two level convoy ( first half newbie and sec fewbie ) and participants who showed endurance, patience and discipline for the desert rules as well as enjoying the moment with chat and laughter. truly thank you all for sharing these moments together especially to the support team who spared no efforts helping and guiding every one in his position in the convoy. I wish you all happy weekend and see you soon again in the sand with another epic night drive. Cheers Seidam

DRIVE DESCRIPTION Before our beloved Marshal Davie leaves Dubai for good, we would like to come together for a simple sit-down gathering to thank him, share memories, and wish him well for his next chapter. This is not a regular off-road drive. Just a relaxed get-together to talk, laugh and remember all the amazing moments Davie has created in the desert with us. What to expect: Casual sit-down with Davie and fellow offroaders. Stories from past drives and Desert Champions moments. A chance to personally thank him for his time, guidance and dedication. Group picture and goodbye hugs before he heads off. If you have driven with Davie, learned from him, or simply enjoyed his company on the sand, this is the perfect chance to come by, shake his hand, and wish him the best for the road ahead. DRIVE DETAILS Level: Newbie and above When: 21 November 2025, Friday Meeting time: 6:00 PM - Sharp Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/P7aCpMuMMyNYMn8TA Track to the gathering location: Track to Davie Farewell.gpx (No deflation needed, just engage 4x4). Gathering location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Yg3MouUcW9w3hhr98 Approximate finish time: 9:00 PM Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Camping chair, drinks and snacks for yourself. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

DRIVE DESCRIPTION We will meet just near the Tilal ADNOC, and explore south west through the dunes towards Fayah. On the way we might stop by the sweihan pond and take a break, before continuing on to some of the rock formations. Goal will be to practise smooth fast lines through the dune cordons. See you there! 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 DRIVE DETAILS Level: Fewbie PLUS and above Meeting time: 06:30 (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oQESTXiJebewet138 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: 10:00 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 Saturday- 12:00. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once someone 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 RSVP HERE BELOW

Hi @Piotr1 Yes you can and should join this drive, as you have completed the Master Class with carnity. This will be a great fun drive!

Hi @Lala G , due to safety reasons, transferring your previous experience only works from Newbie to Fewbie level and not beyond that. I agree with Fredy, as you have done 7 Fewbie Plus drives, so do 3 more, and then apply for the promotion. We will gather your trip lead feedback to proceed accordingly.

Hi @Lala G please click on below link to request your promotion: REQUEST PROMOTION Experience in other clubs is usually not taken into account, and it's impossible for us to verify. I recommend doing 3 more FB+ drives to be eligible. Thanks!

Agree completely with @Andrew John Melvill The 3.8 has larger brake calipers for which 16" rims will not fit. The lowest that you can go is a 17" Rim. That said just the drop from 18 to 17 will make quite a difference in power. As for tyres, my personal preference was Geolanders for Pajero. If you aftermarket rim has a slight negative offset, you are fully set. Avoid spacers and go for negative offset wheel. Also note that some brand models (KMC for me) have zero mentioned offset but still fit with a slight negative offset which is great. Just before buying fit one on and have a look first. Downside will be if you dont have a lift it may scrape the edge of the wheel well on articulation.

Not sure about the SWB but on my LWB 2020 model I cannot go smaller than 17 inch wheels without changes to the brakes.

Hi @Gertjan, We have done this exact crossing for 3-4 years in a row with multiple convoys, and it's indeed a fantastic experience. However what the Abu Dhabi website does not tell you is that there are no exit/escape routes once you are halfway through. The only possible escape tracks are through the oilfields, or by taking the border road with KSA. Both are illegal and on our last crossing we had a very unpleasant experience recovering a car and taking it through the oilfields, which was our only option. In short, yes it's a great experience with a handful of cars if they are all capable and with an experienced lead that can deal with recoveries. In case of a car breakdown you will have to leave the car behind and come back with a mechanic, or try to take the oilfield tracks but be ready to explain yourself to the military/security personnel (and bring an Arabic speaker with you)...

@ChrisW - thanks a lot for the video & pics! 👍

This was indeed a blessed morning out with such a nice group of people! The sunset on the way to the drive, emerging from behind the Oman mountains, was already a first glimpse into what we could expect today: a drive in a more deserted area where we could all feel "out of this world" for a couple of hours. The first elevated group of dunes was indeed interesting, as the dune formations were very irregular, which meant we needed to drive carefully, had a lot of steep drops, but this was perfect practice terrain. Not just for Fewbies, but for every off-roader. Here we came across the deserted Jimney that we also noticed the last time we were there with @J-P L in March i believe. Once we reached the fence of the military base, we looped back and started moving southwards towards the second elevated areas. During this southward crossing, we encountered a few strange things: first a couple of teenagers sitting next to their Landcruiser that got themselves stuck with so much plastic litter around them i can only assume they spent the night next to the car and ate all their snacks their mom gave them 😆 A bit further a second desert Landcruiser, where the driver even left his slippers behind 🤣 and two dunes further away a deserted Y62 Patrol. For a moment if felt like we were in a kind of dystopian post-apocalyptic UAE.... The last part consisted out of smaller dunes but as the terrain was quite regular, we could "flow" over it and like Thomas mentioned, the radio silence said it all. I think all of us enjoyed this last part, even though this drive was not a "dunebashing" kind of drive, more like a soul-cleansing one We found a nice scenic tree close to the exit where we did a small debriefing, and it was so nice to see the positive reactions on this kind of drive and terrain. It proves that off-roading has many faces, and that every terrain has something to offer. We just need to dip our toes into it and observe to see what it can bring us. There was an ADNOC nearby but needed a bit of a detour to reach. The fence that was open the last time i was there was now closed, so we had to reroute a bit. Will take this into account for next drive. Thank you all for joining, and @Zed for the help and keeping the convoy flowing. See you all in the sands soon!

Thanks @Frederic for a great drive today. Loved the area and the technical challenges. Here are some shots from today. Hope everyone got home safely. Have a good weekend all and see you again in the sand soon.

Thank you @Gary F was great to see you and have your support on my first bit of leading, and @JeromeFJfor letting me take the reins for a while and for the feedback and advice it was greatly appreciated everyone drove fantastically and I hope to be a you in my own convoy soon

Thanks for an amazing night drive, and thanks to the support for getting us unstuck and moving so patiently. I really enjoyed my first full on night drive with you.