Wahiba Desert Xing, Bar Al Hikman, & Sugar Dunes Overland Fun
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Day and date: Feb 16th – 18th/19th/20th (Thurs to Sat/Sun/Mon)
Drive Type: Overland Expedition Crossing Deserts, Sabkhas, Beaches, & Graded Tracks
Meeting Point: Shell Petrol Station, Bidiyah, Oman
Google maps users (just copy and paste in Google maps): https://goo.gl/maps/3YuGRz1NrT42
GPS users: N22.45230° E58.81100°
Meeting Time: Thursday Feb 16th 2000 Hrs (8pm) PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CAMPSITE IS ABOUT 50KM BY DESERT TRACKS FROM THIS MEETING SPOT. SO IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU ARRIVE PROMPTLY AS THE CONVOY WILL DEPART FOR THE CAMPSITE
Drive Start: Friday Feb 17th morning at 0900
Drive End: Saturday for those who must return home & Sun/Mon for those who can extend
Duration: 3-5 days depending on participants’ selection
Drive Route: Wahiba Desert, Bar Al Hikman Salt Flats, and Al Khalouf Sugar Dunes
Drive Terrain: EverythingUPDATE: We will aim to cover the 150KM of Wahiba Sands in one day on Friday the 17th. It is a lot to cover but it will mostly be farm/bedouin tracks so should be smooth driving. We will arrive at the coast in the evening and continue south until close to sunset. We will camp on the beach. Saturday morning we will drive to the salt flats of Bar Al Hikman and then onto the Sugar Dunes. By Saturday evening we will have finished our time with the Sugar Dunes and folks can either drive back to Dubai by tarmac (approx 8 hours) or camp on the beach near the Sugar Dunes. On Sunday morning we can either drive leisurely back to Dubai or take wadi/mountain/offroad tracks back, which could extend our trip by 1-2 days (i.e. either arriving back to Dubai by Sunday night or Monday night). This will all depend on the participants’ desires at that point. I am personally planning to take Sunday and Monday off from work in case we decide to do the extra offraod bits on the way back to Dubai.
We will pack a few days (long weekend) full of some exciting offroad driving. We will cover the Wahiba Sands Desert driving north to south towards the coast. Then we will drive further south towards Bar Al Hikman where we will see many exotic birds in their natural preserve. Finally we will drive to the beaches of the pristine white sugar dunes.
This trip will see us cover a lot of terrrain and there are options for participants to shorten the trip and return home on the tarmac as their schedule requires.
We will be quite remote at times and on some varied and challenging terrain so a properly maintained and reliable 4×4 rig is paramount.
You must be equipped and prepared to self-sustain with food, water, fuel, etc for 3-5 days. We will hit the odd petrol station and small grocery but it is always better to be prepared regardless.
More details will be posted as the date nears but in the meantime please let me know if you have any questions.
Let’s venture out into the wild :ymparty:
Checklist:
a) Keep your emergency contact info at vehicle dashboard.
b) Carry air compressor with you and ensure it’s in working condition.
c) Ensure your 4×4 vehicle is in perfect condition and with enough fuel.
d) Compatible Radio is a must.
e) Carry all necessary off-road gear / recovery equipment in good working condition.
f) Carry enough water / refreshments / re-hydration drinks for self & co-passenger(s).
sounds great! will check the dates before I check in :-BD
I am so in! Thanks for accommodating us overlanding fans 🙂
Need to work on the dates but sounds good. Just don’t know if the Sunday off will be possible.
Hello Friends. I stay in Muscat and wish to be the part of this trip. How can I join this trip. Where can i meet with the group. Any travel itinerary is available. Thanks
Welcome everyone especially Nasir from Muscat…it is always great to have our Omani brothers join us.
I will put a detailed plan together, which will highlight the dates, times, meeting points, drive route, camp sites, etc. This will then help everyone plan for their personal requirements. If some can only join for the weekend and then need to head back home on Saturday evening this will be possible.
Please keep in mind, this is not a “dune-bashing, desert trip” rather it is an overland expedition trip to explore new terranin, new areas, and see new sights. On our drive through Wahiba, we will need to cover somewhere between 180-220Km depending on our route. This will be done however, mainly on farm/bedouin tracks and not through the dunes.
I will update with more details as the trip plan evolves.
Hi Matt,
Will you be posting all details here? Or on the facebook page or whatsapp or via some other medium?
Thank u mathew for the reply. Trip palnning will definately help us to organise. If there is no dune bashing… do we need to bring flags and walki talki?
Hi @ahmad_ufe
All details will be posted here until the time that we will transition over to a WA group. I will still post details on the FB events page but this forum is the official communication link.
Hi @nasirali
Please carry all of your offroad gear especially flags and radios. We will be covering all kinds of offroad terrain so you need to be well prepared.
See you soon!
How to register for the trip?
Sounds amazing especially with the flexibility, I’ll be leaving Dubai late Thursday afternoon or I can RV Friday early morning, I guess once the plan is formulated I can see which will be the easiest to liaise?
Roger
Quick question what will be the minimum safety equipment for this trip, to make sure I have the correct equipment
This trip will cover a lot of desert terrain. Although we will take bedouin/farm tracks for the majority of it, it will be a lot. This is not a trip for first-timers or drivers with limited offroad experience. As such, selection for the trip will be based on your driving experience with DO. The right to limit the trip participants based on participant numbers or driver experience remains. Thank you for understanding.
Matt, do you have a breakdown of the itinerary as it would help me decide if this is possible. I plan to leave Thursday afternoon but will need to be back Saturday night. thoughts?
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