In November, with the planner's pick for each leg; you can switch any leg in the plan.
Delhi → Al AinFlight via Abu Dhabi · 11h 12m · Etihad / IndiGo to Abu Dhabi, then bus
Al Ain → Abu DhabiBus · 2h 15m · Intercity bus from Abu Dhabi bus station
Abu Dhabi → Liwa Oasis (Empty Quarter)Car · 2h 45m · Private car or 4x4 with driver, per vehicle
Liwa Oasis (Empty Quarter) → DelhiFlight via Abu Dhabi · 11h 42m · Cab to Abu Dhabi, then Etihad / IndiGo
About this circuit
The UAE away from Dubai's towers: the falaj-watered palm groves, Bronze Age tombs and mud-brick fort of Al Ain on the Omani border, two days in Abu Dhabi for the Grand Mosque and the Corniche, then 230 km south-west to the date-palm villages of Liwa on the edge of the Empty Quarter, for the biggest dunes in the country and a sky full of stars.
Why it matters
Al Ain, the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed, is a UNESCO World Heritage site (the Cultural Sites of Al Ain). At Liwa, Tal Moreeb rises some 300 m on the northern edge of the Rub' al Khali, with a silence the Dubai camps can't match.
Stop by stop
How the 5 days split across the 3 stops, and what each one costs on the ground for two.
The inland oasis city on the Omani border, birthplace of Sheikh Zayed and a UNESCO World Heritage site (the Cultural Sites of Al Ain): the shaded falaj-watered palm groves of Al Ain Oasis, the round Bronze Age tombs at Hili, and the mud-brick Al Jahili Fort. The road up Jebel Hafeet, 1,249 m, ends in cool evening views. Low-rise, green and quiet; a day trip from Dubai or Abu Dhabi, or a calm night between them.
Don't miss: Walk the falaj channels of Al Ain Oasis · Al Jahili Fort.
How long: 1 day, which is the recommended stay.
Al Ain International Airport (AAN), 20 km
1 day for two from ₹6,141 · ₹12,382 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
The UAE's capital, on an island an hour by Etihad Rail from Dubai since September 2026. The white marble Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the country's great sight (free, with a dress code); Qasr Al Watan, the presidential palace, and Qasr Al Hosn, the old fort, tell the country's story, and the Corniche runs along the beach. The BAPS Hindu Mandir, the Gulf's first traditional stone temple, is 50 km out at Abu Mureikhah. Calmer and cheaper than Dubai, with its own airport (AUH) and many direct flights from India.
Don't miss: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque at sunset · Qasr Al Watan presidential palace.
How long: 2 days, which is the recommended stay.
Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi (AUH), 30 km
2 days for two from ₹20,251 · ₹40,674 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
A crescent of date-palm villages on the northern edge of the Empty Quarter, 230 km south-west of Abu Dhabi: the biggest dunes in the country, Tal Moreeb rising some 300 m, and a silence the Dubai camps can't match. Come for a desert resort or a simple hotel in Mezaira'a, a 4x4 drive into the dunes, sunset from Moreeb and a sky full of stars. Remote: a car or a driver is the only practical way, and summer is fiercely hot.
Don't miss: Sunset on Tal Moreeb · 4x4 drive into the Empty Quarter dunes.
How long: 2 days, which is the recommended stay.
Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi (AUH), 230 km
2 days for two from ₹22,542 · ₹47,682 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
What it costs
from ₹76,232 a person
The whole 5-day trip as the planner prices it in November, for two sharing at budget stays: flights from India and back, travel between the stops, stays, food, getting around, entry fees and the planner's buffer.
The visa for an Indian passport, about ₹6,860 a person, is on top.
When to go
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November to March is the season (Liwa is best to February); from June to September dune drives and fort visits are only possible at dawn or after sunset
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 30 days, about ₹6,860
Apply for a 30-day UAE tourist visa before you fly: through your airline (Emirates and flydubai process visas for their passengers; IndiGo, Air India Express and Air Arabia sell them too), a travel agent, your UAE hotel, or the ICP and GDRFA portals. The government fee is AED 252 + 5% VAT, about ₹6,860; agents add their charges. Allow 1-3 working days.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Make it yours
Opens in the planner with all 3 stops, suggested days and your home city pre-filled, in November. Swap anything.
·The sights are far apart and buses few: a hired car (an International Driving Permit is needed with an Indian licence) or a car with driver saves hours, and for Liwa it is the only practical way
·Never drive into the dunes alone or in a two-wheel-drive car: go with a guide in a convoy, carry water, and fill up with fuel in Mezaira'a
·Walk Al Ain Oasis early or late, when the palm groves are coolest, and drive up Jebel Hafeet (1,249 m) for sunset
·In mid-winter the Liwa festival and the Al Dhafra Festival fill Liwa's rooms at weekends; book ahead
·Flights to the UAE have been cancelled at short notice since the regional war began in February 2026: book a changeable fare and insurance that covers disruption
