United Arab Emirates / Al Ain & the Empty Quarter / Liwa Oasis (Empty Quarter)Liwa Oasis (Empty Quarter)
The Edge of the Rub' al Khali
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.
Highlights
- Sunset on Tal Moreeb
- 4x4 drive into the Empty Quarter dunes
- Camel trek at dawn
- Date-palm farms of the oasis
- Stargazing far from any city
- Sandboarding the big dunes
Things to do
- 4x4 dune drive to Tal Moreeb at sunsetAfternoon · 3h 30m
- Dawn camel trekMorning · 2h
- Liwa date farms & Mezaira'a fortMorning · 2h
- Stargazing in the dunesEvening · 2h
- SandboardingAfternoon · 1h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: November – February
Worth knowing
Flight Disruptions Since the 2026 Regional War
Since the war in the region began in February 2026, Gulf airspace has closed at times and UAE flights have been cancelled at short notice; in October 2026 Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports are open with occasional cancellations. Book changeable fares, buy travel insurance that covers disruption, and check your government's advice (the US rates the UAE "Reconsider travel") and your airline before you fly.
Worth knowing
Summer Heat: Outdoor Trips Limited
⚠️ June to September is dangerously hot away from the coast (often 45 °C and more inland): dune drives, hikes, kayaking and fort visits are only possible at dawn or after sunset, and heatstroke is a real risk. Carry far more water than you think, never walk into the desert or a wadi at midday, and consider coming back between November and March.
Heads up
Ramadan (expected 8 Feb – 9 Mar 2027)
During Ramadan, do not eat, drink or smoke in public in daylight (hotels and many restaurants serve discreetly), dress conservatively, and keep music down. Museums and offices keep shorter hours, live entertainment is quieter, and bars may open only after sunset. Evenings are lively with iftars and late-opening malls, and hotel prices dip.
- Ramadan — The fasting month, expected to run from about 8 February to 9 March 2027. Visitors are not expected to fast, but eat, drink and smoke discreetly in public in daylight; many restaurants stay open (some behind screens), malls open late, and the evenings come alive with iftar tents and Ramadan night markets. Office and museum hours are shorter; desert-camp shows may be quieter. A good, cheaper time to visit if you plan around it.
- Eid al-Fitr — The three-day holiday ending Ramadan (expected about 9-10 March 2027): fireworks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, crowded malls and beaches, and the UAE's residents travelling, so flights home to India and hotels in Hatta, Ras Al Khaimah and the east coast are busy and dear.
- Eid al-Adha — Four-day public holiday (expected about 16 May 2027). Flights between the UAE and India are at their dearest around it, and resort towns fill with residents.
- UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad) · 2 Dec — A long public-holiday weekend around 2 December: fireworks, parades and flag-draped cars. Hatta, Jebel Jais, Fujairah and the desert camps fill with residents; book early and expect slow traffic on the roads out of Dubai.
- Liwa and Al Dhafra winter festivals — In mid-winter the Liwa festival brings car and bike hill-climbs up Tal Moreeb, and the Al Dhafra Festival near Madinat Zayed holds camel beauty contests, falconry and a heritage market. Rooms in Liwa sell out on those weekends.
- Liwa Date Festival — The date harvest festival in Liwa, in the heat of July: date competitions, a market and heritage shows, mostly indoors and in the evenings. Worth it only if you are there anyway; daytime temperatures pass 45 °C.
Part of a longer route
Liwa Oasis (Empty Quarter) is a stop on a curated circuit through the UAE.