Again, we returned to lovely Al-Ula, where the bivouac was set up for two nights. This is a high-security camp that is assembled each day ahead of the rally and acts as a home base until the last competitor moves on; then, the whole place is torn down and moved by aircraft and trucks to...
Once we got GPS coordinates for tomorrow’s rally, we left the bivouac in Hail at night to sleep closer to the morning race. Then we got the exact spot points list and chose a few around the sandy trail with a nice contrast between dunes and black stone mountains. Over the majority...
Today, we left Riyadh very early after we got a new LED light for Tomas Ourednicek, a rally driver from Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech. The long 620 kilometers to Dakar bivouac in Hail we made in 8 hours and 45 minutes. Today, the rally set out on the seventh stage from Al Duwadimi. On this...
After our service in Ras Al-Khaimah, we jumped into our truck and drove 19 long hours (1200 km) to catch the world’s toughest rally in the middle of the 46th edition, which started last Friday in Al-Ula. The Dakar Rally is an automobile rally race over a route traditionally run...
It took us a while to find the correct gravel road leading to the Al Bithnah fort, strategically located on one of the old passes through the mountain range in Wadi Ham. The fort was constructed from stone, mudbrick, and palm-wood planking around 1745 due to the Wahhabi incursions...
The rough road brought us through a nice wadi to the small Al Hayl fort, built around 1830. This well-preserved fort is tucked deep into the jagged Hajar Mountains near the village of Al Hayl, about 13km southwest of Fujairah. It’s an excellent example of traditional architecture...
We spent a day under the bare, rugged foothills of the Hajar Mountains in Fujairah City. The city’s line of mid-rises and office blocks rises from the arid plain. Its busy main street, Hamad Bin Abdullah Rd, is a muddle of worn strip malls and semi-flashier glass and steel running...
We have parked at Khor Fakkan’s long corniche for our Xmas day, just a few steps from Khor Fakkan Amphitheater and Waterfall. The corniche, meandering for several kilometers, is flanked by well-tended gardens with mature palm trees providing shade. In the early evening, it’s...
We made a short stop at the mosque, considered the oldest in the UAE. This little mud-brick structure dates to 1446. The mosque is built on a low hillside along the coastal road just north of Badiyah (Bidyah and Bidiya) village and guarded by two ruined watchtowers. We were free to enter...
We passed by the Al Aqah Heritage Village and Cars Museum (🎟️25 AED, only cash). It was established in 2015 by a local citizen to present local culture and preserve automotive heritage. There are three little museums: one with coins and banknotes, another with ancient books, and the main...