With so many luxury hotels in the UAE, we're spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting somewhere to stay if we want a short break or change of scenery. Despite this, accommodation at the opposite end of the spectrum is more popular than ever (it's zero-star-rated and you even have to supply your own beds) and we're currently experiencing the ideal weather for it: camping.
If you've ever been tempted to try it for yourself, this country isn't short on supply when it comes to places to pitch a tent. Vast swathes of desert, mountains, wadis and remote beaches – the great outdoor beckons, and it's more varied in its terrain than you might have thought. Saying that, camping isn't something you can just do on a whim; it takes planning and the acquisition of a fair bit of kit, especially if you're considering doing it more than once. It's wise to talk to a seasoned camper to find out what you actually can't do without while getting down with nature in this part of the world.
Obviously, a tent will be first on the list, and the choice is almost frustratingly wide, although it's worth paying a bit more for sturdy equipment if you intend on being a regular in the desert. You can find a wide selection at Adventure HQ stores, sports outlets, supermarkets or online at sites such as Gulfcamping.com, and prices range from about Dh300 to Dh3,000, depending on how big you want it to be. It might also be worth checking what's for sale on sites like Dubizzle or the various Facebook pages where residents sell used goods.
That's the accommodation sorted, so what else do you need? Something to sleep on and in, so an air bed or some sort of cushioning mat and sleeping bags. The desert can get cold at night, so it's important to make sure you're warm and that means packing suitable clothing. You'll need to take plenty of drinking water, food, a means of cooking (barbecue, stove, something to light it with), a kettle, fuel for a fire, phone chargers, a torch, a shovel, some loo roll, refuse bags and a tow rope in case you get your car stuck in the sand. You should also never be without an insect repellent and a first aid kit. The likelihood of getting a bite from something nasty-looking might be low, but it's better to be safe than sorry, so make sure there are bandages, plasters, sting ointment and antiseptic in there.
Dubai residents Mike and Linda Cartwright have been avid campers for years, having been bitten by the bug when they lived in United Kingdom. "We used to explore the countryside whenever we could," recalls Mike. "Every summer we'd pack the car and tour France or Spain for a couple of weeks. We were a young family, and it was the only way we could afford to holiday abroad – the kids loved it and we think it taught them a lot about nature, wildlife, practicality – that sort of thing," he says.
When they moved here six years ago (Mike is a civil engineer), it "sort of slipped off the radar", admits Linda. "We viewed the desert as a bit harsh for camping and, to be honest, we underestimated the diversity of the nature. It was the kids who got us back into it, and even though they're now teenagers, they still love it. We've been all over the place – to Oman and all across the emirates, and the clarity of the air once you get out of the city is enough to make it all worthwhile. Seeing the night sky without any light pollution is very special – for us it's a brilliant way to decompress, especially for Mike, who can get really stressed with his job."
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Read more:
Our guide to the best staycations in the UAE
Sandboarding hits the dunes of the UAE
Five-star, naturally: glamping in the Emirates
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For the Cartwright family, there are two golden rules that they wish everyone would follow: first, take your litter home with you and, second, don’t set up camp anywhere near collections of tyre tracks in the sand. “We’ve ended up clearing up after others,” says Mike. “Too many people seem to view the desert as a great big dustbin, and it’s disgusting to see the mess left behind – it ruins the experience for others and is really selfish. People who leave their rubbish in black plastic bags are no better because animals come along and open them up, spilling the contents all over the dunes.”
Their second bit of advice is born from personal experience. “We pitched down at night a while back and didn’t notice all the tyre tracks. The following morning we had SUVs tearing all around us and it was really dangerous because drivers tend not to be on the lookout for tents when they’re jumping over the dunes in their Land Cruisers. We won’t be making that mistake again.”
Returning to the subject of litter, it’s something that continues to cause enormous problems. In fact, only this week, it was announced that camping and other activities (such as cooking and dog walking) have been banned at one of Dubai’s most popular spots: the lakes at Al Qudra. Anyone caught doing so will be handed a Dh500 fine, which will be doubled for repeat offences. This area is part of Al Marmoum Conservation Reserve and is home to many birds of prey, flamingos and other wildlife, yet it has been blighted by the destruction brought about by too many people descending upon it.
Lebanese expat Rami Shammas is a single, adventure-loving 30-year old and has one more piece of advice for anyone taking up the hobby. "Always tell a friend, colleague or neighbour where you're going," he advises. "Even if it's just a rough idea, and when you should be expected back. It's easy to get disoriented in the desert and lose your way, and a smartphone can help with navigation, but there are so few visual landmarks out there that it's common for beginners to panic, which is never good."
As for taking those first steps as a camper, there are plenty of online communities where enthusiasts are on hand to offer advice and recommendations about how to start, what to avoid and where to go. One such group is Fathers and Kids Camping Middle East, which is "a tight-knit group of dads that get together during the cooler months and go camping with their kids". Its aim is to introduce children to the wonders of the great outdoors and the group, which was set up in 2010, has organised more than 40 camping trips in the UAE and in Oman via Fakc.me
All you need to do now is plan your journey, and it's an excellent way to explore the hidden treasures of this region. Al Rafaah beach in Umm Al Quwain offers kayaking through mangroves, fishing and flamingo-spotting opportunities. In Ras Al Khaimah, a popular destination for camping families is Mizra'a, while Dibba is a charming little town where there are plenty of open areas suitable for setting up camp against a stunning mountainous backdrop. Camping is still permitted on some Fujairah beaches and, in Abu Dhabi, you'll discover the ultimate getaway in the Liwa Oasis – it's a long drive but the landscape is well worth the effort.
Wherever you end up, there might not be five stars on the door, but there'll be billions to see in the sky.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 190hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.9L/100km
Price: From Dh119,900
On sale: Now
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Key fixtures from January 5-7
Watford v Bristol City
Liverpool v Everton
Brighton v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan
Coventry v Stoke City
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Manchester United v Derby
Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom
Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon
Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City
Manchester City v Burnley
Shrewsbury v West Ham United
Wolves v Swansea City
Newcastle United v Luton Town
Fulham v Southampton
Norwich City v Chelsea
NEW ARRIVALS
Benjamin Mendy (Monaco) - £51.75m (Dh247.94m)
Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur) - £45.9m
Bernardo Silva (Monaco) - £45m
Ederson Moraes (Benfica) - £36m
Danilo (Real Madrid) - £27m
Douglas Luiz (Vasco de Gama) - £10.8m
UAE athletes heading to Paris 2024
Equestrian
Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi, Abdullah Al Marri, Omar Al Marzooqi, Salem Al Suwaidi, and Ali Al Karbi (four to be selected).
Judo
Men: Narmandakh Bayanmunkh (66kg), Nugzari Tatalashvili (81kg), Aram Grigorian (90kg), Dzhafar Kostoev (100kg), Magomedomar Magomedomarov (+100kg); women's Khorloodoi Bishrelt (52kg).
Cycling
Safia Al Sayegh (women's road race).
Swimming
Men: Yousef Rashid Al Matroushi (100m freestyle); women: Maha Abdullah Al Shehi (200m freestyle).
Athletics
Maryam Mohammed Al Farsi (women's 100 metres).
Imperial Island: A History of Empire in Modern Britain
Author: Charlotte Lydia Riley
Publisher: Bodley Head
Pages: 384
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Company Profile
Company name: EduPloyment
Date started: March 2020
Co-Founders: Mazen Omair and Rana Batterjee
Base: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Recruitment
Size: 30 employees
Investment stage: Pre-Seed
Investors: Angel investors (investment amount undisclosed)
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
SPEC SHEET: SAMSUNG GALAXY S23 ULTRA
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD+ dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10+, 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 64-bit octa-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB (only 128GB has an 8GB RAM option)
Platform: Android 13
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2 + 200MP wide f/1.7 + 10MP telephoto f/4.9 + 10MP telephoto 2.4; 3x/10x optical zoom, Space Zoom up to 100x; auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, full-HD super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 12MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C; built-in Galaxy S Pen
SIM: single nano / nano + eSIM / nano + nano + eSIM / nano + nano
Colours: cream, green, lavender, phantom black; online exclusives: graphite, lime, red, sky blue
Price: Dh4,949 for 256GB, Dh5,449 for 512GB, Dh6,449 for 1TB; 128GB unavailable in the UAE
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
START-UPS IN BATCH 4 OF SANABIL 500'S ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME
Saudi Arabia
Joy: Delivers car services with affordable prices
Karaz: Helps diabetics with gamification, IoT and real-time data
Medicarri: Medical marketplace that connects clinics with suppliers
Mod5r: Makes automated and recurring investments to grow wealth
Stuck: Live, on-demand language support to boost writing
Walzay: Helps in recruitment while reducing hiring time
UAE
Eighty6: Marketplace for restaurant and supplier procurements
FarmUnboxed: Helps digitise international food supply chain
NutriCal: Helps F&B businesses and governments with nutritional analysis
Wellxai: Provides insurance that enables and rewards user habits
Egypt
Amwal: A Shariah-compliant crowd-lending platform
Deben: Helps CFOs manage cash efficiently
Egab: Connects media outlets to journalists in hard-to-reach areas for exclusives
Neqabty: Digitises financial and medical services of labour unions
Oman
Monak: Provides financial inclusion and life services to migrants
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 456hp at 5,000rpm
Torque: 691Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 14.6L/100km
Price: from Dh349,545
On sale: now
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/