Those who visited the Liwa Oasis in the early 1970s, when this photograph was taken, might easily be described as explorers as much as tourists.This intrepid group was accompanying the late French photographer Alain Saint-Hilaire on a trip to the region in 1972. Travelling by Land Rover, most of the journey would have been across desert tracks, with plenty of water and food packed for what would have been a lengthy trip.
Today, reaching Liwa and Al Gharbia is much easier, thanks in part to a new tourist map published this month by the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority. As the map shows, the region is now accessible along a modern highway from Abu Dhabi. For rest and refreshment, there is the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort. But the reason for travelling there – the endless sea of spectacular, ever-changing sand dunes – remains as compelling today as it was 40 years ago.
* James Langton
