Have a look at the map for the locations we visited.

One of the first things we did together was to go off and explore the region around Mezyad and Um Ghaffa, which lay to the east of Al Ain City proper, and which are nestled up against the Omani border. We drove out around the camel racetrack near Um Ghaffa and stopped to admire some camels. As we were standing there, the Emirati owner of the camels drove by. He stopped and said, “Come to my Ezba”. We didn’t know what an ezba was, but it did sound like a great opportunity. So, off we went!

An ezba, by the way, is a small farm. This fellow told us that he raised camels purely for the fun of it, and that he also raised falcons. Hopefully, that will be another post! Anyway, he told us that one of his camels had won a race that morning. He was very excited.

After a tour of the ezba and few facts about camels, such as that the racers are all only 1 – 2 years old, we left and drove off to the Jebel Hafit Park.

This park contains some amazing heritage areas, along with hiking trails, camping spots and some great views.

The great camping opportunities include camping in a tent with composting toilets and a solar powered USB charging station for all of your electronic gadgets (in the small building) …

… or in a bubble.

They actually have a few different styles of glamping including majlis style tents and the bubbles.

For our next adventure, we took Janet out to the desert to see one of our old favourite camping spots when we lived in Dubai back in the early 2000s. Actually, I wrote a post about this area back in 2007. We only came out here a few times, because back then, it seemed so far away from Dubai.

The area is a great place for farming and raising camels because it is actually a local depression. So, there are quite a few wells in the zone. Also, as the groundwater is close to the surface, a lot of trees survive easily in the zone. One method they use to feed livestock is to cut the branches off of a tree. Then, the goats and camels come along, eat the shoots and leaves. The branches quickly dry out and blow away, while the tree grows new branches.

The whole depression is only a couple kilometers long. As you drive through the area, there are lots of camels wandering freely.

We came across what appeared to be a camel nursery. There were 6 or 7 camel mums and their baby camels or calves.

But, what I find most spectacular about this area are the views towards the Hajar Mountains.

The highlight of Janet’s visit, however, was an overnight safari to the edge of the empty quarter. Also known as the Rub Al Khali, this area stretches off into Saudi Arabia and Oman. We were actually very close to the Liwa Oasis as well.

Our journey into the sands started after a long drive down from Abu Dhabi, where we met the guide. We actually went in the guide’s vehicle. There are self-drive tours, but they are more complicated to arrange.

We drove over the dunes, experiencing some excellent diving by our guide. Some of his maneuvers were quite thrilling! As we went along, we came across a few herds of camels, with their herders following along in 4×4 vehicles.

These camels are well tended and very friendly. They are quite happy to come right up to you and say hello.

Camels are as popular in the UAE as cats and dogs are in the west. They even hold a beauty contest every year with camels being bought and sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars and even into the millions.

As we continued to drive, we came across a few farms. There are lots of farms scattered through the dunes, often in between dunes where there is surface water that can be accessed by a well.

The owners generally live in Liwa, and these farms have often been in the family for generations. They would have been Bedouin farms, before the UAE settled most Bedouins permanently in Liwa and other small settlements.

After a bit more driving, we came to the farm where we would spend the night.

We arrived just before sunset. We stopped to have some dates and tea …

… and then took a walk though the date palms. Each one is watered daily from a well.

Part of the tour included sleeping out in the desert. They gave us the choice of sleeping on top of a dune, or in the oasis. So, we chose, of course, the dune! After a lovely BBQ in the farm …

… they took us up to the dunes where they had set up a large tent for the three us. They also provided some firewood.

After a long day in the desert, we actually went to bed quite early, thinking that we would get up early to see the sun rise over the desert dunes.

I knew there was life out in the desert, but I was very surprised at just how much wildlife there was. As we walked around at sunrise checking the different views, we came across fox tracks, gazelle track, lizard tracks, and saw a number of birds.

I was also surprised to see quite a lot of fog in the low lying areas between the dunes.

After a marvelous breakfast, and a short tour around the farm …

… we said good bye to the farm and farmer and headed off in the sand once more.