fire show desert Dubai

fire show desert Dubai

day trip Dubai desert

The first time you hear there will be a fire show in the Dubai desert, the phrase feels almost redundant. Fire and desert are old companions. The city, too, seems synonymous with spectacle. Yet the experience of watching flames performed against the hush of dune and sky is not the duplication of a postcard; it is a surprising, layered memory that does not fit neatly into a brochure.

The evening begins with leaving the defined edges of Dubai, where towers gleam with a choreography of LEDs, and driving toward the emptier edge of the map. Asphalt yields to sand, glass to grit. The light spills out behind you, and the city recedes like a constellation falling below the horizon. In that transitional space, a safari convoy becomes a slow-moving caterpillar, coiling over amber dunes. Bedouin camp dune buggy Dubai . day trip Dubai desert Inside the vehicle, air-conditioning and playlists anchor you to the present, but the windows show another world: long camel shadows, wind scalloping the sand, that kind of silence that is more presence than absence.

Desert camps vary-some intimate, some designed for crowds-but almost all greet you with small rituals. There are cardamom-scented cups of Arabic coffee, sweet dates, perhaps a falcon on a handler's arm, henna spirals drying on skin.

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Tourists play at wearing kanduras or abayas. A few brave the wobble of a camel ride. As the sun falls, the color drains from the dunes until they are a kind of soft graphite under a violet sky. Somewhere in the camp, a crew prepares the fire: bundles of wood, hidden canisters, wicks coiled like sleeping snakes. The smell is unmistakable, industrial and primitive at once: fuel and smoke, the prelude to flame.

When the show begins, it begins in the spine. Drums roll-sometimes a recorded beat, sometimes the syncopated thud of hands on stretched skin. dune buggy Dubai card payment Then there is the first ignition, brief as a blink, the wick blooming into a petal of flame. Fire performers in Dubai often come from all over: acrobats from Eastern Europe, poi spinners from Southeast Asia, fire breathers from the region itself. They turn the hard geometry of skill into something lyrical. Chains of flame arc and braid. Batons trace halos around their own bodies. Rings glow around ankles and wrists, turning the human form into a constellation.

In the open night, the fire seems to grow in volume. You feel its heat across a few meters like a tide against the skin. The performers smile, but their faces are places of concentration; you see the quick glances, the counting under the breath, the small negotiations with risk. When one of them breathes a long dragon's plume, the crowd exclaims in a language that belongs to all spectators in any country. For a moment you are not in Dubai or any particular place. You are a witness to a human being commanding danger into beauty.

The desert amplifies the show's drama. There is no ceiling to catch the light, no city noise to clutter it. Stars sometimes appear between acts, indifferent and constant. The sand drinks the scattered embers. The wind plays a part, too-fickle, testing the artists' resolve, forcing subtle recalibrations you might miss if you are not looking closely. The orange shadows cast on the dunes look like ancient scripts, moving, disappearing, returning as the torches swing. It is both intimate and theatrical, primal and choreographed.

Like much in Dubai, the fire show sits at an intersection: tradition and curation, opportunity and spectacle. It is tempting to ask what is “authentic” here. Fire as entertainment is hardly an Emirati ritual in the way that falconry or pearl diving are. Yet hospitality is an old desert art, and the idea of gathering a community at night to share awe is timeless. The show becomes a bridge rather than a claim: a way to let strangers-visitors who arrived in the morning as column entries in hotel registers-feel something communal under a vulnerable sky.

There are practical textures, too, which refuse to be reduced to romance. Safety marshals hover at the edges. There is a fire extinguisher disguised among the props, a wet towel ready for a misbehaving flame. The performers keep careful distance from the crowd, though the illusion of proximity is part of the thrill. After the finale-usually a crescendo of interlacing flames, bodies leaping through rings, breath turned to comets-there is applause, then the business of cooling wicks and winding chains. People return to their plates of grilled meat and mezze. A child asks, unanswerably, if the fire hurts.

You might notice, after the spectacle, how the cold sharpens. Desert nights take their temperature drop seriously. The warmth left by the torches seems to linger in the air as a memory. Music shifts to a softer set. Someone at your table wonders aloud whether the performers grow bored doing the same moves each night. Another person says the routine must be a refuge, because it's dangerous. The lanterns hiss. A server sets down another glass of mint tea. The camp becomes a mosaic of small private conversations, each lit at the edges by what they just saw.

There is a critique to be made of all this, and it exists alongside the delight. Dubai's talent is for packaging awe, which raises questions about what is lost in the packaging. Some camps are too bright, their lights drowning the stars. Some numbers lean on cliché, taking a universal human wonder-the tamed flame-and turning it into a photo opportunity. Yet even as you recognize the economics of it, you are not immune to the genuine craftsmanship, the risk taken seriously, the bodies trained to a grammar of heat and motion.

The drive back to the city is a quiet reel of replayed moments. The dunes flatten into highway. The skyline reasserts itself, a bracelet of light across the wrist of the shore. You feel slightly altered-not in a dramatic way, but as if a small gate has been opened inside. Fire shows do that. They remind us that awe is not an era-specific phenomenon; it is a human constant, even in an age of screens. In the Dubai desert, where the oldest narratives (sand, night, the gathered circle) meet the latest ones (tourism, safety protocols, social media), the flame writes briefly on the air and then erases itself.

What remains is the trace-heat remembered on your cheeks, the drumbeat under the sternum, the silhouette of a dancer swinging a burning sphere as if sketching a planet. You may not be able to name the performers the next day or recall every sequence. But you will remember the way darkness made room for light, and how a place known for its sky-high ambition offered, for a few shared minutes, something perfectly simple: a ring of people, a bowl of night, and fire bright enough to make strangers lean closer together.

Can-Am
The logo of the Can-Am Challenge Cup
Category Sports car racing
Country United States, Canada
Folded 1987

The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974, and again from 1977 to 1987.

The Can-Am rules were deliberately simple and placed few limits on the entries. This led to a wide variety of unique car body designs and powerful engine installations. Notable among these were Jim Hall's Chaparrals and entries with over 1,000 horsepower.

History

[edit]
The Can-Am race at Edmonton International Speedway in 1973

Can-Am started out as a race series for Group 7 sports racers with two races in Canada (Can) and four races in the United States of America (Am). The series was initially sponsored by Johnson Wax. The series was governed by rules called out under the FIA Group 7 category with unrestricted engine capacity and few other technical restrictions.

The Group 7 category was essentially a Formula Libre for sports cars; the regulations were minimal and permitted unlimited engine sizes (and allowed turbocharging and supercharging), virtually unrestricted aerodynamics, and were as close as any major international racing series ever got to have an "anything goes" policy. As long as the car had two seats, bodywork enclosing the wheels, and met basic safety standards, it was allowed. Group 7 had arisen as a category for non-homologated sports car "specials" in Europe and, for a while in the 1960s, Group 7 racing was popular in the United Kingdom as well as a class in hillclimb racing in Europe. Group 7 cars were designed more for short-distance sprints than for endurance racing. Some Group 7 cars were also built in Japan by Nissan and Toyota, but these did not compete outside their homeland (though some of the Can-Am competitors occasionally went over to race against them).

SCCA sports car racing was becoming more popular with European constructors and drivers, and the United States Road Racing Championship for large-capacity sports racers eventually gave rise to the Group 7 Can-Am series. There was good prize and appearance money and plenty of trade backing; the series was lucrative for its competitors but resulted, by its end, in truly outrageous cars with well over 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) (the Porsche team claimed 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) for its 917/30 in qualifying trim[1]), wings, active downforce generation, very light weight and unheard of speeds. Similar Group 7 cars ran in the European Interserie series from 1970 on, but this was much lower-key than the Can-Am.

On-track, the series was initially dominated by Lola, followed by a period in which it became known as the "Bruce and Denny show", the works McLaren team dominated for five consecutive seasons (1967-1971) until the Porsche 917 was perfected and became almost unbeatable in 1972 and 1973. After Porsche's withdrawal, Shadow dominated the last season before Can-Am faded away to be replaced by Formula 5000. Racing was rarely close—one marque was usually dominant—but the noise and spectacle of the cars made the series highly popular.

The energy crisis and the increased cost of competing in Can-Am meant that the series folded after the relatively lackluster 1974 season; the single-seater Formula 5000 series became the leading road-racing series in North America and many of the Can-Am drivers and teams continued to race there. F5000's reign lasted for only two years, with a second generation of Can-Am following. This was a fundamentally different series based initially on converted F5000 cars with closed-wheel bodies. There was also a two-liter class based on Formula Two chassis. The second iteration of Can-Am faded away as IMSA and CART racing became more popular in the early 1980s but remained active until 1987.

Can-Am remains a well-remembered form of racing due to its popularity in the 1960s and early 1970s, the limited number of regulations allowing extremely fast and innovative cars and the lineup of talented drivers. Can-Am cars remain popular in historic racing today.

Notable drivers

[edit]

Notable drivers in the original Can-Am series included virtually every acclaimed driver of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Jim Hall, Mark Donohue, Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, George Follmer, Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Denny Hulme, Jacky Ickx, Bruce McLaren, Jackie Oliver, Peter Revson, John Surtees, and Charlie Kemp all drove Can-Am cars competitively and were successful, winning races and championship titles. Al Holbert, Alan Jones and Al Unser Jr. are among the drivers who launched their careers in the revived Can-Am series.

Pioneering technology

[edit]

Can-Am was the birthplace and proving ground for what, at the time, was cutting-edge technology. Can-Am cars were among the first race cars to use sport wings, effective turbocharging, ground-effect aerodynamics, and aerospace materials like titanium. This led to the eventual downfall of the original series when costs got prohibitive. However during its height, Can-Am cars were at the forefront of racing technology and were frequently as fast as or even faster around laps of certain circuits than the contemporary Formula One cars. Noted constructors in the Can-Am series include McLaren, Chaparral, Lola, BRM, Shadow and Porsche.

Manufacturers

[edit]

McLaren

[edit]
A McLaren M1A, one of the early Can-Am competitors that was equally at home in other sportscar series.
McLaren Can Am Chassis restored by Racefab Inc. for vintage racing

McLaren cars were specially designed race cars. The Can-Am cars were developments of the sports cars which were introduced in 1964 for the North American sports car races. The team works car for 1964 was the M1. For 1965 the M1A prototype was the team car and bases for the Elva customer M1A cars. In late 1965 the M1b(mk2) was the factory car in 1966 with Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon as drivers. In 1967, specifically for the Can-Am series, the McLaren team introduced a new model, the M6A. The McLaren M6A also introduced what was to become the trademark orange color for the team. The McLaren team was considered very "multinational" for the times and consisted of team owner and leader Bruce McLaren, fellow New Zealander Chris Amon and another "kiwi", the 1967 Formula One world champion, Denny Hulme, team manager Teddy Mayer, mechanics Tyler Alexander, Gary Knutson, Lee Muir, George Bolthoff, Frank Zimmerman, Tom Anderson, Alan Anderson, David Dunlap, Leo Beattie, Donny Ray Everett, and Haig Alltounian (all from the US), Don Beresford, Alec Greaves, Vince Higgins, and Roger Bailey (UK), Tony Attard (Australia), Cary Taylor, Jimmy Stone, Chris Charles, Colin Beanland, Alan McCall, and Alistair Caldwell (NZ). The M6 series used a full aluminum monocoque design with no uncommon features but, for the times, there was an uncommon attention to detail in preparation by the team members. The M6 series of cars were powered by Chevy "mouse-motor" small-block V8s built by Al Bartz Engines in Van Nuys, California. They were models of reliability. This was followed in 1968 by the M8A, a new design based around the Chevy big-block V8 "rat motor" as a stressed member of the chassis. McLaren went "in house" with their engine shop in 1969. The M8B, M8C, M8D and M20C were developments of that aluminum monocoque chassis. McLaren so dominated the 1967-1971 seasons that Can-Am was often called the "Bruce and Denny show" after the drivers who very often finished first and second. There was even a one-two-three finish at the Michigan International Speedway on September 28, 1969: McLaren first, Hulme second, and Gurney third. Nine months later, Bruce McLaren lost his life, on June 2, 1970, at Goodwood when the rear bodywork of his prototype M8D detached during testing resulting in a completely uncontrollable car and a fatal high-speed crash. Team McLaren continued to succeed in Can-Am after Bruce's death with a number of other drivers, but the works Porsche effort with a turbocharged flat-12 engines and a high development budget meant that they could not keep up with the 917. Although private McLarens continued in the series, the works team withdrew to concentrate on Formula One (and USAC, for several years). Team McLaren went on to become a several time F1 champion and is still a part of that series.

Porsche

[edit]
The Porsche 917/30 carried Mark Donohue to the 1973 championship.

The Porsche 908 spyder was used in Can-Am, but was underpowered (350 hp) and mainly used by underfunded teams. It did win the 1970 Road Atlanta race, when the more powerful cars fell out. The 917PA, a spyder version of the 917K Le Mans car, was raced, but its normally aspirated flat-12 was underpowered (530 hp). In 1971 the 917/10 was introduced. This was not turbocharged, but was lighter and had cleaner body work, and Jo Siffert managed to finish fourth in the championship.

For 1972 the 917/10K with a turbocharged 900 horsepower five-litre flat-12 was introduced. Prepared by Roger Penske and driven by Mark Donohue and George Follmer these cars won six of the nine races. In 1972 Porsche introduced an even more powerful car, the 917/30KL. Nicknamed the "Turbopanzer" this car was seen as a monster. With 1,100 or 1,580 horsepower (820/1161 kW in race or qualifying trim)[citation needed] available from its 5.4 litre flat-12 and weighing 1,800 lb (816 kg) with better downforce this car won six of eight races in the 1973 championship.[2] Porsche's dominance was such that engine rules were changed to try to reduce the lack of competition for one marque by enforcing a fuel-consumption rule for 1974. This kind of alteration of rules to promote equality is not unknown in other forms of American motorsport. The category that the car had been created for and competed in was discontinued and in 1975 Donohue drove this car to a closed-course world-speed record of 221 mph (average)(356 km/h) at the Talladega Superspeedway (then called the "Alabama International Motor Speedway"). It was capable of 240 mph (386 km/h) on the straights.[3]

Chaparral

[edit]
Chaparral's infamous 2J "Sucker Car" was banned from Can-Am after 1970, due to its unique downforce-producing fans.

Jim Hall's Chaparrals were very innovative, following his success in the United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC). The 2 series Chaparrals (built and engineered with a high degree of covert support from Chevrolet's research and development division) were leaders in the application of aerodynamics to race cars culminating with the introduction of the 2E in 1966, the first of the high wing race cars. The 2E was a defining design, and the 2G was a development of that basic design. The FIA banned movable aerodynamic devices and Chaparral responded with the 2H 1969. The 2H broke new ground, seeking to reduce drag but did not achieve much success. The 2J that followed was perhaps the ultimate example of what Group 7 rules could allow in a racing car. It was a twin-engined car, with the by-then usual big-block Chevrolet engine providing the driving force, and a tiny snowmobile engine powering a pair of fans at the back of the car. These fans, combined with the movable Lexan "skirts" around the bottom of the car created a vacuum underneath the car, effectively providing the same level of downforce as the huge wings of previous vehicles, without the drag. Although far too mechanically complex to survive in racing environments, the theory was sound, and would appear in Formula One a few years later in the BT46B "Fan Car" of 1978.

Lola

[edit]

The Lola T70, T160-165, T220, T260, and T310 were campaigned by the factory and various customers, and were primarily Chevy powered. The Lola T70 driven by John Surtees won the first Can-Am championship in 1966. Lola continued to experiment with new designs versus McLaren which refined the design each year. The 1971 Lola T260 had some success with Jackie Stewart taking two victories. In 1972 a radical new design, the Lola T310, made its appearance. The T310 was the longest and widest Can-Am car of the era versus the short stubby T260. The T310 was delivered late and suffered handling problems the entire year with its best finish a fourth at Watkins Glen.

Others

[edit]
1974s Shadow DN4A

While McLaren and Porsche dominated the series for most of its existence, other vehicles also appeared. Well-established European manufacturers like Lotus, CRD, in the form of their Merlyn Mk8 Chevrolet, Ferrari and BRM, appeared at various times with limited success, while March tried to get a share of the lucrative market in 1970–71, but could not establish themselves. Ford also flitted across the scene with a number of unsuccessful cars based on the GT40 and its successors. American specialist marques like McKee, Genie and Caldwell competed, alongside exotica like the astonishing four-engined Macs-It special.

British-born mechanic and engineer Peter Bryant designed the Ti22 (occasionally known as the Autocoast after one of the team's major backers) as an American-built challenger to the British McLarens and Lolas. The car made extensive use of titanium in its chassis and suspension, and Bryant experimented with aerodynamics and with early use of carbon-fibre to reduce weight. Although the car was quick it did not achieve consistent success; problems with the team's funding saw Bryant move on to Don Nichols' UOP-sponsored Shadow team. The Shadow marque had made its debut with an astonishing car with tiny wheels and radiators mounted on top of the rear wing designed by Trevor Harris; this was unsuccessful, and more conventional cars designed by Bryant replaced them; Bryant was sidelined when Shadow moved into Formula One but after his departure, turbocharged Shadows came to dominate as Porsche and McLaren faded from the scene.

Decline and revivals

[edit]
Al Holbert driving a VDS-001 in the revived Can-Am in 1982.

The last year for the original Can-Am championship was 1974. Spiraling costs, a recession in North America following the oil crisis, and dwindling support and interest led to the series being canceled and the last scheduled race of the 1974 season not being run.[4]

The Can-Am name still held enough drawing power to lead SCCA to introduce a revised Can-Am series in 1977 based on a closed-wheel version of the rules of the recently canceled Formula A/5000 series. This grew steadily in status, particularly during the USAC/CART wars of the late 70s and early 80s, and attracted some top road-racing teams and drivers and a range of vehicles including specials based on rebodied single seaters (particularly Lola F5000s) and also bespoke cars from constructors like March as well as smaller manufacturers. To broaden the appeal of the series a 2L class was introduced for the last several years—cars often being derived from F2/Formula Atlantic. The series peaked in the early 80s but as the CART Indycar series and IMSA's GTP championship grew in stature it faded. In 1987 the series changed as Indycars started to become a source of cars. The SCCA took away the Can-Am name but the series continued as the Can-Am Teams Thunder Cars Championship. After a single year the teams took the sports bodies off and evolved into American Indycar Series.

In 1991, after 18 months of development, a Shelby Can-Am series was created using a production line of Sports bodied cars designed by Carroll Shelby powered by a 3.3 litre Dodge V6. The series ran for five years before it was dropped by the SCCA. A large number of cars were relocated to South Africa and ran from 2000 onwards.

The name was once again revived in 1998, when the United States Road Racing Championship broke away from IMSA. Their top prototype class was named Can-Am, but the series would fold before the end of 1999 before being replaced by the Grand American Road Racing Championship. The Can-Am name would not be retained in the new series.

Circuits

[edit]

Champions

[edit]
Year Driver Team Car
1966 United Kingdom John Surtees United Kingdom Team Surtees Lola T70-Chevrolet
1967 New Zealand Bruce McLaren United Kingdom Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M6A-Chevrolet
1968 New Zealand Denny Hulme United Kingdom Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M8A-Chevrolet
1969 New Zealand Bruce McLaren United Kingdom Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M8B-Chevrolet
1970 New Zealand Denny Hulme United Kingdom Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M8D-Chevrolet
1971 United States Peter Revson United Kingdom Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M8F-Chevrolet
1972 United States George Follmer United States Penske Racing Porsche 917/10
1973 United States Mark Donohue United States Penske Racing Porsche 917/30 TC
1974 United Kingdom Jackie Oliver United Kingdom Shadow Racing Cars Shadow DN4A-Chevrolet
1975–1976 No series
1977 France Patrick Tambay United States Haas-Hall Racing Lola T333CS-Chevrolet
1978 Australia Alan Jones United States Haas-Hall Racing Lola T333CS-Chevrolet
1979 Belgium Jacky Ickx United States Carl Haas Racing Lola T333CS-Chevrolet
1980 France Patrick Tambay United States Carl Haas Racing Lola T530-Chevrolet
1981 Australia Geoff Brabham Belgium Team VDS Lola T530-Chevrolet / VDS 001-Chevrolet
1982 United States Al Unser Jr. United States Galles Racing Frissbee GR3-Chevrolet
1983 Canada Jacques Villeneuve Sr. Canada Canadian Tire Frissbee GR3-Chevrolet
1984 Republic of Ireland Michael Roe United States Norwood/Walker VDS 002-Chevrolet / VDS 004-Chevrolet
1985 United States Rick Miaskiewicz United States Mosquito Autosport Frissbee GR3-Chevrolet
1986 Canada Horst Kroll Canada Kroll Racing Frissbee KR3-Chevrolet
1987 United States Bill Tempero United States Texas American Racing Team March 85C-Chevrolet

Under 2 Litre class champions

[edit]
Year Driver Team Car
1979 United States Tim Evans United States Diversified Engineering Services Lola T290-Ford
1980 United States Gary Gove United States Pete Lovely VW Ralt RT2-Hart
1981 United States Jim Trueman United States TrueSports Ralt RT2-Hart
1982 Sweden Bertil Roos United States Elite Racing Marquey CA82-Hart
1983 Sweden Bertil Roos United States Roos Racing School Scandia B3-Hart
1984 United States Kim Campbell United States Tom Mitchell Racing March 832-BMW
1985 United States Lou Sell United States Sell Racing March 832-BMW

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Nevison, Robert (director) (2008). CAN-AM: The Speed Odyssey (documentary).
  2. ^ http://www.wspr-racing.com/wspr/results/canam/canam1973.html 1973 Can Am results
  3. ^ "Donohue Hits 221 for Closed Course Record". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. AP. August 10, 1975. p. 1B. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  4. ^ Lyons, Pete (1995). Can-Am. Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks International. p. 240. ISBN 0-7603-0017-8.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Can-Am, Pete Lyons, Motorbooks International
  • Can-Am Races 1966–1969, Brooklands Books
  • Can-Am Races 1970–1974, Brooklands Books
  • Can-Am Racing Cars 1966–1974, Brooklands Books
  • Can-Am Challenger, Peter Bryant, David Bull
[edit]
  • CanAm History site Archived 2005-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
  • Can-Am History, by Michael Stucker
  • Bruce McLaren Trust Official site
  • Can-Am Results 1966-1986
  • CanamCircus by Stéphane Lebiez
  • Historic Can Am
  • The History of the Canadian - American Challenge Cup

 

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A Land Rover Defender 90 off-roading
A Unimog U1600 off-roading
4WDs at Fraser Island beach, Australia

Off-roading is the act of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, dirt, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, or other natural terrain. Off-roading ranges from casual drives with regular vehicles to competitive events with customized vehicles and skilled drivers.[1]

Off-road vehicle

[edit]
Off-roading in Dubai, UAE.

Off-road vehicles are either capable of or specifically developed for off-road driving. These vehicles often have features designed specifically for use in off-road conditions such as suspension lifts, off-road tires, skid plates, snorkels, roll cages, or strengthened drivetrains.[2][3]

Tools

[edit]
  • Recovery board
  • High lift jack
  • Snatch strap

Types of recreational off-roading

[edit]

Dune bashing

[edit]
A 5th-generation Ford Bronco dune bashing

Dune bashing is a specific form of off-roading performed on sand dunes.[4]

Dune Buggies, Sport-utility vehicles, and ATVs are often used.[5] Vehicles driven on sand dunes are often equipped with a roll cage for safety in the case of an overturn. The tire pressure is often reduced to gain more traction by increasing the footprint of the tire and lowering the ground pressure of the vehicle on the sand, comparable to a person wearing snowshoes to walk on snow without sinking.[6] Some cars are equipped with beadlock wheels, which allow tire pressure to be lowered even further without risking separation of the tire and rim.

Upon entering the desert, it is customary for drivers to meet with a pack of other vehicles and a group leader before proceeding. The group leader then leads the pack through the stunts in a single file line. The rationale for this technique is to prevent drivers from becoming disoriented and getting lost.[6]

Off-road racing

[edit]

Desert racing

[edit]

High-speed racing in the desert includes chases and racing at maximum speed through rough desert terrain with numerous pots and bumps. Drivers often use rear-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive trucks with long-travel suspension and wide stance between the front enlarged tires, which maintains optimal stability at high speed. These types of trucks are often called Trophy trucks or PreRunners.[7]

Rock racing

[edit]

Rock racing involves driving over rocks, but unlike rock crawling, does not specify penalties for striking cones, backing up, or winching.[8] In addition, rock racing incorporates a level of high-speed racing that is not characteristic of rock crawling.

Rallying

[edit]

See article: Rally

Petter Solberg driving a Subaru Impreza WRC on gravel at the 2006 Cyprus Rally, a World Rally Championship event

Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. Rallies may be short in the form of trials at a single venue, or several thousand miles long in an extreme endurance rally.

Depending on the format, rallies may be organised on private or public roads, open or closed to traffic, or off-road in the form of cross country or rally-raid. Competitors can use production vehicles which must be road-legal if being used on open roads or specially built competition vehicles suited to crossing specific terrain.

In most cases rallying distinguishes itself from other forms of motorsport by not running directly against other competitors over laps of a circuit, but instead in a point-to-point format in which participants leave at regular intervals from one or more start points.

Mudding and mud plugging

[edit]
Land Rover Series III mud plugging

Mudding is off-roading through an area of wet mud or clay, leading to extremely low traction and problems with moving forward.[9] The goal is to drive as far as possible without getting stuck.[10] There are many types of tires that are often used for this activity, including balloon tires, mud-terrain tires and paddle tires. The activity is popular in the United States, although it is illegal on public land due to the environmental impact.[11]

Mud plugging, as practiced in the United Kingdom, refers to the motorsport of classic trials, where the main objective is to complete a challenging course of (mostly unpaved) roads and (often muddy, and frequently uphill) off-road terrain.[12]

This form of motorsport is one of the oldest to survive to this day, dating back at least to the 1920s.[13]

Jeep Rubicon rock crawling

Rock crawling

[edit]

Rock crawling involves driving over rocky terrain, with the goal of getting as far as possible with the fewest penalties. Penalties are received for striking cones, using a winch to get unstuck, going out of bounds, and going in reverse. These rules lead to the sport being technical, with drivers having to plan ahead to reduce the penalties they receive. Vehicles used for rock crawling are usually modified with different tires, suspension components that allow greater axle articulation, and changes in the differential[14] gear ratio to obtain characteristics suitable for low-speed operation for traversing obstacles. Commonly, rock crawlers have a "spotter", who is an assistant on foot by the vehicle to provide information about areas out of the driver's field of view.[15]

 

Competitive trials

[edit]

All progress is made at low speed and the emphasis is on skill rather than on finishing first, although trialing can be highly competitive. There are three traditional forms of off-road trialing. During some competitive events, such as the Turkey Run in Idaho and other events around the United States, point systems may be used to determine rewards.

RTV trialing

[edit]

RTV (Road Taxed Vehicle) trialing is the most common form of trialing. As the name suggests, it is for vehicles that are road-legal (and thus required to pay road tax). This excludes vehicles that are highly modified or specially built. RTV-class vehicles can carry a wide range of suspension modifications, as well as off-road tires (provided they are road-legal), recovery winches, raised air intakes, etc. Vehicles on RTV trials are usually best described as "modified from standard"—they use the standard chassis, drive-train, and body that the vehicle was built with, but are fitted with a wide array of modifications to assist in the trailing. Whilst modification is not necessarily required for an RTV trial, at the very least the vehicle would be expected to have some underbody and over-the-body protection such as skid plates or roll cages, often made from durable stainless steel, aluminium or mild steel. RTV courses are intended to be non-damaging and driven at little more than a walking pace and a course properly laid out would be drivable without damage. However, the terrain usually includes steep slopes, water, side slopes, deep ruts, and other obstacles that could potentially damage a vehicle if mistakes are made or poor driving techniques are used. As such, the use of modifications can increase the chances of success.[16]

RTV trials usually take place on farmland, a quarry site, or at a dedicated off-road driving center and are usually organized by a dedicated trialing body (such as the All-Wheel Drive Club or the Association of Land Rover clubs in the UK, or by a vehicle owner's club. The course consists of 10 to 12 "gates" marked by two garden canes (sticks) and are vertically placed. The gates are just wide enough to get a standard vehicle through. Vehicles start in a stagger, proceeding one by one, and are deemed to have cleared a gate if at least one of the front wheel hubs passes between the canes. The vehicle's attempt ends when it comes to a stop (depending on the exact level of skill the trial is aimed at any stopping may end the attempt, or a few seconds may be allowed). Long-wheelbase vehicles are usually allowed to perform a three-point turn if needed, providing the driver declares where the turn is going to be made before they attempt the course (this puts a strong emphasis on ground-reading ability). This can also be called a "shunt", where the driver has to attempt a gate and then shout "shunt". They are then allowed a space of one and a half car lengths to reverse and line the car better to enter through the gate[17]

The course between the gates is a "section": between the start line and the first gate is "Section 1", the part between the first and second gates is "Section 2" and so on. An RTV course is often laid out so that each section is progressively more difficult, although this is not always the case. If a driver fails to complete Section 1 they are given 10 points. If the attempt ends in Section 2, 9 points are awarded, etc. A clear round results in gaining only 1 point. A day's event will consist of many different courses and the driver with the lowest score is the winner.

Since the terrain covered in RTV trials should be well within the capabilities of any reasonably capable vehicle (even in standard form), these trials emphasize driver skill and ground-reading abilities. Skill and experience have a larger bearing on success than having a well-equipped and modified car.

CCV trialing

[edit]
Non-legal Cross-Country Vehicle

Cross Country Vehicle (CCV) trialing is the next step up from RTV trialing and is open to non-road-legal vehicles, which greatly increases the scope for modification. The terrain covered will be of greater difficulty than that found on an RTV trial. Since there is a risk of touching rocks and trees with the bodywork,[18] CCV trialing will usually require more careful use of speed to get the vehicle across certain obstacles will attempting to mitigate the risk of vehicle damage. Whilst no trial is intended to be vehicle-damaging, mistakes and accidents are inevitable. A standard-specification vehicle would not be expected to be able to complete a CCV course, but it would still be possible.

The event is run along the same lines as RTV, with a course made up of cane-marked gates.

Suzuki SJ based trial car, showing an external roll-cage

CCV trialing differs greatly from RTV trials in the vehicles used. Since CCV judges adopt an "anything goes" attitude, CCV trials rely on having the correct vehicle to a much greater extent than in an RTV trial. Competitors can design and build vehicles that are much more optimized for off-road use, than in the lower ranks of trialing. CCV vehicles have powerful engines, high ground clearance, light, minimalist bodywork, and good approach and departure angles. For many years, in the UK, the ultimate CCV vehicle could be built by taking the chassis of a Range Rover, removing the body, cutting the chassis down to an 80-inch wheelbase, and attaching it to the body of a Series I Land Rover, retaining the Range Rover's V8 engine and coil-spring suspension in a light, maneuverable body. In recent years, the value of early Land Rovers and Range Rovers has risen to the extent that this is no longer practical. CCV trailers now usually base their vehicles around Land Rover Defenders or a standard 100-inch chassis from a Range Rover or Series I Discovery. The Suzuki SJ series of vehicles also make good bases for CCV-spec vehicles. Some vehicles are specially built, taking the form of light "buggies" with tractor tires and "fiddle" brakes (fiddle brakes give the ability to lock a wheel, which enables much better turning, better control descending hills, traction control by slowing or locking the spinning wheel) for the best performance.

Vehicles are required to meet certain safety regulations. Roll-cages must be fitted and be built to a suitable standard, recovery points must be fitted front and rear and fuel tanks must meet certain standards. A 4-point harness for all occupants is required and a fire extinguisher is recommended.

Off-roading events

[edit]
Driving a Triumph Bonneville during an offroad event

In some countries off-road activities are strictly regulated, while others promote cross-country off-road endurance events like the Dakar Rally, Spanish Baja, Africa Eco Race, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Russian Baja Northern Forest, King of the Hammers, San Felipe 250 and Baja 500 & 1000, which are a test of navigation skills and machine durability. Off-road parks and motocross tracks also host several events and may be the only legal place to off-road in the area.

Criticism of ORV use

[edit]

Environmental impact

[edit]
Off-road vehicle impact in SW Utah

Off-road vehicle use on public land has been criticized by some members of the U.S. government[19] and environmental organizations including the Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society.[20][21] They have noted several consequences of illegal ORV use such as pollution,[22] trail damage, erosion, land degradation, possible species extinction,[23] and habitat destruction[24][25] which can leave hiking trails impassable.[26] ORV proponents argue that legal use taking place under planned access along with the multiple environment and trail conservation efforts by ORV groups will mitigate these issues.[27] Groups such as the BlueRibbon Coalition advocate for the responsible use of public lands for off-road activities.[28]

Noise pollution is also a concern[29] and several studies conducted by Montana State University, California State University, University of Florida and others have cited possible negative behavioral changes in wildlife as the result of some ORV use.[30]

Some U.S. states have laws to reduce noise generated by off-road and non-highway vehicles. Washington is one example: "State law requires off-road and other non-highway vehicles to use specified noise-muffling devices (RCW 46.09.120(1) (e) maximum limits and test procedures). State agencies and local governments may adopt regulations governing the operation of non-highway vehicles on property, streets, or highways within their jurisdiction, provided they are not less stringent than state law (RCW 46.09.180 regulation by local political subdivisions)".[31]

Mojave desert controversy

[edit]

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) supervises several large off-road vehicle areas in California's Mojave Desert.

In 2009, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled against the BLM's proposed designation of additional off-road use on designated open routes on public land. According to the ruling, the BLM violated its regulations[32] when it designated approximately 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of off-road vehicle routes in 2006.[33] According to Judge Illston the BLM's designation was "flawed because it does not contain a reasonable range of alternatives" to limit damage to sensitive habitat, as required under the National Environmental Policy Act.[34] Illston found that the Bureau had inadequately analyzed the route's impact on air quality, soils, plant communities and sensitive species, such as the endangered Mojave fringe-toed lizard, pointing out that the United States Congress has declared that the California Desert and its resources are "extremely fragile, easily scarred, and slowly healed".[34]

The court also found that the BLM failed to follow route restrictions established in the agency's conservation plan, resulting in the establishment of hundreds of illegal OHV routes during the previous three decades.[32] The plan violated the BLM's regulations, specifically the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).[33] The ruling was considered a success for a coalition of conservation groups including the Friends of Juniper Flats, Community Off-road Vehicle Watch, California Native Plant Society, The Center for Biological Diversity, The Sierra Club, and The Wilderness Society who initiated the legal challenge in late 2006.[34]

Roadless area conservation

[edit]

Many U.S. national parks have discussed or enacted roadless rules and partial or total bans on ORVs. To accommodate enthusiasts, some parks like Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, were created specifically for ORVs and related purposes. However, such designations have not prevented damage or abuse of the policy.[35]

Public statements

[edit]

In 2004, several environmental organizations sent a letter to Dale Bosworth, Chief of the United States Forest Service, and described the extent of damage caused by ORV use, including health threats to other people:

It is well-established that the proliferation of off-road vehicles and snowmobile use places soil, vegetation, air and water quality, and wildlife at risk through pollution, erosion, sedimentation of streams, habitat fragmentation and disturbance, and other adverse impacts to resources. These impacts cause severe and lasting damage to the natural environment on which human-powered and equestrian recreation depends and alter the remote and wild character of the backcountry. Motorized recreation monopolizes forest areas by denying other users the quiet, pristine, backcountry experience they seek. It also presents safety and health threats to other re-creationists.[36]

In 2004 the Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia listed several problems that result from ORV use in natural areas. From the Environmental News Service article:

Scalia noted that off-road vehicle use on federal land has "negative environmental consequences including soil disruption and compaction, harassment of animals, and annoyance of wilderness lovers.[37]

Several environmental organizations, including the Rangers for Responsible Recreation, are campaigning to draw attention to a growing threat posed by off-road vehicle misuse and to assist overmatched land managers in addressing ORV use impacts.[38] These campaigns in part have prompted congressional hearings about the growing impact of unmanaged off-road vehicle use.

The House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held an oversight hearing on "The Impacts of Unmanaged Off-Road Vehicles on Federal Land" on March 13, 2008.[39] A second hearing on off-highway vehicle (OHV) management on public lands was held by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 5, 2008.[40] The Senate committee hearing was convened to find out why the agencies are failing to grapple with the negative impacts of off-road vehicle use on US public lands and what the agencies might need to start doing differently. For the first time in perhaps a decade, members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee grilled leaders of the Forest Service and the BLM about why off-road vehicle use is being allowed to damage America's national treasures.

Taking center stage in the discussion was the "travel planning process", a complex analysis and decision-making procedure to designate appropriate roads and trails. Both the Forest Service and BLM have been engaged in somewhat similar travel planning processes now for years, but some of the committee members didn't seem to think those processes were going along so well. "The BLM has identified travel management on its lands as ‘one of the greatest management challenges’ it faces," stated committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-NM. "Likewise, the Forest Service has identified unmanaged recreation — including ORV use — as one of the top four threats to the management and health of the National Forest System. Despite these statements, it seems to me that neither agency has been able to successfully manage off-road use."

"Existing rules for managing off-road vehicles are not being enforced," Bingaman added, and the agencies are ignoring unregulated use "with significant consequences for the health of our public lands and communities, and adverse effects on other authorized public land uses."

In gaming

[edit]

Video games that allow users to off-road include Forza Horizon, Dirt Series, MudRunner, Grand Theft Auto V, Dakar Desert Rally, and the MotorStorm series.

See also

[edit]
  • All-terrain vehicle
  • Amphibious vehicle
  • Approach and departure angles
  • Baja Bug
  • Breakover angle
  • Dirt Bike
  • Dual-sport motorcycle
  • Game viewer vehicle
  • Mountain bike
  • Mud bogging
  • Overlanding
  • Ramp travel index
  • Ride height
  • Side-by-side
  • Trophy truck

Further reading

[edit]
  • Environmental Hazards of Dune Bashing

References

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ International Organization of Professional Drivers (PDF).
  2. ^ The Jeep Guru. "Why Are Jeep Rubicons So Expensive?". Rig Rebel. Archived from the original on 2023-10-01. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  3. ^ "15 of the Best Off-Road Vehicles You Can Buy". MotorTrend. 2021-06-09. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  4. ^ Thompson, Macaulay (2022-04-04). "All You Need to Know about Dune Bashing in Dubai - Travel Dudes". Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  5. ^ "Sand Duning and Off-roading in the Desert - Surf The Sand". sand-boarding.com. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  6. ^ a b "Sand Driving". www.offroaders.com. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  7. ^ "Prerunner Building 101". Off Road Xtreme. 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  8. ^ "When Rock Crawling Turned Rock Racing". DrivingLine. 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  9. ^ United States Forestry Service. "Willamette National Forest". Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Muddy Run Raceway Rules". muddyrunraceway.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  11. ^ US Gov't. "USFS". Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  12. ^ Nulty, Leo (2015-02-04). "Sporting Trials (Mudplugging)". Motorsport.ie. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  13. ^ "History of Trials". Stroud and District Motor Club. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  14. ^ Deysel, A. J. (2019-11-11). "Differential Gear Ratio to Tire Size Guide | Modifind.com - Off Road". Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  15. ^ "Off-Road Spotting Basics: "Left. No, no your other left!"". RoverGuide. 2011-12-29. Archived from the original on 2016-04-02. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  16. ^ "Come Ride With Me! Daily Life with a Lifted Jeep Wrangler JK (Video) - The Fast Lane Truck". tfltruck.com. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  17. ^ Gambino, Joe (2020-12-13). "Off-Roading 101 - Driving Tips and Equipment". Rogue Fabrication. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  18. ^ "CCV - Cross Country Vehicle". nero.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  19. ^ "USDA Forest Service - Caring for the land and serving people" (PDF). fs.fed.us. Archived from the original on November 19, 2004.
  20. ^ "Sierra Club Conservation Policies". Archived from the original on December 1, 2006.
  21. ^ "Off-Road Vehicles and Public Lands: A National Problem". Archived from the original on December 14, 2006.
  22. ^ Wolfe, Christopher; Buck, Brenda; Miller, Aubrey; Lockey, James; Weis, Christopher; Weissman, David; Jonesi, Alexander; Ryan, Patrick (November 2017). "Exposure to naturally occurring mineral fibers due to off-road vehicle use: A review". International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. 220 (8): 1230–1241. Bibcode:2017IJHEH.220.1230W. doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2017.07.003. PMID 28778427.
  23. ^ Rice, Kathleen C. "National Collection of Imperiled Plants - Pholisma sonorae". Center for Plant Conservation. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  24. ^ "Mojave lizard may get protection; off-road vehicles are cited as threat". Los Angeles Times. 12 January 2008. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008.
  25. ^ "Officials seek to protect desert reptile". Las Vegas Review-Journal. January 11, 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008.
  26. ^ "Recent questions and answers". CarrierAdda QnA. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015.
  27. ^ Rogers, Jedediah S. (2013). Roads in the Wilderness: Conflict in Canyon Country. University of Utah Press. doi:10.1353/book41428. ISBN 978-1-60781-312-5.
  28. ^ "About". BlueRibbon Coalition/ShareTrails. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  29. ^ "Addressing the Ecological Effects of Off-Road Vehicles | the Wilderness Society". Archived from the original on 2008-11-28. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
  30. ^ "The Impacts of Off-Road Vehicle Noise on Wildlife". Archived from the original on 2010-12-25.
  31. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions about Noise Pollution -- for Local Government" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2006-10-27.
  32. ^ a b "Off-road Routes in Mojave Desert Found Illegal". wilderness.org. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  33. ^ a b "Judge rejects federal plan for SoCal desert routes". mercurynews.com.
  34. ^ a b c Sahagun, Louis (September 30, 2009). "Judge rejects U.S. management plan for California desert". Los Angeles Times.
  35. ^ "Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center (CFWSC)". Archived from the original on 2006-09-22. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
  36. ^ Letter to Dale Bosworth
  37. ^ Pegg, J.R. "Supreme Court Rejects Wilderness Protection Suit". ens-newswire.com.
  38. ^ "Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: Off-Road Wreckreation - Home". Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  39. ^ "Committee on Natural Resources". Archived from the original on 2008-03-26.
  40. ^ "U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources". www.energy.senate.gov.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Allen, Jim; Weber, James J. (2021). The Four-Wheeler's Bible: The Complete Guide to Off-Road and Overland Adventure Driving (3rd ed.). Beverly, MA, USA: Motorbooks. ISBN 9780760368053.
[edit]

Media related to Off-roading at Wikimedia Commons

  • Man-made erosion, The National Trust (UK)

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

We accept card payments online when booking or cash payment on the day of your visit. Both options are available for your convenience.

Yes we accept same day bookings. Our 24 hour booking line is always available at +971 52 440 9525. You can also reach us via WhatsApp or email.

Our tours operate in the stunning Arabian Desert including the famous Red Dunes of Lahbab and Big Red and Al Badayer desert areas.