Empty Quarter
The Rub al Khali as it is known, the Empty Quarter - Outside the city of Abu Dhabi, the Emirate covers more than half of the country, with endless miles of desert stretching into the Empty Quarter, up to the borders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
It's tempting to call the Empty Quarter "no man's land", but that's not quite correct. Nomads do in fact inhabit parts of the Quarter at various times of year. And the territory is spoken for: the interior borders of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen are in here... somewhere. It's just that no one has bothered to actually draw those lines in the sand.
The very northern edge of the Empty Quarter, is accessible from the Liwa Oasis, a 200 km drive from Abu Dhabi on excellent highways. From this oasis town, a drive is possible to Tal Mireb, the tallest dune in the country, which gives a few minutes of perspective on how vast and inhospitable this place is. Rub Al Khali, is one of the last frontiers yet to fall into man’s ownership. A beautiful place strictly reserved for the gutsy who can brave a 1000 kilometer ride into no where with temperatures ranging from 40 to 50 degrees. With only camels and sand, a trip out into the Empty Quarter is not for the feint of heart.
