Routes out of Abu Dhabi

Six long route notes, each driven at an unhurried pace and written down honestly. They cover the sands to the south-west, the coast to the west and the east, the mountain climb inland, the crossing into Oman, and the two conditions that shape every long drive here: heat and darkness.

An empty desert highway curving between red dunes at golden hour, with heat haze rising from the asphalt.

Route 01

The Liwa run: sand, silence and a lot of straight road

South-west out of the capital, past the last of the irrigation and into a landscape that stops apologising. It is one of the most rewarding drives in the country and one of the easiest to get wrong, because the difficulty is not the road surface but the distance between useful things.

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A coastal highway beside the Gulf, turquoise water on one side and modern towers on the distant horizon.

Route 02

The western coast road: salt air, low light and long flat stages

West from the capital along the Gulf, the road runs almost straight for hours with the water appearing and disappearing on your right. It is the least dramatic route in this collection and, for many drivers, quietly the most pleasant one.

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A large SUV parked at a dune viewpoint at sunset, two friends in their fifties standing beside it with coffee.

Route 03

Inland to Al Ain and the long climb above it

The garden city sits an easy ninety minutes inland, and above it rises the best piece of sealed mountain road in the country. It is a short route by the standards of this collection and the one that asks the most of a car's brakes and cooling.

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Two men in their fifties going through vehicle documents on a tablet at a modern desk, a showroom floor behind them.

Route 04

Driving across the border into Oman without the stress

The mountain roads on the other side are magnificent and the crossing itself is orderly, but it rewards preparation. Most of the difficulty people meet at a border comes from a document they did not know they needed rather than from anything at the barrier.

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Route 05

The east coast loop, driven properly in a single day

Across the mountains to the Gulf of Oman, north along the water, and back through the passes. It is the most varied day of driving available from the capital and the one most often spoiled by trying to fit too much into it.

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A luxury coupe driving through a Gulf city after dark, illuminated towers reflected across its bodywork.

Route 06

Night stages, heat and the routine that makes both easy

In this country the two hardest things about a long drive are the temperature and the dark, and they are often the same trip. Neither is difficult once you treat them as a matter of preparation rather than endurance.

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Distances and timings in these notes describe a relaxed pace with proper stops, not the fastest possible run. Roads and conditions change, so treat every note as a considered starting point and check the current position before you set off.

Tell me where you would like to drive

A short note about the trip you have in mind, who is coming, what you drive and roughly when, is enough to start with. The reply will be a plain answer about whether the route suits the season and the car, not a sales pitch.

Write to the Abu Dhabi desk