The best quad rides are at dawn, a good friend of mine is fond of saying.
I tend to try and minimise how often I waken when, in my book, it’s technically still night; yet even an old grump such as myself must admit that at least once a year you should do a pre-dawn ride in the dunes.
Getting out into nature at that magical time when the gloom melts away under an emerging sun is refreshing to both the body and soul.
And if you happen to be riding pristine sand dunes on a Kawasaki 700KFX, all the better.
The sand dunes north of Al Ain are often devoid of any tracks, although they are well-serviced by permanent sand tracks down in the flats – this makes access easy, yet allows for rides on unspoiled dunes.
The Kawasaki 700cc big-boy twin-cylinder blows out a lot of power!
Any double-fences you come across are to protect the buried pipeline between them rather than prevent access – so there will usually be an open gate nearby to allow you passage to the other side.
And the quad just keeps climbing and climbing!
There’s constant development so close to the city – best give these areas a wide berth.
Especially since there’s so much open space to claim for yourself.
And all on beautiful unspoiled sand dunes. Just follow the GPS track and map below!
Download the KML file for your GPS by clicking here. Once downloaded, you can import the file into your GPS device and take it on the road, or double-click that file and it will open automatically in Google Earth if you have that installed (all adventurers should! Google Earth).
When transporting a quad on a trailer: safety first!
View a pdf file of the original article, as published in The National.
My disclaimer is here.