Desert Crossing to Tarif Beach – From Desert to the Sea

Route: Al Arad Desert → Bu Kirayyah → Tarif Beach, Abu Dhabi
Type: Overlanding / Desert Crossing / Camping
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Best Time: October – April

Some journeys are about reaching a destination.

This one was about crossing an entire landscape to reach the sea.

We planned a two-night overlanding trip from the desert of Abu Dhabi to a hidden beach near Tarif, camping along the way.

Day 0 – Meeting in the Desert

Some of my friends reached Al Ain the previous night and camped there to avoid the early morning drive.

I started early and reached our Day-0 campsite at:

23.89052, 55.47767

We had coffee together, prepared the vehicles and started our desert crossing.

Day 1 – Into the Desert

Our desert section started around Bu Kirayyah.

23°53’11.6″N 55°22’29.7″E

The route began with tracks and loose sand, followed by small dunes and some fun driving.

Our first major stop was StarFish Dune.

23.85011, 55.17822

From the top, the view was incredible. The dunes seemed to continue endlessly towards Oman.

Bu Tais Tree Dune

Our next stop was the famous Bu Tais Tree Dune.

23°51’11.1″N 55°10’39.5″E

We stopped under the tree for coffee, conversation and photographs.

After a day of driving, around 5 PM we reached our campsite.

23°39’59.1″N 55°07’19.4″E

We set up our tents, prepared dinner and spent the evening under the stars.

And, of course, I made my famous Madras filter coffee for everyone.

Day 2 – Desert to Gravel

The morning started with coffee again.

We continued crossing the desert, with some technical sections and sloping dunes before reaching the gravel and Sabkha landscape.

The driving became easier, but we still had to be careful. Loose gravel and soft sections could easily catch a vehicle if we didn't use the 4×4 system correctly.

We stopped at the fuel point:

23°39’01.0″N 54°24’05.0″E

Everyone topped up fuel and water, grabbed some food and prepared for the final section towards Tarif.

Finally – The Hidden Beach

After the gravel section, the route became easier and we eventually reached the road.

The landscape was beautiful, with huge dunes and views that reminded me of the Sugar Dunes in Oman.

And then came the moment we had been waiting for.

The sea.

We finally reached the hidden Tarif Beach:

24°16’26.1″N 54°25’07.5″E

After two days of desert driving, suddenly standing beside the coast felt amazing.

We walked along the beach, took photographs and videos, then started setting up our final campsite.

That evening we had a delicious Arabic dinner prepared by our friend.

We were so hungry that the food disappeared in minutes! 😄

Day 3 – Time to Go Home

The next morning, we packed everything and said goodbye to our temporary home.

Some of us headed towards Dubai, while others continued towards Abu Dhabi.

The journey ended exactly how we wanted it to:

Desert, dunes, camping, friends, the sea and a lot of memories.