United Arab Emirates - Oman, UAE and Arabian Peninsula - page 671

AIR
Rotana Jet ( www.rotanajet.com ) flies to Sir Bani Yas from Abu Dhabi's Al Bateen Executive Air-
port on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays; the round trip is Dh400. There's also seaplane
charter service operated by Seawings ( www.seawings.ae ) leaving from the Jebel Ali Marina and
Seaplane Base in Dubai on Thursday and Saturday.
BOAT
From the Jebel Dhanna ferry jetty, boats make the 20-minute trip to the island every two
hours between 10am and 10pm. A minivan will take you to the resort in another 20
minutes.
BUS
Bus X87 makes it out to the ferry jetty from Abu Dhabi's central bus station daily (Dh35,
4½ hours).
CAR
The Jebel Dhanna ferry jetty is about a 250km drive west of Abu Dhabi and 350km south-
west of Dubai via Hwy E11. Past Ruwais, follow the signs to the jetty.
If you want someone else to do the driving, ask the resort to arrange a limo service,
which starts at Dh650 from Abu Dhabi and Dh1000 from Dubai.
SUBLIME SAND DUNES
Avoid dull drives on drab roads by taking the following routes through stunning desert scenery.
Liwa: Abu Dhabi to Hameem (mostly Hwy E65) Take pleasure in the peach-and-cinnamon dunes dotted with
date-palm oases. Take the road to Hameem instead of the main route via Madinat Zayed; the turn-off is about
20km out of Abu Dhabi on the Musaffah to Tarif road.
Liwa: Liwa Resthouse to Moreeb Hill (Tal Mireb) Marvel at these enormous apricot-coloured dunes on the
edge of the Empty Quarter - the largest you'll see in the UAE.
Mahafiz: Sharjah to Kalba Rd (Hwy E102) Count the camels, if you can! See how they blend into the sands
along route S116 as it winds east past camel farms to Kalba on the Gulf of Oman.
Al Ain: Dubai to Al Ain Rd (Hwy E66) Be amazed by the big tangerine dunes on the approach to Al Ain around
Shabat. To truly appreciate them you'll have to pull over to get a look through the roadside greenery.
Shwaib: Al Ain to Hatta Rd (Hwy E55) Graceful gazelles leap through desert shrubs on the big red dunes in the
grounds of a sheikh's palace at Shwaib. From Al Ain, head north on E66 towards Dubai for about 50km, then cut
right to Shwaib; drive down into the town to see rugged mountains on your right and gazelles on your left.