Historically home to the Nahyan family that led the emirate of Abu Dhabi is the Liwa Oasis which is a small cluster of settlements found in the United Arab Emirates. A visit to the Liwa Oasis is sure to be a fun excursion as well as an educational one if you prefer it to be but after the dessert heat and dust, you would surely want to get back to a hotel in Abu Dhabi complete with the modern luxuries you appreciate and deserve. While accommodation Abu Dhabi caters to varying budgets, for a luxurious holiday filled with modern opulence and superb service, opt to stay at Eastern Mangroves, Abu Dhabi.
Located at the edge of the dessert region, the Liwa Oasis, even in modern times, remains to be an area for cultivating date-palms by the Bedouin tribes. It is an ideal place to visit as an anthropologist or even someone interested in Bedouin tribal culture. Furthermore, for the more adventurously inclined, the golden sand dunes of the dessert are an ideal starting point for dune bashing.
Liwa Oasis can only be accessed by two roads: of which the one leading from Tarif leads to the centre of the Oasis, Mezaira; when leaving, a new road has been constructed which leads quite close to Abu Dhabi. The drive to the Oasis will be a along a lonely road surrounded by golden sand dunes that rise and fall in the distance and the sudden onset of the palm cultivations in Liwa will be pleasing to the eye. For supplies and gas, Mezaira, has a few shops and a gas station as well as several local restaurants to appease your appetite.
When in Liwa, it is best to rent a vehicle for it is difficult to walk and see the area at the same time. Once here, one could also opt to see Tal Mireb, said to be the most impressive dunes in the country and which can be seen for miles along the road from Mezzaira. Tal Mireb hosts a number of competitions and is also an ideal excursion to make to witness the great sandy dunes in all its glory without the view being hampered by power lines and trees. If you are visiting when the whether is cooler, you can pack a picnic and head to the dune to spend a leisurely evening and watch the sunset as it seems to merge as one with the golden dunes.