Tal Moreeb

Tal Moreeb is one of the tallest sand dunes in the world, rising over 300 metres from the desert floor at the southwestern edge of the Liwa Crescent. The face slopes at around 50 degrees — steep enough that it looks almost vertical when you are standing at the bottom looking up, and steep enough that sandboarders can reach serious speeds coming down.

A paved road runs to the car park at the base, making it accessible by any vehicle. Beyond the car park, the dune is yours. Climbing to the top takes between 30 and 45 minutes of hard slog through soft sand and is worth every step for the view: nothing but dunes running south into the Empty Quarter as far as you can see.

things to do sight
A story
Every January, drivers in heavily modified vehicles attempt to climb the face of Tal Moreeb — a tradition that began as informal desert play and became the centrepiece of the Liwa International Festival. The Arabic name translates simply as "daunting hill," which may be the UAE's most restrained piece of tourism copywriting.