Liwa's main draw is the desert itself. The Rub al Khali — the Empty Quarter — begins right at the settlement's southern edge, and the dunes here are among the largest in the world. Tal Moreeb, the most famous of them, tops 300 metres and draws dune bashers and sandboarders year-round. The access road is paved; everything beyond it is very much not.
The date palm plantations of the oasis are worth exploring at a slower pace. The trees grow in long rows between the dunes, irrigated by underground channels that have kept this stretch of desert productive for millennia. The Khalas dates grown here are considered the finest in the UAE — small, amber, and almost caramel-sweet.
In winter the Liwa International Festival brings a liveliness to the area that is otherwise absent. There are dune-climbing races, camel competitions, and a date market. The rest of the year, Liwa is quiet, hot, and — in its own austere way — spectacular.