Sunday Sandy Snapshot #26

Man and machine in perfect harmony crossing a sabkah (gravel plain) near to Bu Karriyah, UAE

Sunday Sandy Snapshot #25

Oryx in formation near Himeem.  This photo was taken 2 years ago before the formation of the Oryx Protected Area.  Miss the drive through from Al Qua’a to Himeem but it’s great to see these once almost extinct creatures back where they belong!

Sunday Sandy Snapshot #24

Always fun to have the cars lined up on a dune – judging by the sequinned UAE flag on my tyre cover this pic must have been snapped in December, just after UAE National Day.

Sunday Sandy Snapshot #23

Camel farm on the move – taken in Liwa March 2014

Sunday Sandy Snapshot #22

This shrub may look as if it is dead, but in the spring, after the smallest amount of rain, new shoots appear and the plant looks alive once more.  Photo taken between the Himeem Road and the Madinat Zayed road, north of Liwa.

Sunday Sandy Snapshot #21

You’ve heard of Gorillas in the mist – well this is a camel behind a cloud of fine white dust kicked up on a trip through the Empty Quarter in Oman!

Sunday Sandy Snapshot #20

Sunset in Liwa with camels in the foreground.  Picture taken in February 2014.

Sunday Sandy Snapshot #19

Leptien’s Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni) is not uncommon in the UAE and Oman.  Preferring gravelly areas, we snapped this one in Liwa in August 2013.  These creatures are herbivores and never need to drink water!

Sunday Sandy Snapshot #18

There are so many beautiful patterns in the sand, and none more so than where 3 completely different colours of sand lie.  It’s not as 3 dimensional as you think!  The white sand comprises very small grains and is very soft, whereas the red sand has course grains and often lies on the top of dunes;  if you dig there won’t be much of it below the surface.

Sunday Sandy Snapshot #17

The Western Desert of the UAE (Al Magrib).  The last large piece of undeveloped desert in the UAE, and venue for Oasis Offroad’s Dark Skies Challenge in February.