Dubai: More than 900 off-road enthusiasts set off on a gruelling 209.5 kilometre journey through the desert on Friday as part of the 33rd annual Gulf News Overnighter Fun Drive.
Participants checked in at 6am and after a breakfast of Indian and continental food items headed to the starting point for the flag off by Duleep George, Executive Director Strategy and Marketing Gulf News.
People started assembling early in the morning with temperatures hovering around 13 degrees Celsius.
Challenging stretches of greenery, sand, dirt and gravel track, drivers made the route an experience to remember.
With a start time of 7.30am, off-roaders met with a variety of desert landscapes of flat sands and mountainous dunes challenging even the most seasoned drivers who spent the next seven hours driving through some of the most scenic country in the United Arab Emirates.
A combination of steep slopes and loose sand tested the driving skills of both veteran and first-time off readers.
The most exciting sections of drive were numbered 3, 5 and 7 along which 70 marshals and six recovery teams were on hand to help drivers who may have encountered difficult driving conditions.
As many as 346 Gulf News staff and more than 45 security staff were involved in organising the event, staffing checkpoints as well as campsite facilities.
Along the way, participants saw scores of camels and other animals on farms along the route.
There were wide and flat stretches of sand, green patches, trees and shrubs.
This year the challenge kicked off at Emirtaes Motorplex in UAQ and ended in Arjan area also in UAQ after traversing in a loop through RAK and Sharjah emirates.
The first car to complete all sections arrived at 3.45pm.
Those who could not make it to the sixth checkpoint by 2.30pm cut-off time were guided to hit the tarmac and head to the camp site.
Hot tea welcomed the participants at the camp at the end of the drive.
Participants revelled in a wide range of evening of activities for people young and old such as face painting, henna painting, and wheel of fortune.
A full barbecue dinner was served to round out a day well spent in the wilds of the UAE.
