Desert ranger Shoukath Ali reveals some of his most memorable journeys in the dunes to Katy Christie.
The Mitsubishi Lancer was well and truly stuck when I arrived; so near yet so far away from firm tarmac, that short cut suddenly becoming the wrong cut. It's amazing how many newcomers to the UAE think their little saloons can tackle the soft summer sand, even if only for a short distance. Fortunately, Shoukath Ali, desert ranger, was in town – well, the Dragon Mart car park – and came to the rescue.
Shoukath, 36, originally from Kerala, has been working as a safari tour guide for 10 years, and started his career with an adventure company, whose name will remain anonymous (for reasons that will soon unfold). Today he works with Desert Rangers, where he has been a safari leader since 2005. After the rescue, I took him for a well-deserved coffee, and Shoukath told me about five memorable desert experiences.
In at the deep end
On my first morning at work as a safari guide, they took five of us to Labab for three hours of training. We did the same again the following day – and that was it; we each probably got a maximum of two hours' training. On the third day I carried my first passengers. I can't tell you how many times I got stuck. It was awful, especially when they asked me how long I'd been doing this and I replied, "One year." I had to say that. Now when they ask me, I say it's my first day! That's my joke, but it wasn't funny when it really was my first day.
A royal visit
I met Prince Andrew and his daughter Beatrice when they wanted an off-road experience. I went to Murab Sands in Liwa to set up camp, and they arrived later by helicopter. We drove in the dunes for one hour and Beatrice had a go at sand-boarding, and then we went back to camp for lunch. The catering was by Emirates Palace and the food was great – the best I've ever had in my life. The whole thing was amazing fun and a memorable day for me with the British royals.
Cross-country
The first cross-country trip I organised, I was still a bit of a novice, but fortunately the four German couples I took out were all experienced. It was a round trip with four overnight camps, all of it off-road. We left Al Awir and headed for Fossil Rock, then Ras al Khaimah, and spent our first night in Wadi Bih. Each evening we sent our GPS reading and the company brought the food and drink we needed. Our second night was spent in Al Ain, then on to Liwa. That's where the power steering fluid hose burst in one of the cars, and we had to wait four to five hours to get spares. Apart from that, it went well and we all enjoyed ourselves. That was the first cross-country trip I organised and I spent a lot of time worrying that we wouldn't make it.
Desert disaster
Recently, I took another group on a 46km cross-country trip. It was organised by a Belgian couple: the husband, his pregnant wife and their three young kids, plus six other cars. By the time I realised that one guy had never driven in the desert before, we were already in the middle and couldn't go back. I don't know how many times he got stuck. Everyone was panicking and some were dehydrated. I was really shaking. Then the Land Rover's gauge showed only enough fuel for one kilometre and we had seven kilometres to go. We had to leave it. It took us six hours to get out and reach the gas station. We went back for the Land Rover but I couldn't risk getting my car stuck, so I walked the last five kilometres, carrying the gallon of petrol – that was awful. We'd planned to get back to Dubai at 6pm but didn't reach there until 12.30am.
Roll up, roll up
A couple of months ago I went, as a passenger, into the desert with some friends. We were going around the rim of a dune, went too high and slipped over the top. Fortunately, there was a ridge on the other side, so the car fell onto its side and didn't roll completely over, which was lucky because it didn't have a roll cage. It seemed like slow motion and we sat there for a moment, stunned, before I scrambled over the back seat to open the rear door. That was the first time it happened to me.
I hope it doesn't again.
