Brave the sands and visit the Arabian desert with Google Street View

There seems to be no place the intrepid Google Street View team will not go. From oceans to canyons, the team has tackled everything. The latest location is the sands of the United Arab Emirates, a rather desolate place for any person.

You won't need to ride a camel to make your trip to the Liwa Desert, as you can see it all from the comfort of your seat. Google has already braved sand storms and unbearable heat to bring you the images.

"On your virtual trip through the desert, you’ll find sand dunes that reach an astounding height of 25-40 meters. These rolling sandy hills were home to early settlers back in the Late Stone Age, making Liwa one of the oldest sites in the United Arab Emirates", says Najeeb Jarrar, Product Marketing Manager for the Middle East and North Africa.

The desert is also home to the largest oasis on the Arabian peninsula. Needless to say the camera crew made their way to this, as well.

How Google manages to collect these images is an interesting story in itself. "To bring this stunning desert to Street View, we fashioned the Trekker to rest on a camel, which gathered imagery as it walked. Using camels for the collection allowed us to collect authentic imagery and minimize our disruption of this fragile environment".

Head over to Google to begin your exploration of the area. It won't even cost you any travel expenses.