As the five-day weekend approaches, many desert lovers in the UAE may have been looking forward to some camping.

However, if you previously had plans in place you may need to rethink them, as there’s currently a ban on camping in three emirates.

It’s been announced by authorities in the emirates of Sharjah, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah that overnight camping is currently not permitted and fines will be given for those found violating the current guidelines.

Sharjah’s police force confirmed on Friday that the emirate’s Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management team had imposed “a ban on staying at beaches overnight remains until further notice”.

Meanwhile, last week it was confirmed by the commander-in-chief of the Fujairah Police, Major-General Mohamed Ahmad bin Ghanem Al Kaabi, that camping of “any kind including tents and caravans in all regions of the emirate” is currently banned.

“Fines and stringent penalties will be slapped against violators. Any tent, camp or caravan will be demolished or removed with immediate effect,” he said, per the UAE Barq news agency.

The emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah also has similar restrictions in place, which was imposed back in September, and is set to continue until stated otherwise.

If you’re in need of some inspiration on what to do this long weekend EW has got you covered.

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