·The race retains its traditional Abu Dhabi Corniche start with day one being devoted to running, cycling, swimming and sea kayaking trials.
·Day two is a testing 110 kilometre kayak leg which will pass the soon-to-open Saadiyat Beach Golf Club – the Arabian Gulf’s first and only ocean front course designed by golfing legend Gary Player.
·Days three and four move inland, with teams having to tackle the desert expanse of the renowned Rub al Khali – or Empty Quarter – the world’s largest uninterrupted body of sand, the size of Holland, Belgium and France combined.
·Day five is where contestants swap their hiking boots for cycling shoes to undertake a gruelling 95 kilometre mountain bike ride - almost a fifth longer than the 2007 equivalent stage.
·The final day sees teams emerge from Liwa to Al Ain – the Gulf’s ‘Oasis City’ and the cultural heart of Abu Dhabi. Teams will then climb Jebel Hafeet – which at 1,240 metres is one of the UAE's highest peaks - before cycling 41 kilometres to the Al Ain finish line.