Motoring enthusiasts can now rent a Land Rover for a little under $200 and experience the thrills of off-road driving in Bahrain, at the Gulf’s first dedicated all-terrain course.

The Land Rover Experience at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), which was launched yesterday, gives SUV fans the chance to drive around the course in one of eight Land Rovers on offer.

For just BD65 ($172.25), drivers are given 90 minutes to tackle more than 30 obstacles on the three-km course, or they can pay BD12 ($32) to ride as a passenger.

Located in the heart of the Sakhir desert, the off-road course covers 3.5 km of varying terrains such as sand, rock, hill and water landscapes. 

There are 32 natural and man-made obstacles allowing guests to traverse terrain including slide slopes, rocks, gravel roads and watercourses, while assessing the driving environment, maximising the capability and technology of the vehicles and most importantly developing driving skills in the world's most capable luxury vehicles.

“This is the first real off-road dedicated centre in the region and that includes North Africa,” said Euro Motors Managing Director Nawaf Khalid Al Zayani.

“There are plenty of natural off-road driving courses, but to have it all in one place that is tested and safe, you are guaranteed a certain level of driver involvement, training and enjoyment.

“Everything from the blind corners to the humps, the water hazards, the rocky hazards, the sandy hazards, the steep inclines - if I wanted to experience them in a natural environment in the wilderness it would take at least three days or a full day of driving and trekking to find them.

“The unique thing about the BIC off-road circuit is that we can have them all in 90 minutes of driving.”

The Land Rover Experience has been brought to Bahrain by a partnership of Jaguar Land Rover, the BIC and Euro Motors, the exclusive dealer and distributor for Jaguar Land Rover in Bahrain.

They have worked together to make the track the perfect combination of high-quality and safety, according to BIC Chief Executive Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa.

“The Land Rover Experience takes off-roading to a whole new level,” he said.

“Our lead instructors have been rigorously trained and the public can now actually drive the cars instead of being just a passenger.

“Anyone who takes part will get to know the cars and experience them and learn which buttons to press and when to press them.”

Sheikh Salman explained that everyone that runs the course will be accompanied by an internationally accredited off-road instructor who will teach them the best way to get across the obstacles.

“Anyone can come and drive,” added Jaguar Land Rover’s Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), Bruce Robertson.

“They could be people who are just interested in off-roading or they could be people looking to drive a Land Rover or existing customers who actually own a Land Rover and want to understand what the capabilities of their vehicle are.

“We have the full range of vehicles including the the Discovery, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. So customers can come here and drive a selection of vehicles through the obstacles."

He explained that the track has been engineered to take more of a beating and said it will evolve over time to become "more extreme".

Mark Cameron, Jaguar Land Rover Global Brand Experience Director, said: "This is a fantastic and pioneering addition to our Land Rover Experience Centres, of which there are now 49 in 20 different countries. The state-of-the-art facilities and internationally acclaimed services here at the BIC perfectly complement the standard and capability of our vehicles and we hope this partnership will prove a delight to customers across the Mena region."

The track is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information call +973-17450000.