10 Outdoor enjoyments in Qatar

1. Maintaining Health in Outdoors

Living in Qatar is no dull life; one can remain connected to several healthy activities. This includes joining one of several clubs and one of those happens to be Bootcamp in Qatar.

Bootcamp has programs like providing health training in groups at perfect locations like Corniche, Dahl Al Hammam, Museum of Islamic Art Park and Education City etc. These programs also cater ladies at Kettlebells venue who meet twice weekly. They can be contacted on phone or via email  as well as their Facebook page together with dedicated website too. 

The Corniche place also attracts visitors with some exercise equipment available free for use. In addition to that Aspire Zone maintains walking tracks and bicycle tracks. Then there is Doha Bay Running Club where people come early morning at 5:30 on Fridays. More information is available at their website.

2. Parks

Qatar has many well maintained parks used for family and friends picnic purposes. These parks have walking tracks and places to have rest. These parks are common in every community but large size parks are also common use for community with free entry. Some of these parks observe ‘family days’ when bachelors are not allowed to enter.

The place like Museum of Islamic Art Park is a blessing for the community. It is a well-planned and aesthetically managed area for walk and leisure. There is children activity area equipped with monkey bars, trampoline becomes place of attraction for children for their adventures having access to a beautiful café having a splendid sea view watching Doha skyline that becomes more romantic as sun seeks refuge in west. Park timings start at 10:30 and activities continue till 11:00 at night.
Doha also has Aspire Park, a relaxing place over lush green look. An artificial lake is a boon for the area where ducks play around adding beauty to the place. People walk around the place developing stamina and maintaining health. Aspire park also has fixed timings from 8:00am till 10:00 in night.

Sheraton Park is a special place where children love to go time and again. Children spend time on swings and slides while parents spend their time relaxing watching their children growing with fun. Park timings start at 10:30 am and remain open till 11:00 pm.

Doha’s Markhiya area has Dahl Al Hammam Park with lush green landscape where well engineered path ways attract those who want to walk to maintain their stamina. Kids play area is also beautiful and well equipped. In short it is a family location to spend time away from daily hustle bustle. The park opens as early as 7:30 am and remains open till mid night.

Doha’s Al Rumaila Park is another place that is right along the Corniche. This is again a family spot as well as a place for fitness lovers. A small shopping area offers traditional artifacts and give-aways.  

3. Sailing

Qatar though is never away from sea but western side of Doha magnificently embraces sea shores. Sea activity like sailing is managed by several operators who take visitors to high seas or teach them sailing too. Sail boats are also available on rental basis for enthusiasts.

For improving sailing skills Doha Sailing Club is the place that helps with lessons. The club members pay annual fee and all equipment and boats are available free. The club email is dohasailingclub@gmail.com maintaining a website and may be contacted on phone 4443 9840 too.

4. Kayaking

This is somewhat a boating game where a small boat is used. Entalek is the place that organizes several outdoor activities together with spreading environmental awareness programs. Few of these are quite popular including kayaking by helping plantation of mangroves within Al Thakhira area close to Al Khor. 

Under this program, people do full moon paddling while going through the mangroves at Al Thakhira and using boats with masts, locally called dhow going on exploring rides by the Doha harbor for learning fishing and pearl related cultures of the area. In a bid to further explore the sea. some use diving masks in Fuwairit area too. These activities have quite moderate prices starting from QR150 to QR200. 

5. Desert camping and trips

When it comes to Arab culture, desert cannot be skipped. Visit to desert and spending time there brings a lot to learn and experience. Doha deserts have relatively difficult terrain for visitors. The place has many desert based activities that visitors may enjoy. Taking a dune buggy on rent is altogether a fun. Qatar International Adventures  is famous for this adventure together with dune bashing that people enjoy most. Use of large vehicles like an SUV or Toyota Land Cruiser is quite common for this adventure. Some of the tour operators like Qatar International Adventures manage such tours like desert safari are quite popular for site seeing. Qatar International Adventures are available on Facebook, website and phone number 4455 3954 or may be reached by email info@qia-qatar.com

6. Beaches

Qatar being surrounded by sea has lot of beautifully maintained beaches all along its coasts. These are several famous spots to visit and spend time to relax and enjoy. Some of the places are listed below:

        Fuwairit Beach is 80 kms towards Doha north

        Al Ghariya Beach is also around 80 kms towards Doha north

        Zekreet Beach is quite near Dukhan located on the western coastline of Qatar

        Dukhan Beach is just 60 kms towards western side of Doha

        Mesaieed Beach is located close to Sealine Beach Resort that is only 40 km towards southern side of Doha

        La Plage W. Drive is conveniently accessible beach located close to Diplomatic Club  

7. Boat/Dhow rides or cruises

Living in Qatar means people know The dhow. Dhow is a typical Qatri fishing boat that too many of them may be seen anchored alongside the Corniche and also around Doha harbor. Being in a dhow is quite popular along the Corniche. The activity is quite economical and dhow operators simply charge around QR15 to 20 depending on negotiations. When dhow owner sees a group, the price per person may further be reduced.

8. Rock climbing

Some magnificent terrains invite adventurers for rock climbing. The beauty o fthe place has developed several rock climbing spots like:

        Zekreet is a good place if you are in western Qatar, close to  Dukhan that has quite many large rocks among which the highest is around 15 meters.

        Musfer Sinkhole is a majestic karst cave situated in Umm Al Shabrum in central Qatar that invites bouldering lovers to explore its beauty.

        If interested in climbing a wall then go to Galaxy Sports being at Ezdan Mall situated in Gharaffa.

        Doha Climbers are rock lovers and one can join them even if one is just a starter. They have a page on Facebook too.

9. Kitesurfing

Flora Kite surfing School is managed by Flora and they are certified professional kite surfers, offering kite surfing schooling to beginners, teens and adults up to advanced levels.  Coaching fees range between QR550 to QR2800. Single kite usually carries two people. Usually these lessons are taught and practiced at Al Mafjar, Fuwairit, Wakra Kite Beach or at Simaisma Beach. The school maintains website and a Facebook page for information.

 10.  Diving

Qatar is naturally a peninsula thus surrounded by sea on all three sides. This makes Qatar a perfect place to have water sports, sea adventure being a natural affiliation. Those who live in Qatar do avail such opportunities enjoying diving into sea and having water sports. Qatar has water sports clubs and learning centers all over the place where kids, ladies, adults come for learning and enjoying. These courses are at beginners, regular and advanced level. Few of such learning places are as under:

        Poseidon Diving Centre has diving courses to improve skills in shallow and deep diving. These are enjoyment courses, professional learning pursuits and educational activities. 

        Qatar Scuba Centre runs in general PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) courses exclusively using PADI level tools and materials related to each area course and program. 

        Qatar Divers is a set up that also helps people diving at all expertise levels. They have some specializing courses too. They maintain a website and a Facebook page.

Bargain-city-escapes-from-doha

The Arab Gulf or the Middle East have come up as new places to visit and they really came up as popular tourist spots. These destinations are no more barren, deserted and dry like a desert now. Shaykhs have generously invested their money to change the place. One can peacefully choose to spend vacation in Gulf Cooperation Council, commonly called GCC. Now almost all of GCC and specially Doha is packed with attractions for tourists for both long and short trips and both in winter and summer the place is equally attractive. As the GCC countries are close to each other, their presence is a support as well as they are rivals for each other too. They offer throat cutting discounts with innovative ideas to spend weekends and holidays. There too, is a variety and options available to fit into all sort of budgets – low, medium, high and even royal luxury too.   There are resorts meant for you to meet your needs if want a break to swim in neat and clean sea. You will find fun in swimming and a variety of attractions.

Bahrain

Bahrain is another attraction that associates itself with sea life. Bahrainis an Arabic word meaning “two seas” and the place is a group of 33 little islands. It is a blessing for those who look for a time out into the sea side. There are many who visit Bahrain to enjoy wonderful landscapes presenting a mix of sea and desert for ultimate fun. The place is so attractive that local residents do not skip their weekends going to sea side. Bahrain’s night life is special attraction too. It offers typical Arab hospitality with tranquility on tastefully arranged landscapes and late night light formations. Bahrain has a rich history and one should not skip being in old Dilmun civilization depicting the culture that is all unique. Looking at Bahrain’s history will not be complete without visiting famous Bahrain Fort.

Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa

Need to see tropical island knitted with natural beauty? Bahrain’s hospitality jewels like Ritz- Carlton is the answer. It is a spot that is worth being there.

Bahrain also offers summer time excitement: Enjoy working and leisure at the same place.
The offer is about spending nights in specially arranged spots together with sumptuous breakfasts buffet having at famous “Figs & Olives” served through private butler service together with Vie Lifestyle Lab which is an SPA and fitness place having splendid indoor but rooftop pool.

The place offers all including Thalassa spa, sea and sand all in peace
The special offer is about Holy month of Ramadaan with morning food (Suhoor) living in a luxurious room – all on highly competitive price.

Expat Review- Lively Doha Nightlife !!!!!!

Over the past few years, expats in Doha have significantly grown in number. American and European nationals come and find out that the just like in the Western countries, entertainment offered in Qatar is just as theirs, where people meet in pubs and clubs regularly.

Sarah, an expat from the UK who has been in Doha for more than year said, “It’s like being in Europe, but it depends on what you like. There are a variety of things to do, you can either chill out or go clubbing, or even meet other professionals at numerous networking events that also take place at night.”

She is a marketing professional, who moved here with her husband and didn’t have a hard time making friends. She connected with professional and social networking groups helping expats meet people from their field of work.

“These groups also hold events at night at hotels, pubs or at the beach, aiming for people to interact and make contacts,” she added. Just last month, a group held a fruitful beach party at a five-star hotel. Also, business councils host informal gatherings for professionals to come together outside the workplace.

There are events intended for ladies, like the dinners organized by Qatar Professional Women’s Network every month, and diverse ones prepared by numerous other networking and social platforms, which have succeeded in for a few year, with the rapid increase in the number of expats.

But some say that the Doha nightlife isn’t as vibrant as Dubai’s. Many can’t afford it. “It’s very costly, if you want to keep up, you must have a great disposable income to spend on drinks and entrance fees,” said a British national.

Linda, a teacher from Sweden has known Qatar to be a conservative Muslim country and was surprised by how lively the nightlife is in here. “I think it’s also contradictory, just like the fact that, at nightclubs, the recommendation to dress modestly is ignored by most women, who wear provocative clothes with no worries,” she said. Linda concluded, “You can do whatever you want, just like in Europe.”

For Pedro, who resided here for a year, “the local nightlife is slightly similar to that of Europe except there are more restrictions and the offer is a bit more limited and pricy. There are only two discos and they charge QR200 for a membership card that lasts only six months and, if you go on weekends, it’s very likely that they won’t let you in if you don’t go with a woman.”

As a Spanish bachelor, he also adds that these places can be unsafe, because men frequently turn violent if they drink. “I have seen at least four very violent fights with up to ten men taking part. They even threw glasses at each other and it was very difficult for the security personnel to control the situation,” he added.

Doha’s variety of nightclubs, pubs, and bars is situated in five-star hotels and features different tastes. The establishments often host theme parting, such as Arabic and Indian, also ladies and couples night in major venues, a widespread practice in the West.

 

But, only the well-heeled find the prices in these establishments affordable. Most nightclubs here obliges the payment of membership fee, which ranges from QR50 up to QR200. The membership card usually covers entrance to an establishment for a limited time – from six months to one or two years, depending on the hotel’s policy.

The membership card always consists of a photo and allows entrance, but not in all cases, given that often big groups of men, or a man that is alone, can be deprived of entrance if the person at the door says so.

The Future Lies in Health

Supreme Council Hoping to Improve health conditions by launching “Our Future Lies in Our Health” Campaign

The initiative of “Our Future Lies in Our Health” campaign is another dimension of Supreme Council’s vision of improving health in Qatar. It also supports the pillar of Human Development in Qatar National Vision 2030.

Minister of Public Health, Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalid Al Qahtani, has hailed this campaign for transmitting the message to strengthen the health-care sector- promoting healthy culture.The campaign lays emphasis on quitting smoking, exercising and eating healthy. He also added that Qatar is keen on providing top class healthcare service, and technologies to raise the level of health awareness among all the citizens.

The “Our Future Lies in Our Health” campaign intends to shed light, and play integral on
development of national healthcare policies, in benefitting community and encouraging
behavioral changes by demonstrating the importance of sports, fitness and healthy foods.

The campaign will be active throughout the year, while focusing on healthy diets. Campaign
includes a number of programs, events, and activities that encourage all the stated dimensions
of the activity. In order to deliver its message of healthy lifestyle, the campaign is being
advertised by radio, television, billboards, text messages and magazine.

It can be assumed that with such a program in place, it will help give an impetus to the various health and fitness programs in the country and alternate programs like Yoga or Pilates.