Dhow Cruise in Doha

Sunset time in Doha means time to cruise the teal waters of the Arabic Gulf in a "dhow", a traditional Qatari sailing boat, used in the past by merchants and fishermans. This time of the day in particular, is perfect to enjoy the view of the city skyline from the water, when the sunset colours reflect on Doha's modern buildings and while a fresh breeze will cool you down from the desert heat.

To see and experience one of these gorgeous wooden boats yourself, simply head to the Corniche, Doha's famous waterfront promenade, which extends for kilometers along the picturesque bay. Here you'll be able to find a wide selection of dhows. Just choose one and approach its captain to barter a fee. Usually an hour ride costs around QR 250 and you could be lucky enough to hire the boat all for yourself. Wouldn't it be romantic and simply great to celebrate a special occasion this way?

Once the fee is agreed, you can also customize the itinerary since it is almost a private tour, so don't hold back, this is your chance to see Doha from all the possible angles. Board the vessel, sit back on the comfy cushions on the top level, relax and enjoy the ride! If one hour doesn't seem enough and you would prefer to organize a proper adventure with family and friends, local tour operators such as www.city-discovery.com organize half day (4-6 hours) dhow trips for big groups (even private on request) combining the cruise with a barbecue on board and swimming in the nearby island; Al Safliya. Other water activities in Doha, such as jet-skiing and fishing will be on offer too for a fun-packed day!

Dhow cruise in Doha with local music and entertainment, are available too for a memorable event. Whatever your choice, day or night, solo or in group, an expedition on a dhow whilst visiting Qatar must be on your agenda...why pay a fortune for a private yacht when you can have a typical dhow all for you at affordable prices? Your dhow awaits you for an unforgettable experience!

Source-http://destination.amari.com/en/doha/play/dhow-cruise.aspx#.VcnBIyaqpBc

Top 5 outdoor activities in Oman

Oman’s wild mountain and desert landscapes offer enormous potential for outdoor activities and adventure sports – one which is slowly beginning to be realized, although the field remains in its infancy. The country is also a leading diving destination, with some of the region’s most pristine underwater landscapes and marine life.

Hiking

The most obvious – and perhaps most rewarding – of the country’s outdoor activities is hiking. An extensive network of hiking trails exists across the country, particularly in the Western Hajar, with reasonably well-marked trails winding around and through some of Oman’s most spectacular mountain ridges, wadis and canyons. Walks range from high-altitude treks along the mountain ridges through to exhilarating and challenging canyon walks, which usually involve scrambling over boulders and wading (and sometimes swimming) through rock pools and watercourses.

None of the treks should be attempted lightly. It’s imperative to carry sufficient water and also to keep a watchful eye on the weather if trekking through wadis (especially narrower canyons). Rainfall in the mountains can be sudden and dramatic, leading to violent and potentially fatal flash flooding.

Twelve of the best routes are covered in Oman Trekking, published by Explorer.

Adventure sports

There is a range of adventure sports and activities around the country. Activities include canyoning (the rough scramble up Snake Canyon is especially popular), caving, abseiling, rock-climbing or tackling one of the country’s three via ferratas (Wadi Nakhr, Snake Canyon and Bandar Khayran). Mountain-biking and kayaking are other possibilities. Leaders in the field are the Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre (whttp://www.holiday-in-oman.com), while Gulf Leisure (whttp://www.gulfleisure.com) also run a similar range of offerings.

Diving and snorkelling

Oman offers some of the region’s finest diving, with good snorkelling too. Compared to other parts of the region, most of the coastal waters remain unspoilt, home to fine coral gardens and a few wrecks, and attracting some spectacularly large marine life.

It’s possible to go diving straight from Muscat, which has a surprisingly extensive roster of dive centres. Many operators here can also arrange trips to the spectacular Daminiyat Islands up the coast north of Barka. Further afield, Musandam is perhaps the finest diving destination in the country, while there are further excellent dive sites along the south coast, especially around Mirbat.

Most of the country’s dive centres are run by European and North American expats; all offer a fairly standard range of dives, along with PADI courses, while many places also run snorkelling trips and assorted boat cruises.

Sport

There’s little in the way of organized sport in Oman, although if you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse of one of the country’s traditional competitive pastimes like bull-butting and camel-racing – the latter is held at many locations around the country, especially on public holidays and National Day, although it’s difficult to pick up information about forthcoming events. Try asking locally to find out if anything’s planned.

Currently, the only formal annual sporting event is the Tour of Oman (whttp://www.tourofoman.om) cycling race, first staged in 2010. Held over six days in February at locations around Muscat and the Western Hajar, it attracts a strong field of international riders.

Read more: http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/middle-east/oman/outdoor-activities-sport/#ixzz3heAxnvP3

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.