Happy February Fam!
While friends and family Stateside are bundling up for what might be some of the coldest weather in recent years, here in Qatar, winter means a much needed release from the 120+ degree (F) hellscape of summer. Seriously fam, if you’ve been following my daily life journey on Instagram, you’ll know how grateful I am for a respite from the constant sandstorms and stifling heat of summer.
During the height of Middle Eastern winters, temps dip to a comfortable 70 degrees. This signals a time to step outside into more comfortable weather and get active! To many, this often means participating in recreational sports, camping activities, picnics, and so much more. That said, with the welcomed change in weather, I was so glad to have received an invite from a friend to head into the northern region of Qatar to enjoy a bit of 4-wheeling / quad biking in the desert!
Located in near Al Wakra section of Qatar you’ll find an area called the “Sealine” neighborhood. With recent developments, there has been a shift from a quiet shoreline to place filled with an afternoon of fun. For example, within only a 5 minute radius you have your choice of:
Family beach complete with playground for children
Booths offering both various sweets and comfort foods
Camel rides with the option to ride up sand dunes
Shopping at local souqs (traditional open-air markets)
On this particular trip, after an hours drive up to the north coast, we arrived at Sealine and connected with a dune bashing company called “Sand Dunes Holiday’s.” A quick trip to their website shows the various services they offer around Qatar, from day long desert safaris and camel races … To dhow boat excursions and quad bike rentals.
Getting to Sealine in fairly accessible either by driving to the location on your own (rental vehicles are quite available in Qatar), or by calling an Uber (which is also very active here). If you choose to the Uber route, the 30 minute ride will cost you about $20 USD each way. Upon arriving, the team of guys from Sand Dunes were not only friendly, but totally willing to haggle! What was originally budgeted as $250 QR rental ($68 USD) for one hour with the quad bike … Turned into a $120 QR deal (just $32 USD) for each of us (a group of 6). We enjoyed a full 1.5 hours of fun solo driving in the desert followed by a yummy lunch at one or the nearby food stands afterward. For a behind the scenes look, check out my Instagram video below from that exciting day.
In the end, so much is made of tropical getaways or vibrant “exotic” locales when traveling … And yet, when you take the time to look, there’s an unmistakeable beauty found in the emptiness of the desert.
Alright fam that’s all the globetrotting info for now,
Till next time … The Journey Continues!
