The highlight of our stop-over in Doha, Qatar was a 4-wheel drive desert sunset safari that we booked with Qatar International Tours.
It was fun, interesting and a chance to see the nature of Qatar beyond the built-up city region.
We were met at our hotel at about 2pm by our driver in a huge Toyota Landcruiser 4WD vehicle that was very spacious and comfortable.
From the hotel, we drove about 45-minutes out of the city, past a large oil / gas refinery and into a region where the road runs directly into desert sand dunes that stretch as far as the eye can see.
Once we turned off the road and into the dunes, we stopped for a break at a small camp offering camel rides and other tourist activities.
To be honest, it’s quite sad to see the camels all chained up in a holding pen waiting for tourists to come along and ride them.
Both here, and at another camel attraction we saw in the city, all the camels are chained by all four legs to an anchor in the ground which means they literally can’t move anywhere – beyond simply standing up or sitting down.
It felt like taking a ride on the camels meant at least a couple of them would get to be unchained and stretch their legs for a bit.
I don’t know if that’s good or bad for them – hopefully good, as it was quite fun taking a ride up to the top of a big dune in the hot desert sun and getting to see the view across the sand and out to the sea beyond.
After half-an-hour or so here, we got back in the car for the ‘dune bashing’ part of the day, which involved our driver speeding and lurching across the dunes on the way to a desert ‘camp’ where we’d stop for dinner, to relax by the sea and to watch the sun set over the dunes.
The tour description said it was a ‘rollercoaster ride’ but I must admit I wasn’t prepared for just how much of one it’d be!
I had no idea how capable these 4WD cars are on the desert dunes and was shocked as we sped high up to the top of the first big dune with a steep drop down to one side, only for the driver to suddenly veer off and over the edge, plunging us down the near vertical (or so it felt) side of the dune.
I actually genuinely thought for a second that our driver had gone rogue and was trying to kill us – but it turned out I was just totally underestimating the terrain the vehicles could handle as the car easily slid its way down the side of the dune to the desert floor below.
We raced like this up and down dunes for about 45-minutes, our driver laughing and joking and seeming to enjoy the looks on our faces as we skidded and bounced our way up, down and across massive dunes.
Eventually we arrived at a viewpoint high up at the top of a massive dune overlooking what they call the ‘inland sea’ – and one of only two or three places on earth where the desert directly meets the ocean.
After some time here to take photos, enjoy the view and have a bit of a breather from the excitement of the 4WD journey, we got back in the car and headed to a desert ‘camp’.
Despite being a bit of a shock at first, the ‘rollercoaster ride’ journey across the dunes had been fun and exciting and a great experience – but we were glad to arrive at the peaceful and serene desert camp for a chance to relax for a bit.
The camp was an arrangement of small container-like buildings which housed rooms that it appeared you could stay overnight in, fully equipped with beds, air-conditioning, toilets and showers.
Although we weren’t staying overnight, we were given access to one of the rooms to keep our stuff in or to use however we wanted to during our three-hour or so stop at the camp.
We sat for a bit in the sun on loungers by the sea and, as the sun began to set, walked out of the camp and out into the desert for a bit, up to the top of a nearby dune which was a perfect place to watch the sunset.
We then had a buffet dinner with drinks (all included in the price) and some more time on the beach just relaxing and looking at the stars in the pitch black of the desert night.
Eventually it was time to leave – the drive back being much less of a rollercoaster and a shorter stint through the dunes to join the road again and eventually arrive back at our Doha hotel.
This was our favourite day in Doha – escaping the city and experiencing the desert, which was something we had never done before.
The whole excursion was organised perfectly, our driver was entertaining and fun and the day had everything we’d hoped – exceeding our expectations.
If you’re looking to do a 4WD desert safari in Doha, we can definitely recommend booking with Qatar International Tours.