Dunes

From Alhannah

Peace, happiness and relaxation can be yours at the Inland Sea located deep in the desert along the South border of Qatar. Live like one of the nomadic Arabs in tents or just go for the day and enjoy the scenic beach.

Children will enjoy kite flying, sliding down the sand dunes and swimming in the calm gulf waters. Kids of all ages will enjoy the off shore breezes, spying on falcons with binoculars, hunting for sea shells and grilling dinner outdoors.

Many people like to go to the sand dunes at the southern end on the Qatar peninsula on the weekend. Please never go out alone. There are groups of people who go out together, or there are companies (see Tour Companies for list) that will take you out for some roller coaster fun, a chance to swim and a meal on the beach. It is also possible to schedule a camping trip. Dinner, sleeping bags, tent and breakfast are provided for about 400QAR (~$110) per person.

Access to the Inland Sea starts with a 60 minute drive from Doha through the towns of Al Wakrah and Umm Sa'id to Sealine Beach Resort. This route is 45 minutes directly south of the Doha Airport. From there two routes to the Inland Sea have been established. The first primarily traverses flat terrain providing a smooth scenic drive to the Inland Sea beach (another 80 minutes). The second route is for the more adventurous and experienced “dune bashers”. This route is only traversable by 4x4 vehicles that are specially prepared to handle climbing large sand dunes. Timing varies considerably along the “dune basher” route. Dan Hagueis very experienced in desert driving and can give you advice about safety precautions.

The locals call the inland sea Khor Al Adid. There are several stunning aerial pictures of this location on the Embassy of the State of Qatar web site. Here is one of our favorites images of Khor Al Adid.