Day Trips From Doha: North, South and the Desert

Doha's outings fall into three directions. North takes you to Al Khor and the mangroves, and further to Al Zubarah and the tip of the country. South and southeast takes you to Al Wakrah and the Sealine dunes near Mesaieed. West takes you out to the Zekreet coast and the Al Reem biosphere reserve. Distances are listed on each page, and most places have little shade and few facilities, so bring water, sun protection and a full tank.

Most operators and sites keep daylight hours, and summer heat shortens the sensible window: aim for early morning or late afternoon from June to September.

Al Khor is the easiest northern trip. The Al Thakira Mangrove Boardwalk is a 1.8 km boardwalk through Qatar's biggest mangrove stand, with herons and flamingos, open in daylight hours. Operators run mangrove kayaking at Al Thakira and Purple Island (QAR 220 to 550 for the Q-Explorer trips, depending on length), and Al Thakhira is also where lessons and sessions in kitesurfing are listed.

Al Khor Family Park & Zoo is a low-cost half day (QAR 15 for adults, QAR 10 for children under 14), and Al Khor Museum is a free stop on the way.

Al Zubarah Archaeological Site and Fort is about 100 km from Doha and is Qatar's only UNESCO World Heritage Site. Entry is listed as free, with a complimentary ticket issued at the fort, and winter hours are 9am to 5pm Saturday to Thursday and from 12:30pm on Friday. Allow 90 minutes to two hours.

Further north, Fuwairit Beach is an undeveloped stretch where you bring your own everything, and the turtle nesting zone is closed from April to August; in summer, conservationists release baby hawksbill turtles at hatching events. Fuwairit is also where kitesurfing lessons and courses run, and Ras Rakan Island Nature Reserve at the northern tip is a wading-distance island reserve. Simaisma Beach, 40 km north, is a quieter free public beach with shallow water.

The Sealine dunes near Mesaieed are the classic desert day. Shared dune-bashing trips to Khor Al Adaid, the Inland Sea, are listed from about QAR 250 to 500 per person for four hours; a full-day trip with sandboarding and a falcon is QAR 400 to 700. If you would rather drive yourself, dune buggies and quad bikes are rented by the hour from QAR 70, and a camel trek is a quieter option. For a sunrise or a private vehicle, Discover Qatar's tours start from QAR 960 for a private vehicle.

Al Majles Resort at Sealine sells a day pass (QAR 145 for a child to QAR 290 for an adult, including a meal) that puts beach and dunes in one stop.

Al Wakrah, about 17 km south of Doha, has a free family beach with gazebos and a promenade of restaurants, and Souq Al Wakra is a reconstructed waterfront market behind it.

West, on the Zekreet coast, are the wind-carved mushroom rocks and an abandoned film set, and Richard Serra's four steel plates in the Brouq Nature Reserve (a 4x4 is recommended for the sculpture). The Al Reem Biosphere Reserve, Qatar's first UNESCO biosphere reserve, is mostly empty land and suits a half day with the right vehicle.

Banana Island is a 20-minute ferry from Al Shyoukh Port, with a resort day pass at QAR 395 for adults and QAR 150 for children. The Sheikh Faisal Museum, a private collection near Al Shahaniya, and the wellness farm at Heenat Salma are both about half-day trips on the same side of the city.