1Kayak the Al Thakira mangroves

The rocky flatlands of the Qatari desert give way to verdant green mangroves and snaking cyan waterways at Al Thakira, a treasured coastal wilderness north of Doha providing an important habitat for migratory birds, a variety of fish and a cornucopia of crustaceans. Immerse in this sublime slice of nature on a relaxed kayaking tour suitable for beginners, and learn more about the ecology of this unexpected wetland wonder as you paddle through its clear waters.

2Explore the dunes of the Inland Sea

Few things can prepare you for the otherworldly dune landscape stretching south from Mesaieed, south of Doha, to the border with Saudi Arabia. Explore Khor Al Adaid on a guided tour, where golden dunes meet the aquamarine waters of a vast tidal embayment also known as the Inland Sea. Today you can safely swim in its azure waters, or simply admire the view before a more relaxed drive back to Doha.

3Go diving

Dive into Qatar’s warm turquoise waters to explore a trio of unique scuba sites clustered off Sealine Beach in Mesaieed. These include the artificial GMC Reef, where you might spot angelfish, batfish, grouper, sergeant major fish and small rays. The Dooba barge wreck nearby is frequented by hawksbill turtles, while the manmade Club Reef consists of an assortment of sunken objects including monster tyres, bicycles, metal pipes, concrete blocks and reef balls which create a habitat for batfish, crabs, cuttlefish, rays and other marine critters.

4Try water sports in Doha

Lapped by the sparkling waters of the Arabian Gulf, Qatar’s capital offers aquatic activities aplenty. Take a refreshing dip at one of Doha’s many calm, protected beaches, or get your adrenaline pumping with water sports including banana boating, jet skiing, parasailing and wakeboarding. Gather your favourite people and hire a yacht with captain and crew for the day to take you on an aquatic adventure. Or try your hand at kitesurfing on nearby beaches including Sumaysimah Beach and Al Wakra Beach with a Doha-based kitesurfing school.

5Escape to Al Aaliya Island

Live out your castaway fantasies for a day on Al Aaliya Island. Just a 30-minute dhow boat ride from central Doha, the uninhabited, low-lying limestone island is a haven for seabirds including gulls, cormorants, herons, terns and more. Slip on a snorkel mask and go searching for turtles in the shallow waters lapping its coastline, feel your arms burn in a good way on a circumnavigation of the small island by kayak, or laze on its white sands with a good book.

6Enjoy a hot-air balloon ride

Marvel at the contours of the Qatari desert as the morning sun lights up the landscape on an early-morning hot-air balloon ride. Whether you want to make new memories with your family, dial up the romance on a couples’ getaway, or simply fulfill a childhood dream, Qatar is an ideal destination to get airborne in a new way. If you’re visiting Doha in December, look up as the sky fills with colourful hot-air balloons during the annual Qatar Hot Air Balloon Festival.

7Go deep into the Dahl as Misfir sinkhole

The vast, lonely deserts of central Qatar reveal a number of hidden gems. Among them is Dahl Al Misfir, Qatar’s largest cave. Sinking 40 metres into the desert, Dahl Al Misfir was formed thousands of years ago by the dissolution of calcite and gypsum below a water table. Today you can step down into the cool, shady cave amid a chorus of twittering resident birds to admire the otherworldly glow emanating from its gypsum deposits. These deposits give rise to the geological phenomena known as ‘desert roses’ (clusters of rose-shaped gypsum crystals), which inspired the design of Doha’s magnificent National Museum of Qatar.

8Go hiking in Ras Abrouq

Surreal rock formations sculpted by the elements rise out of the undulating desert in Ras Abrouq, located at the northern tip of the Zekreet Peninsula on Qatar’s remote west coast. Admire its striking topography on a hike through this otherworldly landscape, which also plays host to American artist Richard Serra’s monolithic sculpture, East-West/West-East. Keep an eye out for the majestic Arabian oryx, Qatar’s national animal, wandering the limestone dunes. And don’t forget to look down – Ras Abrouq is one of Qatar’s most extensive Neolithic sites, and its shifting sands may yet reveal more treasures from the past.

9See Al Zubarah Fort, Qatar's only UNESCO World Heritage site

Step back into Qatar’s pealing past at the Al Zubarah archaeological site at the nation’s northwestern tip, where raised boardwalks meander through the sprawling ruins of a late 18th-century pearling centre and trading port. Abandoned in the early 1900s, the site’s mosques, markets, courtyard houses and fishermen’s huts were preserved by a layer of sand until excavations began in recent decades, offering an intriguing glimpse into the pearl-diving tradition which sustained Qatar’s coastal towns for centuries. At the entrance to the site sits the impressive 1938 Al Zubarah Fort built in the typical Arab style, which now houses a small museum. A visitor centre is also on the way. 

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Enjoy a traditional Bedouin meal in the desert

Wind down after a thrilling desert tour at a traditional Bedouin-style desert camp nestling between the dunes and the Arabian Gulf. Experience the best of Arabian hospitality as you tuck into a range of aromatic Arabic dishes which will undoubtedly include the meat-and-rice dish known as machboos, Qatar’s national dish. Soak up the afternoon sun after your meal on a lunchtime visit, or dine under a carpet of twinkling stars on an evening experience, which can typically be combined with a camel ride if you’re feeling particularly adventurous.