DESTINATIONS QATAR MIDDLE EAST LEFT:
Museum of Islamic Art
RIGHT: Souk Waqif
HOW TO SELL Qatar
Airways flies to Doha’s
new Hamad International airport from Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh and, from March 30, Birmingham. Return
economy- class fares from £638. qatarairways. com
BELOW: Kayak
through mangroves
views of the Persian Gulf from the crest of every ridge, and finishing at the shore of the Inland Sea where Saudi Arabia is visible just across the water. It need not be a rollercoaster ride – drivers will tailor it to suit their passengers’ preferences – but those who want the full adrenaline-fuelled experience
will find plenty to get their hearts racing. Qatar International Adventures has half-day, full-day and even overnight desert safaris, starting at a respective £37, £48 or £67 based on the maximum four-person occupancy. The longer tours include a barbecue and a chance to go sandskiing or sandboarding, with optional extras such as quad biking and camel riding. Shopping: If visitors want to see Doha at its most diverse, just suggest a browse through the shops. Retail options span the divide from high-end designer brands in shiny new shopping malls like The Pearl-Qatar, where Alexander McQueen and Vera Wang are the order of the day, to the piled-high stalls of the old-fashioned Souk Waqif. Here, it’s all barrels of lemon-scented pistachios, dried limes and delicate rose petals, interspersed with a handful of more luxurious offshoots selling gold and silver jewellery, a reminder of Qatar’s
immense modern-day wealth. Travel Designer runs a half-day shopping tour where visitors can be guided around the two areas, priced from £22, or £13 per child. Due north: If clients get more of a thrill from offroading in the ‘real’ Qatar, head in the opposite direction from the dune-bashers and explore the north of the country. That’s the place to find ancient mosques and traditional Qatari villages, a total contrast to the glitzy capital, plus the well-restored Zubara Fort, which was key to this area’s history as one of the Gulf’s most important pearl-diving and trading ports of the 18th century. To add an extra jolt of
excitement, throw in a kayaking tour through the Mangroves of Al Thakhira, looking out for wildlife including terns, herons and reef egrets. A day’s kayaking costs from £133 with Qatar International Adventures, and includes a visit to Zubara Fort, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
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travelweekly.co.uk 25 February 2016
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