Al Wakra

Al Wakra is just ten minutes (if you put your foot down) from Doha, and if you think there is not much to do there, well, you haven’t seen the rest of Qatar. (Not including Doha, to be fair).

Coming from Doha, we normally shoot through the town, go round the roundabout and come back on ourselves. Do a sharp right by the Al Wakra exchange and you’ll find yourself coming to the jetty.

This time we were rather shocked to find the picturesque little harbour being dug up, no doubt to make way for something large, modern and impressive. However, there are still a load of fishing dhows crammed together at the end of the jetty.

Harbour disaster

After watching some locals amuse themselves catching needle fish, we headed back towards the beach. The beach is superb: long, sandy and normally deserted. There’s also a children’s play area – the equipment is not up to the standard on the Corniche, but it kept my daughter occupied, and it’s surrounded by palm trees. Watch out for the toilets, though, it’s definitely a “hold your nose” job.

Mangrove swamps

Find a gap in the hedge of the play area and walk though it, and you’ll find a small mangrove swamp. This really is a delight, if only to provide some variety from the desert. You’ll hear the odd fish jumping, and there are plenty of birds to watch. It’s really at it’s best when the sun is setting and the last of the light reflects off the water.

When you head back, it’s worth going through the back roads. It’s one place where not all of the old buildings have been demolished, and you can get a little glimpse of what Qatar was like 50 years ago. At least you can at the moment – knowing Qatar, it’ll probably be completely different next week.

Also see: Qatar City Guide

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Al Wakra