15 great Doha road trips

Mission: Do something fishy
Destination: The Inland Sea
How to get there: Drive South towards Khor Al-Adaid. If you hit Saudi Arabia, you’ve gone too far.
Journey time: 40 minutes

The Inland Sea is one of those iconic Qatar journeys. Surrounded by rolling dunes of glittering white sand, it’s a deep salt water inlet known as the ‘sweaty sea’ in the summer when it heats up hotter than a bath. Most people head there directly, but if you go along the sea path you’ll hit what’s referred to by locals as the Barracuda route. This time of year, the water is cool and the fishes are happy and willing to be caught; you can walk right into the water up to your knees and easily catch barracuda, as well as king fish and other shell fish right by the beach. Don’t forget to blare Heart’s 1977 classic ‘Barracuda’ on your car’s speaker while doing this. The fish will respect your musical choices. If you’re not feeling the fishing, you can always relax in the sea: it’s really a creek surrounded by crescents of sand. Either way, the water is incredibly salty, making it a fun and extra-buoyant experience to float around! The beaches are soft white sand, the water remarkably deep with a steep drop off into the unknown, making it great for swimming. But be warned, jellyfish abound! If you want to get a little deeper, try spear fishing: the Old Reef Club on Um Saed road rents gear for around QR150. You’ll need to bring your own spear, available at many sporting goods and fishing stores. Prices range though from basics for QR300 to up to QR2000! You can walk right into the sea, or you can rent a boat to take you farther: either way, you can spear hammour and barracudas – just be sure not to take down any Arabian Angel fish!

Extra tip: It’s important to make sure you’ve got ample food and water before heading out to the desert: most people accomplish this with a quick stop at Carrefour or another grocery store before leaving the city. But why not hit some of the small restaurants along the way closer to your destination? Scattered along the road towards the desert, these little spots are hidden gems for cheap, tasty Indian takeaways, which, unlike some supermarket versions, won’t be stale by the time you arrive.