Al Thakira Mangrove is regarded as one of the finest mangrove area in Qatar

Went for camping to Al Thakira Mangrove Beach on 29-30 Oct 2012 along with more than 30+ cars, 25+ tents, 2 boats, and lots of fun.

Al Thakira Mangrove is located in Al Thakira, accessed by following Al Khor- Al Thakira Road until the last roundabout then turn left (to supermarket area) and left again and follow a road leading to offroad track. Few hundreds meters afterwards is mangrove area. Our camping site is further km away, following the same offroad track encircle the bay, enter a fence opening and end up the other end of the bay facing Al Thakira. Offroad track is smooth although some have to be negotiated, sedan can go however.

Our campsite is adjacent to several reserved semi-permanent winter camp. In fact, our site is already reserved but only started to use on 1 Nov. Otherwise, some empty spots are available though not strategically located.

Campsite: 25° 44′ 41” N, 51° 33′ 39” E

Supermarket :   25°44’15″N   51°32’40″E
Starting Track : 25°44’21″N   51°32’20″E
Waypoint 1 :     25°45’34″N   51°31’28″E
Waypoint 2 :     25°45’56″N   51°32’10″E  (fence opening)
Waypoint 3 :     25°45’11″N   51°33’30″E

Offroad track to Al Thakira Mangrove – sedan can go!

Passing area with lots of tiny sand hills yet the track is nothing but smooth

Another view of offroad track

Approaching our campsite

Mangrove area near our campsite

Our campsite

BBQ starts

Another view of our campsite

With glowing Ras Laffan Industrial City as a background

What makes camping unmissable is until-late-night chat with friends

Our two boats made a part of camping participants

View of Al Thakira town at night

And view of Al Thakira town in the morning – shown here navigation aid (red pole)

Sunrise from Al Thakira Mangrove Beach

Enjoying sunrise

Though the beach is not that magnificent. kids still love it

Our green 6-person tent. Behind our tent is a reserved semi-permanent winter camp

Barzan Olympic Park (http://www.barzanpark.net/en-us/aboutthepark.aspx)  is situated in Umm Salal, north of Doha, accessed through Exit 16 of Al Shamal/North Road. Not many people have known this new park, as it wasn’t until 29 April 2012 that it was inaugurated to be the first Olympic park in the state of Qatar. But once you pay a visit to the park, you’ll know how this small park can become your favorite one.

The park includes well-kept grass and green area, cafeteria, kids zone, mosque, cycling track, fountains, walking/jogging lanes and restrooms.

Barzan Olympic Park – a new park guy in the town

It’s easy to love this park

Green areas dominate the park

The park is sponsored by Qatar Olympic with its slogan: Sport for Life

Map of the Park

We visited the park on the way home from Al Khor on 27 Oct 2012; short enough that we couldn’t explore and try all of the facilities within the park. We promised ourselves to come back some day.UPDATE: We’re back on 2 Nov 2012 evening. The park was already frequented by many people though not as crowded as Al Bidda Park. Bike rental, cafeteria, Baskin Robbins are open in the evening and night.

The park is completely enclosed by a composite fence made of steel grilles and stone cladded fence walls/columns and controlled through a security gate. After paying a 5QR per person/ticket to Security we were given access to the park via a turnstile. Once we entered we have three options: going left to large tent area houses kids playground, going right to leaping fountain and to start jogging or going straight to go to cafeteria.

Ticket to the park: 5QR per person

Security Gate and Entrance to Barzan Olympic Park

Once you enter the park you have three options: left for playground, straight for cafeteria and right for leaping fountain or jogging lane

The spanking brand new playgrounds will be much adored by the kids. From mini rock climbing, typical slides of any size and swings, to mini flying fox and hide-and-seek houses, to fitness exercise equipment.

Children will definitely love this big playground

Mini rock climbing at playground

Exercise equipment at playground

Hold on Fathan and move

Swing, swing…

Bigger view of playground

Overhead travelling rail

Fathan plays a firefighter pole

Across the walking lane is a Bicycle Track in an E-shape route for kids and family to enjoy riding in single, twin and four-seater bikes. While riding your bike within approximately 180M length of track, you can enjoy an artificial Lake with Fountain, soft landscaping as well as small architectural model of prominent landmarks of Qatar such as Qatar University building, Barzan Tower, and Clock Tower. Other landmarks are also placed all over the park such as the legendary Sheraton, Emiri Diwan, National Mosque and Museum of Islamic Art.

Recognize the landmark? – seen also bicycle track on the background

Bicycle track

Bicycle track with Barzan Tower and Clock Tower miniatures and bicycle rental counter

Bike for rent

During our visit, the bicycle rental counter was closed so we couldn’t verify how much it would cost and or for how long. UPDATE: Bike rental is 5QR per lap.

The jogging lane is a rubber sports flooring lane with an approximate distance of 500m alongside the walking lane. Marked at every 50m with Sporting for Life slogan , the lane provides  good exercise.

Jogging track

Jogging track and sitting area on the right

Sandbox and cafeteria on the background

Sitting area and table tennis

Another feature of this park is the availability of many sitting areas and benches all over the park. The shaded sitting areas come with different capacities from two 4-person bench area to as big as twelve or more 4-person bench area. All is provided with tables and covered by tent.

Missing your sand for your kids? Don’t worry. The park offers two sandbox areas equipped with plastic beach toys you can imagine.

Big Sitting Area

Sandbox equipped with beach toys

On  the Leaping Jet Fountain, kids may be interested in immersing themselves in this 15-m diameter and 2m high fountain after exhausted with playground. The fountain has a 2-min interval between stop and next start.

Leaping Fountain

Leaping Fountain

We didn’t use facilities like mosque, toilet and cafeteria during our short visit (closed during our visit; apart from central cafeteria there is Baskin Robbins counter at bicycle track area) so we couldn’t comment on them. There are two football playgrounds, two tennis courts, basketball court, swimming pool nearby but not sure how to access and use these facilities. UPDATE: Cafeteria is selling light snacks (i.e. chips, popcorn) and Arabic light meals. There are separate mosques for man and woman.

This lane leading to mosque and toilet/restroom

I confirmed to Security that we can have picnic and bring food from outside but BBQ is not allowed. The park also prohibits smoking. UPDATE: No own bike/scooter is allowed.

The only drawback of the park is that no free wifi provided. As the park will soon become one of the favorites, ICTQatar may need to consider making the park an e-Park.

Hill view of the park

Practicalities

Directions:

From Doha: Drive Al Shamal Road northwardly and take Exit 16 Interchange (just after Woqod Petrol Station) to the left. Follow the road and make a U-turn just before roundabout where a brown sign pointing direction to Barzan Olympic Park. The road will lead you passing Umm Salal Health Center, Police Station, Immigration, and Civil Defence. Go straight at the roundabout and then turn left at the next intersection where Barzan Youth Center is located at the left-corner. Follow the road for about 200m or so until you find the park on your left.

From North: You can take Exit 16 and follow the above direction or take a shortcut about 500m before Exit 16 where you can drive (temporary) access road that lead you to intersection. Turn left, follow the road until you come to the next intersection where Barzan Youth Center is located and make a right turn. Follow the road for about 200m or so until you find the park on your left.

http://www.barzanpark.net/en-us/locationmap.aspx

Coordinate: 25°27’25″N   51°24’20″E (click to open Wikimapia showing the park)

Opening Hours:

Saturday to Wednesday: 6am to 10pm

Thursday: 6am to 11pm

Friday: 2pm – 11pm

Fee: 5QR per person above 6 years old. Not sure if this includes rental bike. Probably not. UPDATE: Another 5QR per lap for bike rental

Parking: parking slots along front fences or open area across the park to allow direct entry to the park.

Farkeh Beach – Al Khor

Farkeh Beach. Let’s call it that way as you can arrive at the beach by following Farkeh Coast road signs. Security Guard building also bears the name Farkeh. Online maps however named it differently i.e. Al Khor Family Beach or Nouf Beach.

This well-equipped beach is situated at a small peninsula at eastern Al Khor overlooking mangrove strips and Purple Island. The route to the beach starts from the first roundabout at the end of Al Khor Highway (supposed you drive from Doha. Take a right turn and follow Farkeh Coast brown signs. About 2.4km from the roundabout you’ll need to take an offroad track for another 2.2km. If you happen to arrive to Marine Scout Camp, a building at the end of asphalt road, you’ve gone too far and missed the turnoff.

Farkeh Beach is fenced beach. Exit and entrance is through a single security gate and continuously manned. Once you pass the gate, you can park anywhere behind concrete barriers that separate perimeter road/parking slots to the beach. From this parking area, you have to walk between 50-100m to the shades.

There are about 50 something shades along 1-km strip of beach. Nevertheless, the beach starts becoming a favorite, so 50 may not seem many. This flat beach, you can venture out knee-deep until hundreds of meters. Beware though that the shore is bordered with an inlet to Al Khor Fish market and is a busy route for fisherman, where deep channel is provided for the boats. When we were there from 2-5pm, the sea receded, leaving out muddy shore for use.

Apart from shades, the beach is equipped with toilet and shower facilities (one at each end), three big sandboxes, several barbecue stands, and children playgrounds. I believe that camping is not permitted here although you can pitch small beach tent during your visit.

Coordinate:  25°40’48″N 51°32’17″E

Route to Farkeh Beach

Farkeh Beach

Purple Island (see people on top of the hill?) from Farkeh Beach

Though sand quality is not the best, Farkeh Beach still offers a good playground or kids

Cars can’t get close to the beach…you’ll need to walk about a hundred meters

The beach is equipped with shower and toilet facilities

Shades and barbecue stands are provided

Small children playgrounds are also available

Ah kids…even that muddy beach does not matter

The beach is located near to inlet to Al Khor Fish Market or harbor…expect to see fisherman’s boat

The beach is very flat…it’s knee-deep even after quite far walk from the shore

Finally, I completed a route map to Zekreet amidst busy work schedules and life events. So here we go….

Hope that you won’t ever be lost again

A rough route guide to Film City. Best printed in A3 size and used alogn with GPS and coordinates listed below

Film City               25 34’41.61”N 50 50’46.65”E

Mystery Village 25 35’02.72”N 50 50’16.30”E or 25 35’11.67”N 50 50’10.29”E

Zekreet East Route

Point ZE1             25°27’37.73″N    50°53’41.80″E

Point ZE2             25°29’19.20″N    50°52’24.33″E

Point ZE3             25°29’42.34″N    50°52’24.92″E

Point ZE4             25°29’53.91″N    50°52’32.64″E

Point ZE5             25°29’57.73″N    50°52’41.83″E

Point ZE6             25°30’6.25″N      50°52’50.98″E

Point ZE7             25°30’32.28″N    50°53’3.34″E

Point ZE8             25°31’41.68″N    50°52’19.00″E

Point ZE9             25°32’37.88″N    50°51’58.91″E

Point ZE10           25°32’49.75″N    50°51’47.44″E

Point ZE11           25°32’52.41″N    50°51’46.21″E

Point ZE12           25°32’54.37″N    50°51’44.42″E

Point ZE13           25°32’58.68″N    50°51’44.52″E

Point ZE14           25°33’6.50″N      50°51’41.89″E

Point ZE15           25°33’15.20″N    50°51’43.03″E

Point ZE16           25°33’27.41″N    50°51’37.25″E

Point ZE17           25°34’15.76″N    50°51’7.70″E

Point ZE18           25°34’24.67″N    50°51’5.89″E

Point ZE19           25°34’31.65″N    50°51’1.38″E

Point ZP2             25°34’40.04″N    50°50’58.14″E

Point ZP1             25°34’49.00″N    50°50’40.42″E

Zekreet Connecting Route West to East (from Zekreet Village)

Follow ZC1 – ZC65 then remaining East Route

Point ZC1             25 29’07.83”N 50 50’58.71”E

Point ZC2             25 29’07.83”N 50 50’58.71”E

Point ZC3             25 29’07.83”N 50 50’58.71”E

Point ZC4             25 29’07.83”N 50 50’58.71”E

Point ZC5             25 29’07.83”N 50 50’58.71”E

Point ZC6             25 29’07.83”N 50 50’58.71”E

Zekreet West Route

Zekreet Mosque 25°29’11.43″N 50°50’48.41″E

Zekreet Fort Ruins 25 29’24.3″N 50 50’40.0″E

Point ZW1           25°29’34.71″N    50°50’38.91″E

Point ZW2           25°30’17.73″N    50°50’11.68″E

Point ZW3           25°30’50.86″N    50°50’7.68″E

Point ZW4           25°31’12.31″N    50°50’34.24″E

Point ZW5           25°32’9.68″N      50°50’47.09″E

Point ZW6           25°32’26.45″N    50°50’53.54″E

Point ZW7           25°33’6.25″N      50°50’43.15″E

Point ZW8           25°33’29.21″N    50°50’32.31″E

Point ZW9           25°33’58.73″N    50°50’28.76″E

Point ZW10         25°34’16.09″N    50°50’22.15″E

Point ZW11         25°34’33.99″N    50°50’12.67″E

Point ZW12         25°34’54.57″N    50°50’11.33″E

Visited Film City at Zekreet Peninsula for the third time. This time, acted as a Road Captain, I went with ITB (Bandung Institute of Technology) Alumni Association, Chapter Qatar. Twenty three cars (including two sedans) and around 80 people were in a tow.

Being a Road Captain was quite a burden especially with a task to find a sedan-friendly route. Unlike two visits previously, I used the east route (first time) for inbound route to Film City and West-Central route for outbound route from Film City.

*I’ll post a complete route and via-points coordinates (if time permits)*

The east route was started from the first intersection after turn-off from Dukhan Highway. Instead of going straight to Zekreet we turned right to an abandoned asphalt road (it’s probably a diversion road while Dukhan Highway was in the making), drove along fences, then underneath high voltage power towers until (about 3.9km from the intersection) finding obvious wide track to the north. The rest was following this dirt rocky track, passing fenced shooting range, short ‘highway’ near the beach where the surface was smooth, meeting many ’rock mushrooms’ formations then finally reached Film City. It turned out that there is a route from Zekreet village that connected with this east route just outside the fenced shooting range.

FIlm City doesn’t change much but I think it starts deteriorating. At nearby green patch film crew or may be TV production crew was taking some film shots. Meet Film City Guard who very welcoming to us. Nice gesture with tips will surely help the guy who brave enough living and guarding the city in the middle of nowhere.

On the way back, we stopped by at Mystery Village for lunch, which was originally planned at the nearby beach but already occupied by local winter camp portacabins. From Mystery Village we took a West-Central route passing some plains before turning right approaching beach then Zekreet Village.

We mustered at Zekreet Beach near village but unfortunately very long low tide saw the beach loses its appeal. We adjourned after a brief meeting about the way forward for the alumni association.

Film City

Film City

 

Film City

 

Film City

 

My kids with Film City Keeper

 

Say hi to me

 

Windows at Film City

 

ITB Alumni Association

 

Mystery Village

 

This hut-on-mushroom is probably the famous icon for Mystery Village