The best time to go is in the winter but not in stormy or rainy weather as the possibility of getting stuck in the flat sabkha areas is very high then.  If going for a day trip, it is best to set off early, in order to get the maximum pleasure from the daylight hours.  Keep in mind that the round trip to the Inland Sea is about 200 kms and it can take from one to two and a half hours to get to your final destination

The Car
You need a 4 Wheel Drive to drive on the soft sands of Qatar.  Both automatics and manuals perform well in the desert in different ways, but it is vital that the car you take to the desert is fully roadworthy.  Automatics are undoubtedly easier to drive on sand, ridding the driver of the need to be concerned about revs and clutch control.  For the same reasons, however, many drivers prefer manuals, as you need a greater degree of skill to cope with gear changes and the response of the car is inevitably more sensitive.

Items to check in your car
Make sure all the seat belts are accessible and working.
Check the levels of oil and water and check your belts and hoses.
Familiarize yourself with where the 4x4 vehicle operation switch is located in the car and test it throughly.
Familiarize yourself with the Differential Lock and or Rear Differential Lock operation
Check the location of the car jack, wheel brace or wrench in your car and make sure they are all in working order.
Slide your hand over the face and sides of all your tyres, feeling for imperfections including the spare (if the spare has a lock, check that you have the key).

Packing the car
Packing your car the wrong way – where Items are loose and will slide about, at best will only damage the inner lining of you boot / Trunk.  Don’t forget if there were to be an accident loose objects would become projectiles.  Should you hit a bump or misjudge a slip face items can end up on the back seat or on your lap .  Often when coolboxes are not packed well and there is an accident you can find exploding cans of aerated drinks going off inside.

When packing for the desert here are a few things to keep in mind.
Layer One - Put the heavy and sharp items on the bottom
Layer Two - Note towels or mats to protect the plastic lining in you boot / Trunk
Layer Three - As you pack allow for your cool boxes which should have easy access and cover any sharp edges with a towel or blanket.
Layer Four - Put all your soft Items on the top.  Make sure when the door is closed nothing can slide around. 

The Tyres 
There have been many a lengthy conversation and argument over tyres and the recommended pressure for soft sand driving.  Most tyres are designed to give you traction but on the soft sand the last thing you want is traction, you want to float over the surface. 

Sand tyres are the best.  Next to that are bulled tyres.  Both of these offer little or no traction and allow you to float on the surface.  So if you can afford a second set of tyres or don’t mind driving on bulled tyres, that’s great, but for most of us we want the best of both worlds - something safe to take us around town and to the desert.  Remember that the desert is made up of sabkha, soft sand, hard compacted sand and rocky areas.
 
18 psi is the usual pressure.  This is a compromise to allow you to drive over various terrain types and then if you get into trouble you can reduce the pressure until you’re comfortable.  Once out of trouble you would then re-inflate the tyres back to 18 psi.  When your tyres are deflated there is a risk of rimming the tyre, so if you want to make a hard turn or U turn, slow down or make the turn very wide, reducing the chances of rimming your tyre.

After your trip, if you should attempt to drive back to Doha with low pressure in your tyres, drive slowly especially when turning corners, and remember you can cause a lot of damage to your tyres by attempting to do this.  Sealine Resort as well as two tyre shops in Messaieed offer tyre inflation services.  The cost is around 2 QR per vehicle. 

People 
Numbers are important.  Depending on the number of cars in your convoy, you must make provisions to continue on your journey even if one car breaks down.  That’s why it is essential to travel in a convoy when you head out into the dessert.  Idealy you should only have four people in a five-seater vehicle. 

Consider who is in your car retired people / people with back problems / kids / babies.  Passengers with back problems should be placed in the front seats as they are less bouncy.

Travel in shorts, tee shirt, hat or cap and suitable footwear (trainers and socks are recommended).  For the beach, shorts, towel and flip flops for foot protection.
Make sure you pack any special requirements or needs for the day (medication and so on).

Wearing contact lenses is not recommended. Make sure you carry enough personal sun protection. 

Kids
Have fun, (even if your nervous) if you hit a small bump and the car jumps a little make a joke laugh, shout hey! If parents are upset and nervous the kids will be scared and sometimes inconsolable.

Remove from the kids all pens and pencils / drinking glass and cups when driving.
When ever the convoy stops / don’t let the kids jump out and run around it is dangerous.

Driver 
For some drivers who are nervous the pressure can sometimes become intense, so if you’re the passenger (husband, wife or friend) cut the driver some extra slack
Whatever you do have fun but remember this vehicle has to take you to work next week.

The Route 
Most expeditions drive in convoys down to Messaieed, then proceed towards the Sealine Beach Resort, which is clearly marked once you reach Messaieed.  There are a number of starting points for the inland sea, one of which is the beach resort itself.  Another is known as rubbish tip road and is just off the main road, about halfway between Messaieed and the resort.

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Driving on sand is all about technique.  Some of the best ways to describe desert driving on soft sand are; it feels like driving with the hand brake on, driving a boat slowly, or similar to driving in snow.

Although it might seem that high speeds are important, the key to successful sand driving is momentum.  Once momentum is lost in soft sand, you risk getting bogged down and stuck.  You want to float on the surface of the sand.

The optimum revs should be from 1,800 to 2,500 in second or third gear - infinitely preferable to revving to 4,000 or even 5,000 plus in first or second gear.  Experience will improve rev management.

With automatics - if your vehicle is fitted with overdrive, you should turn it off, or lock the vehicle in 2nd or 3rd gear so it is not constantly trying to change into overdrive or the 4th gear.

On your first few trips you may find yourself in first or second gear revving your engine higher on the outward part of the trip, then on the way back driving in similar sand in second or third revving the engine less.

The composition of the sand changes constantly, such that from one second to the next you can move from firm terrain to impossibly soft powder sand without noticing any visible change in the landscape.  For this reason, you should not stray into virgin sand (the major routes are well established with tyre tracks) unless you know the area well.

If you do get stuck - don’t panic.  It happens to everyone at some time or other, and it is a valuable experience as it teaches you exactly how to deal with sand.
Should you feel that your vehicle is getting bogged down, try to keep the vehicle moving even slowly, (good clutch control is important for drivers with manual transmissions).  One way to assist this is to work the steering wheel vigorously from left to right in order to keep sand under the wheels, hopefully preventing you from getting bogged down.

If you do get stuck, resist the temptation to rev the car excessively.  This will only remove the sand from under the tires and dig you in further.  Listen to your car.  It will tell you how it is coping by the noise.  You should be attuned to your vehicle and be aware of its limitations.  Do not push it.

You will normally be rocked, pushed or towed by the other team members, and nobody really minds giving a hand (they could be next). By the way, don’t stop next to a vehicle that’s stuck, because you’ll become stuck as well.

You can often experience a skidding sensation on sand.  This can be good fun and you should let the car slide a bit, rather than gripping the wheel furiously trying to keep straight.  You won’t come to any harm sliding around a bit and you might even enjoy the sensation.

Above all, follow the convoy leader.  Many dunes have awkward bumps, humps, lumps and hidden slip faces, which an experienced convoy leader will avoid.  So try to follow the leader’s tracks as closely as possible.

Hidden slip faces are sometimes difficult to see as they lie in dead ground.  They become even more tricky to spot when you are driving into the sun, with the reflections on the sand.  One way to check out the sand in front without stopping is to snake up the dune, thus allowing you to see left and right before committing yourself.  If you can’t see what is ahead, stop and get out.  It is better to be stuck than to fly off the edge of a slip-face

Although you might travel into the desert a lot and think you know the lay out of the sand dunes, remember the wind can change the shape of a dune over night and what was safe the day before is now not.  Again if you can’t see what’s in front of you it’s no great shame to stop and look, take the desert for granted at your own risk. 

Slip Face Driving
One of the more challenging and exciting parts of dune driving for most people. 
What is a Slip Face? This is the name give to the leeward side of a sand dune and can reach up to hundreds of feet.  Generally the shape of the dunes is formed by the wind, so you have a gradual slope on the wind ward side then a steep slope on the leeward side (approximately 42 degrees).  For the most part this will not get any greater as the grains of sand fall/roll down.  Beware there are some dunes which have a steep slope on both sides

So why on earth would anyone want to drive their vehicle down a 42 degrees slip face? Well it gets the blood pumping and it’s a lot of fun, but seriously if you were driving in the desert and accidentally came across a slip face or a steep slope, it’s nice to have the knowledge to be able to tackle the situation in a safe way
Stop at the top of the slip face, put the vehicle into neutral and switch from high range into low range, put / lock the vehicle in first gear.  With the vehicle in low range and first gear the engine will act as a brake to limit the speed of the vehicle as it moves down the slip face

With an automatic as you release the brake the vehicle will start to move slowly.  With a manual geared vehicle it is a little more difficult for most people at first, as you have to remove your foot completely off the clutch.  A lot of people are very tempted to depress the clutch as the vehicle drops over the edge of the slip face, this is dangerous as the vehicle can now free wheel down the slip face and gain speed
Once the vehicle has dropped over the edge of the slip face, your feet should not be touching the brake or accelerator.  There is a great temptation to try and steer as the vehicle moves down the slip face, just let the vehicle go and only steady the steering wheel in order to keep the vehicle moving straight down.  With most steep slopes as long as the vehicle is pointing down, whether forwards or backwards it is quite safe, the problems start when the vehicle is at an angle to the slope

As you drop over the edge and move down the slip face the vehicle will sink into the soft sand, a wave of sand forms in front of the vehicle, this wave is important as it forms a ramp at the bottom of the slip face for you to roll off.  Should you find that the slip face is very firm (possibly after rain) and the wave of sand is not forming, with your foot, stab the brake pedal, this will force the front of the vehicle down in the sand and will usually get the sand moving for you. 

At the bottom of the slip face wait until you have all four wheels clear of the slip face before touching the accelerator or changing back into high range, do not be tempted to accelerate as you move down the slip face, the angle at the bottom of most slip faces is too sharp and you will damage the front of your vehicle. 

Once you know what you’re doing, you can relax and enjoy the driving experience.  However, be prepared for it to be a bit nerve-racking initially!

Night Driving
Driving at night, particularly if there is no moonlight, makes navigation difficult as you can only see as far as your headlights will allow you and the silhouettes of the sand dunes become difficult to see.  The chances of driving over tricky soft sand are greatly increased.  Only the most experienced drivers go on the dunes at night.  So, if you’re going camping, and setting off after lunch, adjust the timings to ensure you reach your destination by sunset. 

Driving in a Sand Storm
Driving in a sand / dust storm is even more difficult than driving at night.  Although light, the air can be so thick with sand and dust that visibility is reduced to a few metres, (it’s like a dry dusty fog).  One can become disorientated very easily.  With sand blowing all around the tracks that you might normally use become covered by moving sand.  Navigation may become more problematic and the hazards of desert driving much more apparent. 

Apart from the above few points, the techniques of desert driving are largely learned through experience and vary from vehicle to vehicle and driver to driver.
You may receive conflicting advice from others, but the best thing is to experiment with various strategies until you find a way of driving that suits both you and your car.

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Do:
Always travel in a convoy. 

Turn off the air conditioning when desert driving.

Grip the steering wheel lightly (don’t bulldoze the sand).

Follow the contours of the dunes, turning slightly down a gradient if you’re losing momentum (this can help recover momentum).

If the sand is a little soft and you’re trying to climb a steep dune - gently snake up the dune rather than dropping into first gear and revving your engine high.  If that doesn’t work, stop and reverse back down and try again.

If you’re unsure of a sand dune drive to the bottom and have a look, turn around and then attempt to climb it.

A good way to test your desert driving ability is to see how slow and how high a gear (third or fourth) you can stay in whilst climbing that steep dune. 

Feel for the bite of the sand through the steering wheel, it’s a little like when you feel the bite of the clutch on a manual geared vehicle.

Always wear seat belts.

Most people like to wear sunglasses, though you should be warned, you can’t see the relief / contours of the sand and therefore are more likely to hit humps and bumps or even  completely miss a slip face.

Don’t:
Don’t group together - leave a safe distance between cars (longer than you would normally leave on tarmac).

Don’t brake hard (unless it’s an emergency).

Don’t follow the lead vehicle into wet sabkha, muddy sand - stop and wait until he has driven through to the other side.

Don’t get out of your vehicle en-route, unless at a designated stopping point or if you need to assist someone.

Don’t allow your children to roam too far from your vehicle enroute.

Don’t stop right next to someone who is stuck - chances are you will then be stuck too.  Drive to a safe point and then see if you can help.

Don’t drive on regardless.  If you’re unsure about what’s ahead, stop and look (better to be stuck than fly off the edge of a dune).

Don’t stop in a long line (one after the other) in soft sand.  Stop next to each other.

Don’t stop with the vehicle facing uphill (unless you absolutely have to).  Hill starts are a tad tricky in sand.

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