Qatar Flights:
Flights to Qatar
Qatar is an Arab country in southwest Asia where it occupies the Qatar Peninsula, a peninsula which juts out into the Persian Gulf. Qatar is a very rich country, said to have the highest GDP per capita in the world.
When travelling to Qatar from abroad you will more than likely get a flight to Qatar’s capital city Doha. There are a number of airlines who offer flights from South Africa, though the most convenient is the national airline of Qatar, Qatar Airways, as they offer a direct flight from Johannesburg to Doha which takes a little over 8 hours. Other airlines with flights from South Africa include South African Airways, Egyptair, Etihad Airways and Emirates, though these all have one stop.
If you prefer to fly from Cape Town you’ll be pleased to hear that Qatar Airways also offers a direct flight from Cape Town to Doha.
Book a Flight To Qatar:
To Book a flight type in where you are leaving from, where you want to go to. Edit the date range and number of passengers and just click on the submit tab.
The Tourist Attractions of Qatar:
Compared to some other countries in this part of the world, Qatar really hasn’t made its name yet as a highly popular tourist destination, and to be honest the number of attractions for tourists here are somewhat limited.
Qatar is gaining a name for itself as the next Dubai, and though development is not anywhere the scale which Dubai is seeing there are still a number of similarities between the two places – great shopping and high class hotels and restaurants are the most obvious!
Doha
The capital and largest city of Qatar is Doha, and rapid development is certainly apparent here. There’s not a great deal to do, but visitors can explore the Qatar National Museum or the Museum of Islamic Arts (open from November 2008).
The main feature of Doha is the Al-Corniche. This is a seaside promenade, popular for walks and to enjoy the views. Also here you’ll find several statues, such as the large Oyster and Pearl statue – a reminder of what Qatar’s dominant industry was before oil. You’ll also find the Doha Heritage Village which is based on a traditional Qatari village and gives visitors the chance to see traditional crafts and industries.
Other attractions in Doha include Doha Zoo as well as the Souk Waqif. The souk is a renovated Arabic market quarter where you can go for shopping, or you may like to head to one of the many modern shopping malls, where you’ll find that prices are generally cheaper than Dubai, for example.
Khor Al Udeid
Khor Al Udeid means Inland Sea, and visitors come here to enjoy what is probably Qatar’s most popular attraction – driving on the sand dunes!
There is an inland sea here of sand dunes rather than water, which stretches for miles and miles. Visitors may wish to venture out on their own, but really it’s more fun having a driver who doubles as a tour guide to take you out to the best bits! There are several companies who specialize in tours of this part of Qatar and often you can choose the guided tour as well as a traditional Arab meal served around a campfire.
When Should You Visit?:
Qatar experiences warm to hot temperatures all year round, though summer (from May to September) can be particularly hot with highs reaching over 40C. Rainfall is rare and if it falls it’s usually only during the colder winter months, from November to May.
The winter months may be referred to as colder (and they are somewhat cooler than would be expected for this latitude), but really with an average of 16.9C in the coldest month (January), the temperature is a lot higher than many other places in the world!