OutdoorUAE - September 2014

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Issue 45, September 2014

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Managing Editor Daniel Birkhofer Editor Glaiza Seguia-Godinez Administration Jane Mesina Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Linda Turcerova Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 9398915 linda@outdooruae.com Published by Outdoor UAE FZE In cooperation with D32 Events P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Tel. 04-447 2030 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com Distributor Tawzea, Abu Dhabi Media Company P.O. Box 40401, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Printed at Galadari Printing & Publishing LLC P.O. Box: 11243, Dubai, UAE

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Ready, Sept, Go! As I write this editorial, I’m still tired after a run outside the park, a proof that I have done more hypothetical exercises than actual ones. I can enumerate my feeble reasons for the lapse, but as we all know, there is no excuse not to get active. And like many guilty people, I will try to overcompensate and take advantage of the now fair weather to do more, especially this month, when our calendar is marked with events aplenty.

Apart from the run and cycling challenges, there is also the Abu Dhabi International Hunting & Equestrian Exhibition 2014 and OutdoorUAE is participating once again. The first Dubai Off-road & Adventure Show is also on full-throttle and we are excited to invite exhibitors and guests to this one of a kind event by the outdoor community for the outdoor community from November 6th to 8th at the Dubai Autodrome. More details on dubaiadventureshow.com.

We’ve also geared up the pages with some of the best outdoor products and adventure essentials in the market today. So take your pick and check out our reviews before heading out. I hope that as you are reading this issue, you too are exhausted from a good workout and already planning your next activity.

Glaiza

© 2014 Outdoor UAE FZE Issue 45 September 2014

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The information contained is for general use only.

While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources, however the publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information. In no event will the publisher, its related affiliates or anyone else be responsible for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.

Daniel Birkhofer Founder and Editor in Chief daniel@outdooruae.com

WHEN YOU’RE DONE READING, PLEASE RECYCLE!

Jane Mesina Administration jane@outdooruae.com

Glaiza Seguia-Godinez Editor glaiza@outdooruae.com

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EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS

All contents are under copyrights and may not be reproduced in any kind without written permission. © 2014 Outdoor UAE FZE Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

Linda Turcerova Sales and Marketing linda@outdooruae.com

Kit Belen Our fishing pro

John Basson Moto/ATV and all round adventure seeker

Tori Leckie Writer, runner, blogger and adventurer

Eulogy van Dyk Outdoor loving Qatar explorer

Sean James Mountaineering and MTBing expert

Ian Ganderton Kayaker, climber, mountainbiker and snowboarder.

Enthusiastic jack of all trades, master of none.

Mike Nott The 4x4 expert

WANT TO CONTRIBUTE? CONTACT US! contact@outdooruae.com

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CONTENTS 14 BALLOONING

42 COOL OUTDOOR GEAR

EVERY ISSUE

22 PAVEL OMAN

48 ZODIAC LIWA

05 BEST SHOTS 06 EVENTS CALENDAR 36 LIFESTYLE 40 PRODUCTS 56 PEOPLE 68 DIRECTORY

EVENT REVIEWS & REPORTS 08 FUJAIRAH OFFSHORE 12 RACING MTB 18 EXPLORING NEW HEIGHTS 20 JORDAN OFFROAD

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE 28 NAMIBIA 30 NORTHSIDE OF MADAGASCAR 32 CHASING TIGERS IN BANDPUR

LIFESTYLE 39 HABITUALLY HEALTHY

OUR EXPERTS 50 ADVENTURE RIDING – JOHN 52 SUMMERTIME TUNA – KIT

TIPS + TRICKS 61 BELAY TECHNIQUES – READ 62 TRI CARB DIET – TRACE 4

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BEST SHOTS WINNER!

Here are the best shots sent in by you for the monthly “Want Fame?” photography competition!

Thank you for all your entries, they were all great and it was hard selecting the best photos this month.

Congratulations to the top three winners, who will each receive Buff headwear, five free copies of the magazine and the Advance Off-road book: Murad Arslan, Richard Kennedy and Yann Lavoie. Well done!

To submit your entries, simply email us at competitions@outdooruae.com with the subject “Best Shots.”

Murad Arslan

Lower sandstone gorge at Wadi Hidan, Jordan.

WINNER!

WINNER!

Richard Kennedy

Yann Lavoie

My wife Andree and I took while wreck diving in Limassol, Cyprus last Eid holiday.

Refusing to let the hot weather get in the way of my morning SUP. Hot and humid, but totally worth it!

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EVENTS CALENDAR Stay up-to-date with the latest events

Featured Event Abu Dhabi International Hunting & Equestrian Exhibition ADIHEX_ VisProm_Outdoor UAE_140626.pdf

September 10 to 14, 11:00am to 10:00pm, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region and Chairman of the Emirates Falconer’s Club, ADIHEX is the only dedicated consumer and trade event in the Middle East for weaponry, equestrian, outdoor and marine sports, safari, arts and antiques, and promotion and preservation of culture and heritage since its launch in 2003. Organised by the Emirates Falconer’s Club, and supported by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Cultural Authority and Informa Exhibitions, this year’s edition will bring together over 600 exhibitors from 40 countries and include exciting features such as the horse show, the camel auction, and the poetry and photography competitions and more. OutdoorUAE is one of the media partners of this event. For more information, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.adihex.net” www.adihex.net.

Aloft Runs for Children ADNEC 2014 September 5, 9:00 am, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre

Now in its fifth year, this event for a good cause is inviting runners and families to enjoy a sporty fun day inside ADNEC. The team charity run will take place from 9:00am till 6:00pm (10 hours) with 6km-10km-20km competition runs at 9:00am and 1:00pm for the experienced runners as well as special runs for children, fastest lap and some more special runs during the day. Apart from prizes, runners will enter a grand raffle with a chance to win trips and weekend breaks in one of the many Starwood hotels around the world.

For more information, visit www.aloftabudhabi.com/en/roadtoawareness.

Spinneys Build Up Ride 1 of 4 September 5, 6:00am, Nad Al Sheba Cycle Park

Following on from the Wednesday Revolution Nights down at the Dubai Autodrome, the Spinneys Build-up Rides are designed to be the next step to you get ready for the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge in December. Cycle Safe Dubai has put together a training calendar that will get you from the couch to 92km in a few months. For more information, visit www.cyclechallenge.ae.

Naish N1SCO SUP Sprint race September 19, 4:00pm, Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi

In part of the Splash@Yas event, the N1SCO Sprints Round 1 of 5 of the season is divided into Mens 100m, Ladies 100m, Juniors 100m and Keiki 100m. All races are on the Naish One inflatable. If you don’t have a board organisers can supply you with one.

For more info visit www.facebook.com/N1SCOUAE or email N1SCO@kitesurfsup.com.

Hilton Dubai Tower Race 2014 September 20, 7:30 am, Hilton Dubai The Walk

In cooperation with the Race ME Events, the annual vertical race up 36 floors and 730 stairs at the Hilton Tower 2014 is back. Proceeds from the event will go to the Dubai Autism Center. For more information, contact kasper.wigen@hilton.com.

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EVENTS CALENDAR Glow & Go! 2

September 26, 8:00pm, Wadi Adventure Al Ain

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The return of the Ignite Fitness & Wellness Pink is Punk breast cancer fundraising event

The funky 5km fun run will set the night alight.

This isn’t a timed race and meant for everyone to enjoy. So more glow sticks, neon clothes and glow paint, the better! Cool down after the race with a splash in the surf pool and a DJ party. Registration will start at 6:00pm. For more information, visit www.wadiadventure.ae or contact race@wadiadventure.ae.

Muscat Triathlon Club Hotel Series Race 2

September 26, 4:00pm, Millennium Hotel and Resort, Mussanah, Oman The race takes place at the Millennium Hotel and Resort that played host to the 2010 Asian Beach Games. The swim is held in the still waters of the man-made marina where you will start on one side of the beach, swim round the jetty point and towards the beach in front of the hotel where spectators will great you. From the beach, it’s a short run to transition onto the bike and out on to the dual carriageways for an out and back double loop totaling 20km. After the event, there will be a complimentary BBQ for all race competitors. For more information, visit www.mtc-triathlon.com/mtc.

Dubai Desert Road Run 10km and 3km

September 27, 7:00am, The Sevens Stadium This race will feature two distances: 10km race and 3km fun run and both distances will be timed and award medals for all finishers. The 10km winners in each age category will receive trophies, the first three male and female finishers in the 3km will receive awards. For more information, contact info@dubairunning.com.

4th Emirates Cup Third series

September 27, 10:00am to 5:00pm, Hamdan Sports Complex

The last series of the 4th Emirates Cup will take place in the Hamdan Sports Complex. The 25m race is designed for junior and senior swimmers and will see professional swimmers from all over the world meet in Dubai. This is the final series for this year. Free admission to spectators. For more information, contact 04 264 8717.

The Pink is Punk run-swim event is back bigger and better this year. Ignite Fitness & Wellness is synonymous to healthy lifestyle, overall wellness and community. The company has committed to contributing to the community with this wonderful event raising funds in support for the Safe and Sound Breast Cancer awareness program.

The annual swim-run will be hosted for the fourth year running and its second year at the beautiful Anantara The Palm Resort and Spa on the 10th of October.

Every 30 seconds a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. With this alarming statistic in mind Guillaume Mariole began the vision of a healthy, active event to encourage across the board wellness whilst contributing to a cause close to his heart.

“Each year the smiles on the faces of the participants and the growing numbers really reinforce community spirit to get behind such a great cause,” says Guillaume Mariole, founder and Managing Director of Ignite Fitness & Wellness.

“Ignite Fitness & Wellness supports many other external events and causes and has created this event as a way to make a bigger impact on contribution to the cause.”

The event opens at 6:00am for pack collection and races start at 7:15, and 100% of the proceeds go to the Safe & Sound Breast Cancer charity.

Participants will each receive a goody bag on the day and prizes will be given to the place winners of each category. Spectators are welcome to join with an online purchase of ticket.

Facts To register go to: www.premieronline.com.

Entry fees start at 150 AED for adults, 250 AED for teams and 50 AED for Juniors. Spectators can also attend with a 150 AED contribution to the cause.

Distances: Open: 600m swim / 3km beach and pavement run Sprint: 400m swim / 1.6km beach and pavement run Junior: 200m swim / 800m beach Run Fun Run: 3km beach and pavement run

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NEWS + COMMUNITY

Fujairah Offshore Fishing Tournament 2014 October 16th – 18th, 2014 Inviting all anglers! Come and

join the most exciting fishing event in the UAE, the 2014 Fujairah Offshore Fishing Tournament.

Palma Holding, in conjunction with the Fujairah International Marine Club, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Saif Bin Hamad Bin Saif Al Sharqi, Chairman of Fujairah International Marine Club is pleased to announce the “Fujairah Offshore Fishing Tournament 2014” which is an IGFA Offshore World Championship qualifying event to be held between the 16th and 18th of October 2014.

Kareem Derbas, CEO and Co-founding partner of Palma Holding said, “As a passionate fishing enthusiast, I decided to spearhead this initiative under the umbrella of my company, Palma Holding. There are some very skilled anglers in the UAE. Also the waters of the UAE, especially Fujairah that lies on the Indian Ocean, provide some world-class fishing opportunities.

Although there is no dominant pattern to our fishing seasons like in many other parts of the world, we are blessed with the opportunity to catch Mahi Mahi (Dorado), Kingfish, several types of tuna, including

the prized Yellowfin Tuna, Sailfish and the majestic Marlin. Exciting!”

The main objective of this event is to encourage sportsmanship across the UAE, encourage youth in sport fishing and ocean ecology while rewarding charity institutions with fish caught during the tournament. “In this day and age of tablets, smartphones and fast pace of work/ life, there is no better way to disconnect, relax, have fun and learn about life, than to take a fishing boat out to the open ocean. Although getting up at dawn is always questioned by both experienced and guest anglers, once you are cruising in the boat towards the sunrise heading for open ocean, your mind instantly becomes tranquil and quickly forgets the struggles of waking up so early (coffee always helps).

The occasional pod of dolphins that cross your path, or if luckier, a whale, and the many sea turtles is always a great experience for all anglers, guests and kids that are on the boat.”

“Now once you come across a fish feeding frenzy, get your bait into the water, and get hooked up to a monster fish that is bending your rod to the max, the tranquility goes out the window in a

fraction of a second, and is replaced by adrenaline, excitement, anxiety, sore muscles and an experience of a lifetime.”

“I want to encourage all experienced anglers, novice anglers, lady anglers and junior anglers (kids) to join this tournament to allow us to learn fishing techniques from each other, to raise awareness about conservation of fish, to inspire kids to spend more time outdoors and engaging in sports and more importantly to have fun.”

“We have some wonderful trophies and gifts for the winners of different categories, including Best Lady Angler and Best Junior Angler. We have been very fortunate to receive gift sponsorship from the leading outdoor retailers Adventure HQ, leading GPS manufacturer GARMIN – AMIT Trading, leading sports sunglasses COSTA – AMIT Trading, fishing clothing retailer OHO, the world’s premier trophy sculpture BODO Muche, specialised fishing tackle store and charter company Ocean Active and Fujairah’s leading charter company Soolyman Sportfising. The gifts are going to be just wonderful for the competing anglers. In addition, the winning team will qualify to participate in the world offshore fishing tournament to be held in 2015 in Costa Rica, which is the Olympic Event of the fishing world.”

To learn more or to register for the tournament, please visit the website www.foft.ae.

dubai off-road & adventure show 2014 OMPETITION C

The event the outdoor community is waiting for!

Dubai Off-Road and Adventure Show 6th-8th November 2014 OutdoorUAE together with its strategic partners and sponsors announced in July the first Dubai Off-Road and Adventure Show taking place from the 6th to 8th November 2014 at the Dubai Autodrome. The event is the first of its kind in the region as it focused on off-road fun and outdoor adventures. The fee will be 30 AED at the entrance and kids below 12 years old are free of charge.

This is a community-focused affair showcasing off-road vehicles of all kinds, as well as introducing and bringing together outdoor clubs in the region.

SPONSORS

EXHIBITORS

The highlight of the off-road section is planned to be a custom-built 4x4 course wherein car brands can provide visitors real and first-hand off-road driving experience. The organisers and partners will also be holding a competition for the best modified off-road vehicles. To participate and find out more about the competition, please visit the website.

The adventure section of the event is dedicated to all other outdoor activities no matter if on land, on water or in the sky. There will be a lot of try-out opportunities like wall climbing, pools to test kayaks and SUPs, a cycling course and much more. Visitors will find activities for any taste and age.

To compliment the event, there will be also an exhibition area for different industry brands and businesses to showcase and sell their products or services.

This is a perfect platform for enthusiasts

MEDIA PARTNERS

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

to learn more about the market and learn about the local outdoor trends and ongoings.

Unique for any show, the organisers are inviting clubs, social groups and charities to participate in the event free of charge. To qualify for free participation they only need to prove that there is no commercial interest, for example clubscan only promote themselves, recruit for new members and exchange information. This should ensure the close connection between the industry and the community and a perfect platform for information, business and most of all fun and entertainment.

For more information about the Dubai Off-Road and Adventure Show, please visit the event website www.dubaiadventureshow.com or call +971 56 36 433 15.

COMMUNITY AND CHARITIES

EVENT REPORT

K2 2014 Words By: Adrian Hayes

Very fortunate. Extremely lucky. Unprecedented. Some of the words all of us who were privileged to summit the world’s second highest mountain in late July were using with regard to the overriding reason for our successes – the weather. To be precise we were all referring to the warm, low wind, stable and, above all, extended weather window that lasted from 22nd July into the beginning of August – exactly the time that all the teams were gearing up and ready for the summit push – and the consequential excellent snow conditions resulting.

In 2013, on my first attempt, everything that could possibly have gone wrong went wrong – teams starting too late, lack of manpower to fix the lines on the mountain, Sherpas reluctant to go up, unstable weather and, above all, deep snow being just some of the catalogue of misfortunes we faced. The result was not only no summits on K2 – for the fourth year in the past five – but the deaths in an avalanche at Camp 3 of New Zealanders Marty and Denali Schmidt. Tragically, nine climbers were killed on neighbouring 8,000m peaks Gasherbrum 1 and 2 and Broad Peak and a further 11 killed in the terrorist attack at Nanga Parbat base camp. With 22 fatalities it was a catastrophic season, the deadliest in Karakorum history.

In 2014, conversely, everything that could go right went right. If it wasn’t for

the sad death of Spaniard Miguel Perez on 30th July – a highly experienced climber with eight 8,000m peaks under his belt – it would have been an unprecedented fatality free season.

At what I calculate was a total of 46 summits from the seven teams attempting the mountain, the summit total wasn’t the highest ever in a season – 51 summited in 2004 – but the 35 of us who topped out on Saturday, 26th July was the highest ever in one day. This summer also had the greatest number of days in a season that the mountain has been summited by different climbers.

But these stats belie the true picture of K2. For starters, there was a large number of climbers attempting the mountain this year, due to the 60th anniversary of its first ascent. Secondly, every one of those on K2 this summer were seasoned professionals – highly experienced climbers with many of the 14 x 8,000m mountains under their belts. Although I’ve been climbing since I was 17, in 8,000m summit terms with just Everest behind me I was the least experienced guy on the mountain. And thirdly, had the temperature been just a few degrees colder or had there been any wind then a good number of those who summited on 26th July would have succumbed to the cold or turned back, due to the time our summit push took – 15 hours on average. The weather and snow conditions were the catalyst for our success.

For let no one be mistaken, the lack of any summit successes from the Pakistan side in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013 – along with many other years where there are no summits – tells a truer picture. Our own failure in 2013 was testimony to this. K2 is a brute of a mountain to summit. This isn’t just a hard snow plod to the top, but a sustained steep ascent right from ABC all the way to the top, with countless vertical rock bands and 80-90 degree ice slopes to confront. You have to climb this mountain continuously and the hazards – that

steepness, the exposure, the constant rock fall and ever present avalanche dangers – make its reputation justified.

And, as such, I feel incredibly privileged to have stood on its top for the five minutes I spent up there before, as if K2 was warning us, the bad weather and snow closed in. Three years in planning and preparation all came to fruition in that incredible and unmatchable five minutes I witnessed. I only wish I could bottle such an intense experience, to open up every few weeks to savor. So many top climbers have repeatedly attempted and failed to summit the “Savage Mountain” and many have lost their lives in doing so. I am, indeed, incredibly fortunate.

My sincerest thanks to sponsors Thuraya and their UAE distributors Xtra-Link; Marmot and their UAE distributors ZSI Trading; MEFITPRO, California Chiropractic Center, JA Resorts, Dubai Podiatry Centre, website designers Ten Twenty and the team at Professional Sports Group who all, along with a number of individuals, helped make it happen.

Adrian Hayes will be presenting “K2: The Tragedy and the Triumph” in public events in London on Tuesday, 9th September and Dubai on Wednesday 15th October. Details on www.adrianhayes.com.

ACTIVITY REPORT

Racing your mountain bike Words By: Sean James Photos By: Leigh Foreman, Nyi Nyi Doelene

The British Empire Games or the Commonwealth Games as they are now known were recently held in Glasgow, Scotland. Some of the most exciting events were the mountain bike races. Here in the UAE we also have many events and races. Now is the time to start thinking of filling your race calendar for the coming season. There are many different styles of races and they are not all for the experts. The organisers and sponsors do a great job and if you haven’t been to one yet, they are just as exciting to watch.

So what are the types of mountain bike races that you could enter?

Cross-country or XC Cross-country or XC is normally held on a short circuit and riders complete a number of laps. Depending on the race, a lap could be anywhere from 6-10km with the total distance being not more than 50km. The advantage of this type of race is that spectators can see riders coming through Looking good in a race

at the completion of each lap and riders get the opportunity to use technical support at the service area if their equipment fails. Riders all start together in a massedstart so being in the front group is important if you are thinking of winning or taking advantage of drafting. The routes are a mix of terrain and will include technical and uphill sections to provide riders with the opportunity to escape the field. This is the most popular style of race in the UAE and a number are held at Showka which is an ideal venue. Both hardtail and full suspension bikes are suitable for XC style races. Cross country races are more tests of endurance and cardio vascular ability than technical riding ability.

Short Track Cross-country or STXC This is very similar to XC but as the name implies the laps are very short. A typical lap maybe only 800m in length and last only about 1 minute 30 seconds. The number of riders in each heat is less but the fight for track space provides for a short, sharp exciting event both to watch and participate in.

Downhill Downhill (DH) racing is a time trial event.

Riders start at intervals to avoid traffic on the course. The rider with the fastest time wins. Downhill races are typically held in steep, technical, downhill terrain that provides spectacular racing often with jumps and much higher speed than XC races. The courses are specially prepared by experts to test the nerve and skill of the mountain biker and heavy full suspension, downhill specific bikes are definitely needed as these types of races will test bike handling ability and have no uphill or endurance sections.

Super D Super D (SD) is a mixture between crosscountry and downhill and combines ele-

ments of both. Depending on the organiser the race may be an individual time trial format or a Le Mans mass start. Where this style of race differs from XC is that most of the race is downhill with some sections similar to the downhill segment of a cross-country race. However there will also be short uphill sections. Full suspension, downhill bikes are not suitable for this type of race.

Freeride Freeride (FR) competitions are very popular for the media as they provide spectacular images and more often than not crashes.

The courses are short, normally less than 8km so spectators can see all the action and only one rider is on the course at a time. They can be timed but are more a test of the riders’ skill. Natural or manmade cliffs, drops, obstacles, narrow ridges and ramps provide the challenge for the riders and judges score each rider on their choice of route, the fluidity of riding and tricks performed.

Dual Slalom Dual Slalom (DS) is an exciting, contact sport that places two riders against each other side by side on the same course.

The course is very short with twists, turns, bumps and jumps providing spills and thrills. The first to cross the line wins. Heats are held and a grand final decides the overall winner.

Four Cross Four cross (4X) is a mixture of dual slalom and BMX racing. A number of heats are held with winners progressing to a final.

Four riders are in each heat so expect lots of bumping and pushing. Racing is usually on BMX style bikes.

Marathon Marathon (XCM) are the long distance version of mountain bike racing. Races normally cover 60-100km in a day on

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mountainous and remote terrain. Riders all start together in a mass start and being self-sufficient, selecting the correct nutrition and being able to fix your bike are key skills for this style of racing. Sometimes Stage Races A stage race consists of a number of sections or stages held over several days.

Each day has a different stage. The length, format and style can vary but is similar to a marathon mountain bike race. A time trial section may also be included. Competitors are timed for all stages and the rider with the lowest cumulative time is the overall winner of the General Classification. Other awards may include individual stage winners. These style races although hard are becoming very popular. The TransHajar in Oman and Cape Epic in South Africa are examples of this type of racing. Full service options such as accommodation, food, bike servicing and massage are all part of the package for competitors.

Enduro Enduro (ND) is a mountain bike race composed of a number of stages. Each stage is timed and the winner is the rider with the lowest cumulative time for all the “timed” sections. On the course there are also “link” or “liaison” stages that are not timed but are to move the competitors between the more demanding and technical timed sections. Typically in a one-day Enduro race there will be between 3-5 timed stages although race can last up to a week. Enduro race courses are designed to test the allround skill of the riders, including downhill, uphill, cross country as well as endurance.

Bike Trials Bike trials are held on man-made and also natural obstacle courses. Competitors are timed and there are also penalties if they put a foot down to balance. The race is less about speed but more control of the bike such as balance, jumping and decision making, with skills known as the track stand, pedal hop, side hop and front wheel pivot turn.

Dirt Jumping Dirt Jumping (DJ) is a very specialised form of mountain biking. Riders are awarded

Typical entrant in the UAE race scene

There is always a good mixture of people at the races

points for their ability to perform tricks as they jump off mounds of dirt. The bikes used for this style of competition are generally smaller than a Freeride bike and the mounds are much larger producing higher aerobatics. Courses may be in an arena and are generally in front of a crowd to provide a spectacular event.

www.premieronline.com or through your favorite bike shop. New races are continually being added so keep your calendar free.

Mountain Bike Orienteering Mountain bike orienteering (MTBO) is a mountain bike race where the focus is on route choice and navigation. Competitors are given a map and have to visit checkpoints in a certain time. Sometimes the checkpoints have different values so selecting a route whilst riding fast is a key skill.

These types of races are fun and the checkpoints are usually all within a limited area so that competitors of all abilities continually cross tracks in their search for checkpoints.

Below is a list of races taking part in 2014 / 2015 in the UAE: • October 2014 - Jebel Al Jais Challenge - TT fun ride • November 2014 - Showka Race – XC • November 2014 - Lolo Challenge - XC • Race and DH Race • December 2014 - Awafi Race • January 2015 - Hot Six Race • February 2015 - Dante Torres Enduro Finals • March 2015 - GTR - Get Together Ride (event) • Wadi Bih hill climb - this is a great race that has happened in the past and hopefully will do in 2014/15) • Trans Hajar http://transhajar.com/

How to enter So if you have a mountain bike and a helmet, races are great to boost your motivation and to explore new trails here in the UAE. There will be people of all speeds and abilities. Whatever your preferred style make sure you enter a race this season.

The number of events in the UAE is growing. The race season usually starts around September when the weather is slightly less hot. Information about dates, organisers and how to enter can be found via the internet, on the mountain bike group pages on Facebook,

The Trans Hajar Mountain Bike Race in Oman has a worldwide prominence in the MTB calendar. It is an annual multi-stage mountain bike race that takes place in the Al Hajar Mountains a little over four hours from Dubai.

The route changes every year and has world-class competitors, many of whom use it as preparation for the Cape Epic in South Africa. From a central camping site, competitors ride for four days on a route that features technical rock gardens, wadi beds, wide dusty graded roads and some 20+ gradient climbs and descents.

Racing is fun

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ACTIVITY REPORT

High Miles Clubbing Words By: Vanda Turcerova

Hot air balloon ride is one of those things you have always wanted to try but never got around to actually doing. It is, so to speak, a touristy thing to do. We have too little time to spare in the wee hours of the morning, so on a clear day you spot a balloon high up in the sky, all you have time for is to make a mental note to add it to your bucket list.

I got the opportunity to hop on a balloon late April. Due to weather and wind conditions, it is customary to ride out either early morning or late afternoon into the evening. Winds are just too strong up there in cruising altitudes of 1+ kilometres above sea level to control the machine comfortably, and so I found myself on the road at 4:00am to meet with the team of Balloon Adventures Emirates and the rest of travelers at the parking lot of IKEA in Festival City. Leaving our cars, we boarded two mini buses with Peter and Mike, our pilots and the faces and muscles behind the company.

A short drive and a snooze later, our buses pulled onto a dirt track off the main Dubai-Al Ain Road. There, with the sunlight creeping slowly into our vision, we could make out two shapes of semiinflated balloons. I think this is when we actually woke up, spilling out of the bus, feet landing on the softest desert sand imaginable. Mild breeze around us, we have been assigned to pilot Peter, of Hungarian origin, who is a happy chappy with visible years under his belt when it comes to balloons. As we got briefed on getting into the basket, take off, safe landing and departure, we left all our belongings in the buses. One camera allowed (and keep an eye on anything that is not tied to you in any way), we

approached the giants with caution and curiosity. It was mesmerizing to watch as the fabric fills up with hot air, slowly rising and forming into its shape. Noise of escaping fuel was horrendous; in the middle of silence, it felt like an opening of a furnace; instant heat took us a step or two back.

As the balloons filled up and in one swift movement stood upright above the basket, upon instruction the human cargo, meaning us, was loaded into the basket. Our quarters for the next hour or so were split into four passenger compartments on the far side, with the central space occupied by Peter, his cargo of liquid propane and various navigational and communication apparatuses. The sun was not yet up, but you could see the day coming slowly along. Out of the two balloons, ours was the “combined tourists” one. The other one was booked privately for, I believe, an incentive group, which I suppose makes it little bit more enjoyable, being with people you know. The baskets can hold each up to 24 passengers, so don’t expect a

romantic cruise with your loved one or an impressive date with picnic basket and champagne on ice. Although, if you are after the ultimate private experience, this is definitely what you should aim for.

Nevertheless, we were in for a beautiful ride.

As soon as we boarded our air transporter, two things became apparent: first, silence came to play and apart from the occasional blast from the propane tank fueling up our monster roaring above our heads like Smaug spewing fire from its mouth at the sign of Bilbo Baggins, we could be sneaking up on top secret operation and never be heard. Secondly, as we were warned by our charming pilot and tour leader Peter, temperatures would be higher up there than down where the mercury was hitting 30s already. Well, for a short hour-long ride, we kind of accepted each other as sweaty roommates of the high mile’s fly basket.

Rising up slowly, it was surprising to witness how swiftly we were airborne and rising higher up. The actual rise was not so much felt as witnessed by comparing

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our position with the second balloon.

Our blimp was effortlessly rising above the glorious break of dawn and the view was to die for. The horizon became visible and stretching over our peripheral vision, everything on the ground that was life-sized minutes ago shrank to ant-like proportions. I felt our own smallness as we danced in the peaceful air, pleasantly warm, turning naturally, registering our neighbour and waiting to witness the birth of the sun into our atmosphere.

Peter was constantly updating us on our altitude and under his skillful navigation and experience, we “docked” at about a kilometre above the ground just as the sun gloriously entered our vision and in a moment, we were basking in its rays through a slight haze around us.

Balloon cruising is neither quick nor a cheap hobby; by now we were, without really realising it, 20 minutes into our one-hour trip, and burned through half of our fuel just to get up us. At 3.5 AED or so for a litre, we have spent about 500 AED of pure liquid propane and another 500+ AED to go. You can see how it becomes quite an expensive excursion, but quality of materials and experience of the crew come above all to keep you entertained and safe up here. As we mar-

veled in barely noticeable 15 k/h cruising speed, the view was spectacular beneath us. Earth creatures that we are, bound to the ground by gravity and ways of life, we, humans, have always wondered about the skies pointing out wild desert gazelles and a camel here and there, mere dots to us yet still recognisable if you focused your eyesight. Dune shapes became instantly recognisable, shrubs of vegetation here and there in between golden silky sands of the desert. The silence was amazing; you don’t realise how much noise we live in until you switch yourself off and take a trip such as this one. Weather kept at pleasant 30+ degrees with the occasional trysts of gas being fed into our giant flying ball disrupting the quiet, yet necessary to keep the altitude and direction. The reason why we were so early was apparent; with changing altitudes, winds speeds change as well, meaning during the day, the increased speeds of high air make it impossible to control cruising. Fair enough, as the day temperatures would not make for a pleasant trip, and trips after May and before September are possible, but very unpleasant.

Forty-five minutes into our adventure, it was time to start dropping. That is

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another element of balloon travel that cannot be exactly predicted. Because travel is made possible by winds, and winds cannot be accurately predicted to plan for exact landing, it is always a “shot in the sand” so to speak in our case. We started dropping immediately, burning through propane like it’s going out of fashion. We were rapidly approaching the dunes and as we were nearing the ground, interestingly our height being very difficult to guess. We could be well over 20m above, yet it seemed one could touch the sand, so clear and near it seemed. Perception of height was lost as we glided above, Peter adding hot gas to manoeuvre us in the direction of the indicated landing strip allocated the them. You just can’t land a balloon anywhere you like in secluded desert reservation. If you miss your spot, better aim for the next one, because if you land somewhere in between, you are facing a fine by the government. You can see now why it takes skills and years in the basket to aim a seemingly random flying giant balloon at the right spot.

As it was, we have diverted from our originally planned course, which was, according to our pilot, expected and a few landing strips were designated specifically for this purpose. On our way down and minutes before we touched down, we managed to scrape against a shrub, leaving our imaginary mark on the pristine desert. Just before the actual touchdown, we assumed brace positions, but the landing was nothing like we expected. Our basket caressed the top of smooth sand and a jump later, we stationed ourselves smack in the middle of our landing position. The second balloon followed shortly after us and we witnessed their descent and landing a few hundred metres away with intact crew, passengers and equipment safely on the ground.

Because we landed a few kilometres from our original post, we were shuttled back to our minivans in a few minutes.

It was just before 7:00am, yet we have opened our eyes not only into a new day this early, but also to the fantastic possibilities that a lift-off on a balloon created in our minds. It is possible to do the impossible – touch the sky and be greater than yourself.

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ACTIVITY REPORT

Rethinking the adventure experience Words By: Sean James

Not all adventure has to be in the hot desert or the dusty mountains. I got my first taste of climbing not in an icy, remote mountain range or sunny rockface, but on walks home from the pub in urban Essex.

Twenty years ago climbing to me meant churches, schools, building sites. Anything we could get access to at midnight. Our only intention was to climb and explore.

We didn’t take anything or destroy anything. We would simply do it for the thrill and excitement. Frequently we were slightly merry and would howl with laughter as we ran home after setting off an alarm or being spotlighted by security lights. Only twice did I ever break any bones.

Many years later, I still haven’t grown up and continue to get a buzz from this sort of adventure. Only now I try to pass that

Steel cables need big anchors at the bottom

Don’t look down

Abseiling from bridges always stopped the traffic

enjoyment on to others. For many years I worked closely with a number of large charity organisations in the UK. In exchange for a shot of adrenaline, their supporters would raise funds for good causes.

Each weekend we would descend upon a landmark venue; Premiership football grounds including Old Trafford, The Tyne Bridge, museums, art galleries, reservoir walls, castles, cranes. The list was endless.

If we had permission we would abseil, climb and zip line down anything that looked fun. In a day we could “process” the adventure experience for as many as 400 people, sometimes five clients abseiling simultaneously if we had multiple ropes and the necessary instructors. Consider that each adventurer was probably raising a minimum of 500 AED, the weekend was profitable for everyone.

It is true I’ve probably had more hospital visits from climbing artificial structures than real rock but that shouldn’t stop you. Many

Multiple abseilers down the castle wall

Climbing buildings can be fun

Abseil from the top of Old Trafford

companies offer highly regulated and controlled adventures and thrills just outside your doorstep.

The UAE is no exception. Simulated adventure sports are everywhere. Ski Dubai, Wadi Adventure all offer this now accepted form of adventure.

Even the authorities here seem to encourage the climbing of buildings, as long as it is controlled. The Spiderman climber from France, Alain Robert, made a wellplanned ascent of the Burj Khalifa. Some of my most exhilarating experiences in the UAE has been climbing buildings. Dangerous? Yes. Fun? Definitely. Exploration and unstructured, unrestricted adventures are important. If you limit this type of play and discovery within a population and particularly children you have the makings of a very dull society.

So next time you are walking along the street, look up and around you at the potential for adventure on your doorstep.

Messing around on high buildings gives a feeling of calmness

EVENT REPORT

Exploring new heights Last Part

Words + Photos By: Rhys and Laura Jones

The reality of being on expedition was starting to hit home. If we wanted to drink, it was down to us to melt snow. Likewise at dinner time we lived in our tent whilst Simon, our guide, lived in his. It was very much an independent trip and by no means beginner friendly.

It was a semi polar environment and I’d say it was akin to climbing Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America, starting at around 14,000ft in terms of temperature and conditions. It was Laura’s first “proper” expedition aside from a hike up Mount Toubkal in Morocco and stacks of UK hill walking. I knew it would be a baptism by fire, but at that moment, I was starting to wonder if we’d bitten off more than we could chew.

We set off from our high camp at around 10:00am for the summit. The beauty of Arctic summers is that there’s never a time pressure as it never gets dark, so it always felt like a leisurely start compared to climbs in the European Alps and other ranges. We walked into a bitter headwind, and instead of warming up as we exerted ourselves, we were grasping for all of our extra layers until we had nothing more to put on. We decided to retreat to the tent, continuing would have been the frostbite express.

We spent the rest of the day in the tent listening to the wind picking up, but I was

secretly glad of the rest. It didn’t get any better the next day though, or even the day after. We’d eaten all of our main meals, and on that fourth morning we knew it was make or break. We’d either have another go at the top, or have no choice but to retreat all the way to Base Camp for food and supplies. Thankfully, the weather gods smiled and we could head up.

We skinned for around two hours on easy angled glacier, dodging a few crevasses. Then we hit a ridge where we stashed skis, fitted crampons and walked to the base of the beautiful summit pyramid. The vista was amazing, like nothing else on earth apart from Antarctica.

Unclimbed peaks as far as the eye could see, and not another living soul within 200 miles. The crest of the lower ridge felt quite alpine but wasn’t particularly exposed, so very enjoyable to actually walk along. After the first couple of hundred metres of the summit pyramid, the slope steepened considerably to around 65 degrees. The snow conditions were pretty variable too, sometimes breaking through crust and sinking to the knee, other times on hard nevé. One of the crux sections traversed about 20m of brittle ice which had been scoured by the wind. I watched Laura thrash across it, clearly at the limit of what she’d done on snow and ice before.

The ice shattered like dinner plates as she swung her ice axe in to it. It rejected the pick many times, sending it bouncing back out of the ice like a spring before finally

finding purchase and sinking the front few teeth in. It was much steeper than I’d expected, and led to a spectacular section of narrow steep ridge which dropped away in every direction. It was like walking along a pyramid, which was just wide enough for a pair of boots, and a terrifying drop in every direction. At that moment, a simple slip would likely have killed all three of us. With no medical help for hundreds of miles, it made the whole climb feel more intense. There was no back up or Plan B. We had to keep calm and keep climbing.

Shortly afterwards, we took the final steps across the plateau on to the summit, where we tried to comprehend the incredible bird’s-eye view which lay beneath us. It was still painfully cold so after a short break and celebration, it was already time to descend again. The cruelest part of mountaineering is surely to spend so much trying to reach a summit, and having so little time to spend there and enjoy it.

The descent was tough, and the exposure felt very real once we were facing out from the slope. Going back down the steepest section of the ridge, out of the corner of my eye I saw Laura slip. My heart stopped momentarily as I waited to see if she would start to slide. Thoughts raced through my mind of the best side of the ridge to jump off to counter-balance the fall. The ropes came tight, I looked behind me, and she was stationary. Despite being very shaken, she quickly got back on to her feet and turned into the ice to climb down

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step by step. It took almost as long to get down as it did to get to the top. A mixture of fatigue and knowing that we couldn’t make any mistakes.

We rolled into camp late in the afternoon elated and with jelly legs, so we decided to spend the night there. Skiing down with the pulks the next day was almost as challenging as the way up, and definitely more frustrating. They constantly push from behind, making it almost impossible to control speed or direction.

It was like skiing down a blue run, over a mixture of powder, ice and crust, with heels unclipped and 30kg pushing you down the hill. Being lousy skiers as we are, there was a lot of falls, and even more swearing. As we skied over the final 6-7km back to Base Camp, the sky turned an ominous grey and the light was completely flat. It looked like weather was on the way, and we were to be proved 100% correct on that observation.

We spent the next five consecutive days stormbound in our tents as the wind and snow took turns hammering us with tedious regularity. At its worst, we were taking turns to dig out the tents every three hours, day and night, to stop them from collapsing. Sitting in the comfort of everyday life, it’s hard to comprehend how long five days can feel. Days turned to nights as the spindrift swirled around our tents, banking on the leeward side before shifting to bury us from a different angle.

The routine of melting snow, drinking tea and eating cake, great as it sounds, got really boring. We’d gone from the extreme of sled hauling and a significant climb, to

vegetating in our sleeping bags for almost a week.

On the sixth day of the storm, the plane was due to collect us, but couldn’t because the weather was so bad. This almost destroyed our morale, as we were psychologically ready to leave the glacier after a long five days cooped up. Another three days passed until it cleared enough for the plane to come, and we’d been buried up to the very top of our tents. First we heard the hum of the Twin Otter, then we picked out its red fuselage and a wave of emotions washed over us when we saw it touchdown. It made four journeys up and down the runway before coming to a complete stop, and when we slumped in to the basic bench seat it was a wonderful feeling. A hot shower and a warm bed were beckoning.

Some would say that those eight days must have been the ultimate test for our relationship, but we came through it with our marriage and sense of humour in tact.

Laura proved that she’s tougher than she looks (and tougher than she thought), and despite not getting as much done as we’d hoped, we came home feeling very satisfied with having climbed the highest mountain in the Arctic, also known as the Eighth Summit, and living through an eight-day Arctic storm along the way. Of a planned 14-day trip, we had 16-days in Greenland, 11 of which were bad weather.

Hopefully next time we’re on expedition together (and there’ll be a next time), we’ll have better weather.

Now back in Dubai, we are available to share our experiences with companies,

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networking groups and students, drawing links from our expeditions to the challenges of business. Rhys has been a professional speaker since becoming the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits; to climb the highest peak on each continent.

He summited Mount Everest on his 20th birthday in 2006 and has worked with clients across all sectors in Europe, North America and the Middle East. He now runs RJ7 Expeditions and is Regional Director of Camps International, providing expeditions for school teams and private groups. For details, please contact us via rhys@rjseven.com.

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ACTIVITY REPORT

Training on a Yas Marina Circuit Each week cyclists and runners hit the state-of-the-art Formula 1™ circuit Words + Photos By: Nicola de Corato

Did you know that you can run and cycle on a Formula 1™ track, in Abu Dhabi, the famous Yas Marina Circuit?

On this track, every year we can see the best F1™ pilots of the world: Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Louis Hamilton.

But it’s not the only moment we can enjoy the circuit.

Every Tuesday from 6:00pm to 9:00pm runners, walkers and cyclists are invited to use the Formula 1™ track in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, to get fit and have fun. Whether you’re a serious runner, walker, professional cyclist or simply taking a sunset stroll with the family, TrainYAS by ActiveLife welcomes participants of all levels and speeds to get on the track.

I’m not a professional athlete, but I’m fond of sports, marathon and triathlon in particular, and since I discovered TrainYAS, I try not to miss a Tuesday there. Mostly because I’m fan of motorsports as well, and running and biking on the AbuDhabi F1 track is a great emotion.

Moreover running on a circuit gives you lots of advantages. Safety, first of all. The grounds are very well maintained: no cars, no motorbikes, no traffic, just for cyclists and runners, going in opposite directions (ones in the middle of the track, the others along the border). Medical cars are ready along the circuit in case of need.

You have plenty of facilities; on the track you can find two water stations and there are other two water stations before entering the circuit, for example. But also a cafeteria where to relax after the training, washrooms, a big parking.

There are many things to enjoy along the ride: the sunset at the Yas Marina for example, or the amazing architecture of the Viceroy Hotel with its monocoque steel and glass bridge and gridshell structure that both cross above and over the circuit, a real amazing sight, especially in the evening with all the light shows on.

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Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is a proud supporter of healthy living in the Abu Dhabi community. To encourage participation in healthy living activities, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a world-class multispeciality hospital being built on Al Maryah Island, provides complimentary bikes for public use each week at TrainYAS. Most of them are mountain bikes, but you can also find some road bikes. So if you don’t have a bike, you can get it there directly. Extra bikes and helmets are available for hire, courtesy of Fun Ride Sports and Adventure HQ. TrainYas is not the only chance to run on a circuit all over the world. Formula Run is a one-lap event taking place at the worldclass facilities of the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas – a special opportunity to run the track two weeks before the first annual F1™ event, for example. Or at the Autodromo di Monza a non-competitive race, organised by the Italian League for the Fight Against Cancer (LILT) that takes place every year. The circuit of Montmelò (in Spain) and the Gilles Villenueve circuit in Quebéc offer bikers the chance to ride their own bike on same days.

But TrainYas is the only occasion to train weekly on a F1™ circuit, with a full kind of facilities (rental bikes for free, water stations, and so on). So spend your Tuesday evenings working out at Yas Marina Circuit – a unique, safe and friendly training ground!

The weekly TrainYAS by ActiveLife evenings are free entry for all whether clubs, friends and families. But schedule and track configurations are subject to last minute track bookings, so contact the circuit on the day you wish to attend to ensure you are not disappointed.

A similar initiative just for women is GoYAS by Activelife. Similar to Train Yas but in complete privacy every Wednesday. Ladies

are welcome to walk, run and cycle or take part in group fitness activities including boot camp, pilates, dance-fit and yoga.

Please note cycling and group classes are only available for ladies 14 years + and must have adult supervision.

All activities are supervised by an internationally certified female trainer. GoYAS

by Activelife is a ladies-only initiative and closed to the general public to ensure the privacy of participants. All staff are strictly female. To attend TrainYAS and GoYAS by Activelife, you need to register for your membership card for free, entering your details on www.yasmarinacircuit.com and collecting the card directly the day of the training at the registration point.

If you were not in time to register, you can get a daily pass directly at the registration point.

Blogger, marathon runner and triathlete, diver and heli rescue swimmer with Bergamo Scuba Angels. You can read my blog www.dubayblog.com, contact me on social networks or via email at admin@dubaiblog.it for information about this article or just to say hello.

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Two-wheeled Omani adventure

Jani didn’t made it across the swamps

Words + Photos By: Pavel Bafeel

After having such a long discussion with my friend regarding Eid holiday, we just decided to try all our favourite spots in beautiful Oman. I planned a route which was approximately 3,000km by car and about 500km on motocross bikes around several stops. Let me share with you our adventures.

Magnificent Jebel Shams views

Clay stalactites close to Hasik

Difficult terrain around Wadi Darbat

Jebel Shamha campsite

Day 1:

famous turtle sports in Oman. The road to Ras Al Hadd covers several nice hikes The night before our take off, we loaded and view on the way between the Muscat the bikes, camping and motocross gear, and Sur. You definitely need to see Wadi necessary spare bike parts, food supply, Shabb, which offers amazing hike and and fully-equipped medical box. The next swimming in the cave. Wadi Tiwi offers day at sunrise, we left Dubai and through nice and tight off-road through lots of Al Ain we reach Wadi Damm. small Omani villages. There is also a sink Wadi Damm offers you approximately hole, which offers adrenaline jumps and a medium difficulty one-hour hike to a rerefreshing swim. Due to time pressure we freshing swim under a small waterfall. Afonly got to visit the Wadi Tiwi and the sink ter the hike, we took off-road shortcut to hole. After these, we reached Ras Al Hadd a one of those famous Jebel Shams camp and set up our campsite in one of those cliff sites, where we dropped the bikes empty fisherman houses. After a late dinand took a small ride around the area. ner, we went to see the nesting turtles.

On a bike, you can only stay on the roads or goat tracks and try to enjoy all the magnificent views to the wadi. Keep in mind that if you camp in Jebel Shams, the Jebel Shams goat temperature is much cooler in the night, approximately 22°C during the summer and 10°C during the winter. It’s wise to also pack mosquito repellent if you camp on the south side on the mountain.

Day 2: Road to Ras Al Hadd

After early sunrise awakening, we pack the entire car and head to the most

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Our Assilah gang

Our camping site close to Ash Shuwaymiyah

Day 3 and 4 – Assilah playgrounds

Assilah is known as the most favourite kitesurfing and surfing spot in Oman, especially during the summer, wind is approximately between 20-40kts and wave can reach up to 2m. For motocross, Assilah offers various terrains such as beaches, sand dunes, mountains, swamps, or even crazy rides thru cities like Ashkharah. In Assilah, we met several of our friends and for two days we were discovering Assilah’s beautiful terrain.

Day 5: Never-ending road to Salalah

The plan was to drive to Salalah on one shot, but because we left Assilah around noon, we were forced to split the route to two parts. After about 700km we camp close to Ash Shuwaymiyah.

Day 6: Ash Shuwaymiyah to Assilah

After an early bird wake-up call, it’s 400km Omani hospitality close to Dhofar

Wadi Damm waterfall

Beautiful Dhofar

to Assilah. On the way to Salalah, we did several stops around the new coast road and saw several wadis, clay stalactites and nice sea views. About 50km before Assilah was Taqa, where we dropped the bikes and took a trail to Wadi Darbat. The terrain was difficult to ride with slippery mud, rain, fog and high humidity. Due to the difficulties and several crashed, we had to ride slow, which caused the bikes to overheat several times. After a while, we disregarded our plan and took the main road back to the car. For camping, I picked one of my favourite Salalah campsites, called Jebel Shamha.

hitting almost all the cow trails, tourists sports and enjoyed every breathtaking view around the coast line. On our bikes, we entered completely undiscovered terrains and enjoyed the lush green views.

On several occasions, you could easily drive from greenery to completely dry rocky land with no sign of life.

Day 7 and 8: Dhofar Area

Pavel

On the way to Dhofar, we have to stop in the local fish and meat market to restock on goat and fish meat. It’s a must to visit and see the various types of fishes they have. We spent two days around Dhofar,

Day 9: 1,200km back to Dubai

I have to thank all my Omani friends for guidance, help during critical situations, food experience, and the unwavering Omani hospitality! I look forward to another Oman Eid adventure.

Bimmah Sinkhole

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

The road less travelled An extraordinary destination of unspoilt natural beauty, the off-the-beaten track country of Zimbabwe has a policy of keeping adventure seekers on their toes

Words By: Cheryl Mandy Photos By: Jenny Jobling

When it’s summer in the northern hemisphere, it’s winter in the southern. At this time Zimbabwe has crisp sunny days with cool star-flecked night skies – amazingly clear vistas of the Milky Way and Southern Cross are common from June to September.

This seasonal reversal works in many UAE residents’ favour as they seek destinations to flee to during the hot summers. It’s also the best time to take a safari in one of the most spectacularly beautiful countries of southern Africa, because all camouflaging leaves from bushes and trees have fallen to the ground. Wildlife can no longer hide from photographers during these dry winter months. Even timid species are drawn from the dry interior to congregate at shrinking waterholes, rivers or dams.

Zimbabwe is one of those lesser trod destinations, a point in its favour for it is totally unspoiled by mass tourism. No mini-bus highway congregating around one animal sighting here. You can drive for hours without seeing another vehicle in some parts of this 390,580sqkm land.

The country’s tourism providers have suffered considerably because of undeniably rocky politics over the years but as every Zimbabwean knows and says, they “make a plan.” The standard of accommodation, professionalism of guides and tourism products come as a surprise to first timers, as does the warm welcome visitors receive from its people. Dutch traveller Wendy is

among those who discovered this when she and seven other women toured Zimbabwe early in July this year.

Hiring a small bus from Nyati Travel and Tours run by tour operator Goof de Jong (also Dutch), she said: “Crineas was an excellent driver, courteous, friendly and totally unruffled at having to drive seven women (and later one guy) around Zimbabwe.

The first bus had difficulty getting up the escarpment from Kariba (the women and their luggage?!) but it was quickly replaced by a brand new bus and we continued on our trip through several police road blocks, which didn’t phase Crineas at all, even when at one point they asked if

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he could drive! When we expressed our astonishment at the huge avocado pears, he stopped off at a market and bought us eight of them.”

She adds: “We will be eternally grateful to him too for finding a TV so that the Orange fans could watch their team play football and didn’t blink an eye at the strange gear they insisted on wearing to cheer them on. At no time did we ever feel unsafe or uncomfortable.”

Ranked as a country with the best climate in the world alongside Malta, Zimbabwe is not only about safaris, although this is a major draw-card. It also offers adrenalinepacked extreme adventures as well as community and wildlife based volunteer projects.

When I took a different bus journey around the country, each day something out-of-the-ordinary was unearthed or seen, starting off upon arrival in the capital of Harare in October. At this time of year, the wide avenues in the city are flanked and weighed down by hanging clumps of the purple blossoms of jacaranda trees. It’s quite a sight to behold. Jacarandas also adorn the streets of most of the bigger towns.

In retrospect we should have joined Nyati Travel’s nine-day country tour via Masvingo, which although a little longer, has much more to see than the route we took including the fabulous – literally – Great Zimbabwe Ruins (meaning big house made of stone) and from which the name of the country is taken. These ancient ruins, built between the 12th and 15th centuries, were once a great dry-stone walled city and the centre for Arab gold trading.

However, our tour took us from Harare via Gweru to Bulawayo in Matabeleland some six hours drive away. The city boasts a main street so wide you can comfort-

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ably turn an ox-wagon in it. About two years ago the enterprising mayor Thaba Moyo gained some fame during a very bad drought for endorsing a “big flush policy.” Residents were encouraged to pull their toilet chains (handles) at 7:30pm on a Monday night to prevent blockages during water rationing. Water has always been an issue in Bulawayo.

After a visit to the impressive Natural History Museum in the city we drove to Matobo Hills National Park 34km southwards, consisting of sunset-coloured granite rocks precariously balanced one upon the other.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage site (along with the Great Zimbabwe Ruins). Blending unobtrusively into the rocks are some small luxury Flintstone-like lodges such as Matobo Hills, Camp Amalinda, Matobo Hills Lodge and Big Cave Camp.

Climb among these boulders and visitors may well find bushman rock paintings, an optional activity for guests of some of these camps. Wildlife of note here includes leopard, black eagle, and rhinoceros.

The Mother Africa Trust supports a number of projects in the Matabeleland province that welcome volunteers, including a home for abused women, the Dete Old Age project and a children’s home. Volunteers can also help on wildlife projects such the Southern Ground Hornbill Research Project, whose habitat is being destroyed, the Matobo Rhino Protection Initiative as well as the Hwange Lion Research Project.

In another part of Matabeleland is an adhoc tour of a working farm by an ox-wagon, where visitors are pulled by oxen typically used by the pioneers that first came here in the 1890s.

Some five hours drive from Bulawayo is Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest game reserve spanning 14,651sqkm.

Certain areas of this park are packed with

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

the Big Five and others at all times of the year but are particularly concentrated in the winter season.

The Painted Dog Conservation Rehabilitation Facility just outside the park near Hwange Airport tells the whole story about how this conservation project is protecting, rehabilitating and re-introducing Painted Dogs, also known as the African Wild Dogs, back into the wild, for their numbers have been reduced considerably over the years. Not only are injured and endangered animals rehabilitated but the wire snare that caught some of them in the first place is remodelled into animal art pieces for sale.

Zimbabwe’s most famous attraction is of course one of the seven natural wonders of the world - the Victoria Falls stretching 1.7km across the Zambezi River and dividing Zimbabwe from Zambia. Victoria Falls town and surrounds is thriving, upbeat, and offers many different accommodations from campsite to the elegant, historic Victoria Falls Hotel.

The adventure capital of Africa offers a huge variety of adrenaline stimulating action. The most mind-blowing of them all has to be white water rafting on the Zambezi River, one of the wildest stretches of white water in the world. From the base of the famous falls punters in rubber rafts buck, twist and bounce through 18 swirling rapids named Gnashing Jaws of Death and the Devil’s Toilet Bowl (aka rapid number four), so described by tour operators the Zambezi Safari and Travel Company www. zambezi.com as “a short rapid with a deceptively steep and powerful hole on entry followed by some nasty boils and whirlpools.”

It’s impossible to tame this stretch of river, classified by the British Canoe Union as Grade 5 meaning “extremely difficult, long and violent rapids, steep gradients, big drops and pressure areas,” says its website.

Low water level is usually between July and mid-February and the most exciting time to raft, although the rafting is still good at all other times apart from the closed season in April or May. Bungee jumping, zip wire antics across a gorge – you name it, it’s out there. At the same time volunteer projects that include helping to expand the education of rural school children, wildlife research or conservation projects and childcare projects in the community are run by Conservation Travel Africa.

A charter flight eastward leads one to man-made Lake Kariba, where discreet rustic luxury camps such as Musango Safari

Camp hug the shores of the Matusadona National Park. Built by Steve Edwards in 1990, Musango is a must for all bona fide Africa lovers seeking tranquility and top game viewing experiences by boat, vehicle or on foot.

Poaching of the precious wildlife is a major problem here and elsewhere in the country. In fact this August 8th to 13th volunteers are sought by the Zambesi Society to survey for evidence of wildlife and any illicit removal of it in the Matusadona National Park. An armed National Parks officer will accompany each of the volunteering teams.

On the eastern border with neighbouring Mozambique the lush green Eastern Highlands of mountains and mist attracts golfers, bird-watchers, nature lovers and hikers. The chateau-style Leopard Rock Hotel with its 18-hole international standard PGA championship golf course has brought some of the biggest names in golfing to this Vumba region.

Overseeing all on a hill just outside the town of Mutare that serves as a hub for the province is an enormous (9m high by 1.2m wide) memorial cross known as Cross Kopje, erected by the settlers here to honour the memory of African soldiers who died in the German East African campaign of the First World War. Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, this cross must have seen some changes in its time. No doubt it looks forward to more positive ones for the years that stretch ahead.

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Conservation Travel Africa info@conservationtravelafrica.org, www.conservationtravelafrica.org/ Zambesi Society Frances Morris +263 772 308172, franlovemore@gmail.com Pete Musto +263 772 249434, petemusto@gmail.com Zambezi Safari and Travel Company www.zambezi.com Ways, means and useful websites From Dubai flights include: Emirates Airline – daily flight to Harare (via Lusaka, about a one-hour stop on the ground) Emirates Airline fly daily to Johannesburg then direct connections on other airlines to Victoria Falls, Bulawayo or Harare Ethiopian Airways via Nairobi to Harare Kenya Airways via Nairobi to Harare Nyati Travel: www.nyati-travel.com, 263-4-495804 The Zambezi Safari and Travel Company: www.zambezi.com, +263(0)13 44427 Musango Safari Camp: www.musangosafaricamp.com Zimbabwe Tourism Authority: www.zimbabwetourism.net/ For up-to-date information and direct contacts, contact Jenny at tuppy.robertson@gmail.com or at 971-50-4251656.

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Namibia over landing Words By: William Kelly Photos By: Barry Kelly

The expedition included Gumpy and myself, unfortunately other parties were not able to obtain a visa on time. Our choice of vehicle was a Hilux but on arrival at Windhoek the company upgraded us to a 76 series Land Cruiser non turbo 4.5 V8 diesel which had the performance of a tank and handling of a bus, as usual it was kitted out with all the extras you need for a 10-day overland trip.

Day 1

Our first point of call was for supplies, we stocked up on food and water and anything else we thought we would need. By 10:00am the first day, we were on the road for a 335km journey to Sesriem the world’s oldest desert with apparently the highest sand dune as well as 400-year-old deadvlei (trees not firewood).

For the first 100km of the drive, it was a tar road, then it hit gravel tracks, we deflated to 22psi as recommended by Cooper tyres. The rig had all round Cooper AT3 great tyres that didn’t let us down once during the entire journey wherein we covered 3,700km in eight days – 90% of this was off-road. Namibia has 60% paved and 40% off-road tracks.

Due to the extremely corrugated tracks, we decided that one hour of driving was the limit for each driver and we switched regularly. Concentration levels were high, maximum speed was 100km at the most.

We reached the national park late afternoon and were surprised to see a tar road 60km long which took us right in to the centre of the desert. This was a conservation area and you were not allowed to drive off-road. The dunes were impressive stunning with untouched beauty.

By 5:00pm we were at camp and had a fire going. Facilities included hot showers and running water at each pitch site – it doesn’t get any better than this!

We both realised that the original itinerary was going to be a push due to the

distances and the terrain. We modified the itinerary to a maximum of five or six hours of driving per day with a 300km distance.

Day 2

We set off early just after sunrise with Walvis Bay as our destination. The route took us northwest through ever changing landscape that was hard to ignore, we stopped to take pictures, as well as Gumpy’s ritual of having a cuppa tea.

The landscape was vast and in some places inhospitable. How the animals adapt to the environment is amazing because it was dry and very dusty with strong winds as we got closer to the coast. We were 9km from our destination when we saw the landscape change from rock to sand, there was a 34km sand dune belt between us and Walvis Bay as well as a railway track. Yes, we could have driven on the tar but we were itching to see what the Land Cruiser could do, over the railway tracks and up into the dune belt, this was what we wanted, a little bit of action.

The dunes were immaculate large drifts with sweeping slopes and not a single tyre track on them. We descended off the dunes and into a wadi bed where we found our next camp, an old German outpost plantation; again very good facilities as well as a braai pit with grill and electric sockets.

We did notice that the shower was different. We had to make a fire to heat the water using what they call a donkey boiler.

It was simple and effective, and this was how we managed for every camp.

Day 3

We explored a few POI on the GPS, there was sandstone cave system called the Flintstone Caves and the Lunar Landscape.

The route was to take us to Cape Cross via a crater site along a salt road which later turns into the skeleton coast. The weather changed, strong cold winds that blew against the side of the Land Cruiser making it difficult to stay on the salt road.

We turned inland searching for the crater site and the track was awful, very badly corrugated with wash outs. It was slow going and tedious; darkness was falling and we knew we would not make it to camp, no hot shower tonight and we laughed. Bush camping it was and the first point of call was a big fire to keep the animals away.

This camp turned out to be great, completely isolated with only the sound of the African bush.

Day 4

Today’s attractions included the seal colony at Cape Cross and the drive along the world famous Skeleton Coast. To get to the seal colony we had to cross some treacherous salt flats, careful not to go off the track otherwise you can bog down to your axels.

By midday we had reached the Skeleton Coast National Park a 140km straight track with only sites of destruction, numerous ship wrecks, abandoned vehicles and a very rusty old oil rig. We had planned to fill up at the end of the track, but the park ranger informed us that the gas station was seasonal and not reliable. With half a tank of gas, the nearest gas was 274km away, this meant we would have to travel further north than originally planned, the Land Cruiser would average about 1,000km to a tank so we felt comfortable but were cautious not to visit too many shipwrecks in the soft beach sand. What was impressive

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

about this day was the fret that covered the landscape. Low-lying fog that did not dissipate until midday, visibility was 10m max. We headed inland again and this was where our adventure truly began, we started to see animals all over the grass plains and very little human activity.

We pitched camp close to the base of a mountain with plenty of cover and protection, just in case we got visitors. It was a beautiful setting and the most memorable of all the camps due to the difficulty in getting there.

We ventured through some townships and into a wildlife controlled area, we fuelled up with 190L leaving the pump empty for the rest of the day. We stayed at a lodge with camping facilities where elephants drink from the pool water. It was a long day and we retired off to bed.

88km of 4WDing to reach Twyfelfontein, the world’s largest collection of outdoor rock painting dating back to 6,000 BC by the San Tribe.

Along the route, we encountered a large mine which was big enough to drive into and a very steep rocky section called divorce pass. As well as numerous river crossings, there were plenty of action with Gumpy letting me handle the more technical parts. The Land Cruiser was equipped with standard front and rear lockers. We engaged the rear locker for divorce pass and set the throttle to 1,500rpm. It crawled with ease, at one point having the driver front wheel 2ft in the air. We drove endlessly without seeing another soul. The track had not been driven in a while as nature was reclaiming the land.

Gumpy needed his cuppa, so we stopped close to a sandstone rock formation only to find a family of four giraffes feeding less than 50m away. We sat for an hour watching and taking in the beauty – again another memorable moment.

We reached the rock paintings and went on the guided tour which was a very interesting piece of Namibian history.

13km away was our camp and 6km through a soft sand river bed with evidence of elephants. Large holes in the ground as they search for water, which always seemed to be right on the tracks, very dangerous if your vehicle ends up in one!

Got to camp early and did a bit of washing and vehicle cleaning. The dust was everywhere, each day we had to clean the inside of the vehicle.

Day 5

Because we had not planned to come to this area we woke early before sunrise to check out the wildlife. We had only driven 2km from the lodge when we saw a herd of zebra, then springbok and kudu, further along a giraffe grazing on a tree. This was Africa.

We visited a few waterholes and viewpoints taking in the sights. This is where we experienced our first problem. A stone had flicked up and got stuck between the disc brake cover and caliper. Out comes the hi-lift jack and the wheel off. Fixed it in minutes while Gumpy kept watch for lions.

By 12 noon we had exited the park and were heading to the start of our 4WD only track. Desolation Valley, that’s 91km of pure off-road driving, corrugated tracks, river beds, soft sand sections and rock crawling.

This was our toughest day yet, very rarely getting into third gear. We did not see any other human for two days. This is how remote this country is. We reached camp, had the place all to ourselves, with warning signs stating “camp at your own risk - lions and elephants.”

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Day 6

Day 7

A cold morning start at 6°C. We gathered some more wood and lit a fire. After some time we warmed up and got on with things.

The donkey boiler was broken which meant a cold shower.

Today we planned to drive 359km to Brandberg Mountain, Namibia’s highest with some side attractions on the way: a three-stage waterfall and a hyena den, 60km of which was off-road.

Gumpy and I agreed that the country was vast with ever-changing landscape that was truly beautiful and picturesque.

As this was our last night we gathered a ton of firewood and loaded it on the roof.

We were going to have a bonfire. We did find out that elephant dung is a great fire lighter when dry, so we collected it when we could. It keeps a burning ember for a long time.

We reached camp and settled in for the night again. Great facilities with running water that was also potable. We cooked up the last of our food – a fish pie in the pokie, a cast iron pot that went on the fire. We looked through the pictures we had taken and talked about our next expedition.

Day 8

We had completed everything that we wanted to and were a day ahead of schedule. It was a 400km drive to the capital Windhoek where we would spend the last day exploring, before flying out.

Namibia is a fantastic destination for over landing with plenty to do and see. Great facilities that cater to the adventure tourist and a must-see experience.

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Exploring the beautiful north side of

Lemur in Ankaranana National Park

Madagascar Words + Photos By: Eulogy van Dyk

The name of this beautiful island has now become synonymous with the highly successful movie series, but for those with an adventurous spirit, it is still the wild and untamed red island off the east coast of Africa. And if you are looking for a wild adventure, you will not be disappointed by Madagascar.

This quasi-continent has a rich history, from the local rulers through French colonial history to the vibrant democracy that exists today. Although largely reminiscent of East Africa, it is indeed the third largest island in the world. Immediately upon arrival in Antananarivo (try saying it three times fast!) you are reminded that it is still part of the African continent. The streets are poorly maintained, animals roam freely along the main roads and you could easily be forgiven for looking twice at the wagon full of geese. But even though this little island country ranks among the poorest in the world, the people of Madagascar are warm and friendly, the scenery is spectacular and the experience is unforgettable.

Tsingy Rouge

The beautiful and untamed north Diego Suarez

A two-hour flight from the capital brings you to the north side of this African wonderland. Diego Suarez (also known now as Antsiranana) was originally a hotspot in various trade routes, and its history is still alive in the kaleidoscope of flavours and cultures that gives it a truly unique feel.

From European taxis to Asian tuk-tuks to help you get around, there is everything from fresh fruit to cinnamon and vanilla available, with the odd French monument along the road.

The Three Bays

Take a day trip (available from most hotels) on a 4x4 route to the beautiful and natural beaches, called the three bays (Baie des Dunes, Baie des Pigeons and Sakalava Bay). A kitesurfing and water sport hotspot, it makes for incredible views all around (as well as hosting one of the oldest baobab trees in the country).

It’s certainly worth the drive, but make sure you take some water and snacks (it’s off-road and it might be a while until you get back to your hotel).

nearly 40 different butterfly species and the pygmy chameleon – at a staggering 3.5cm in length you need to keep your eyes open to spot it! Luckily the local guides are experts at finding these creatures, as well as the now famous lemurs, which you might spot flying from one tree to another. Home to beautiful waterfalls and indigenous vegetation, like the famous jackfruit, it is one of the most biologically diverse places in Madagascar.

After lunch (we highly recommend Mama Be’s restaurant, fantastic local cuisine and friendly service!) it’s about an hour drive to Tsingy Rouge. “Tsingy” is a local word translated as “carefully walking barefoot” which has been passed on for generations. This geological oddity where soil erosion from the Idodo River has revealed the red sandstone likely formed years ago through volcanic activity. It is a fragile ecological system, but some experts believe even more of this sandstone formation will be revealed over time.

Spectacular views from the top of canyon over this geological treasure, and only accessible by 4x4 vehicles.

The Ankarana National Park should be the next stop, although be aware that the roads are poor and the drive from Diego Suarez can be up to three hours. But it’s worth it! A small, partially vegetated plateau composed of 150-million-year-old

The Amber Mountains, Tsingy Rouge and Ankaranana National Park

Not far from Diego lies the beautiful and majestic Amber Mountain National Park.

At 2,000m above sea level, the landscape changes and you are invited to take a hike through an incredible rain forest, hosting

Tsingy Rare in Ankaranana National Park

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

middle Jurassic period limestone formed by volcanic acid rain. This has created the Tsingy Rare. And with an average annual rainfall of about 2,000mm, it is still susceptible to erosion that has formed one of the largest underground cave and tunnel formations in Africa (a natural 25km tunnel exists in the middle of the park!).

A bit of lemur spotting is a must, and for those brave enough, a quick tour through the bat cave with natural stalactites and stalagmites.

Island hopping

The most popular of the small satellite islands in Madagascar is Nosy Be (“Big Island”). Situated on the northwest corner of Madagascar in the Mozambique channel, it is the busiest and largest tourist resort. Surrounded by smaller little islands to explore, it is a great place for scuba diving, snorkelling, fishing or just taking a breather and relaxing. There are many excellent resorts to choose from, making the island a perfect holiday destination with lots of exploring on the island itself, including the ylang-ylang (for the production of essential oils) plantations and local distilleries. Make sure the camera batteries are loaded to capture some breathtaking sunsets and the tranquillity of island living.

For a trip that includes a bit of adventure, some truly unique natural landscapes and relaxation, all mixed into one, the

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Locals transporting ducks (for dinner?)

A “Malagasy 4x4”

beautiful Madagascar has it all! You will not leave disappointed.

Travel tips

How to get there: There are no direct flights from any of the GCC countries to Madagascar, so be prepared for some stops along the way.

Average cost is around 16,000 AED for return flights per person, although this will change with the season.

Weather: Summer rainy season: November to March Winter dry season: April to October Local time: 3 hours + Greenwich Mean Time Language: Malagasy is the official language, but French is widely spoken throughout the country. An English/French phrase book will be very useful.

Visas: Currently visas are not required, and available on arrival.

Health: Madagascar is a malaria area. Make sure to consult your doctor on malaria prophylaxis before departure.

Only drink bottled water, or use water purification tablets.

Clothing: Comfortable walking shoes or sneakers are essential. Take a small backpack for when you are doing the daily excursions.

Local Currency: Euros are widely accepted, but better to change it into local currency called Ariary-Ariary. This can be done on arrival at the airport. Credit cards are not always accepted, although most hotels will accept Visa (not Mastercard).

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Chasing tigers in Bandipur Words + Photos By: Simone Caprodossi

Everyone tends to have an African safari on their bucket list, but not many people think of India as a safari destination. Yet India has some incredible wildlife and a number of beautiful national parks with unique wildlife including its iconic top predator, the elusive Bengal tiger.

Given India is so easy to reach from Dubai, we planned with few friends to give a try the India safari experience and visit Bandipur National Park in the southern state of Karnataka. Bandipur is part of the Nilgiri biosphere reserve, the biggest national park in the south of India and is one of the 15 sanctuaries dedicated to the protection of tigers under Project Tiger in 1973. Guidebooks shyly indicate the rare possibility to actually see tigers, but we did not really go in with much hope as normally the lucky ones just get to see a tiger footprint in the dust.

From Dubai we flew into Kozhikode (Calicut) served by easy direct flights and reached Bandipur Safari lodge just a kilometre from the national park boundary in about four hours of bumpy and messy Indian roads with several too close shavings of big trucks. As we lazily stepped into the reception to check in, just happy to set foot on ground again, we suddenly got a rush of excitement: the lodge has a board where the safari crew reports the sightings of the hottest animal encounters and after several weeks of no tiger sightings, just in the last three days they had been seen daily! There was a genuine

chance to see tigers in the wild! We had two nights booked allowing for five safari outings and we were given serious hope that our chances were high.

So we settled in our nice bungalows and set out for lunch and safari briefing really eager to get to the first afternoon drive into the park. Safaris are run in comfortable open top jeeps that are great for animal spotting and photography. With a group of four friends we had our own private jeep and guide.

As you get into the park boundaries still on tarmac road you start spotting the first mongoose crossing the road and catch the glimpse of the common flying squirrels gliding between tree branches.

Reaching closer to the sanctuary entrance, a few rather tame elephants come to greet you nosing into the jeep.

Then off we were into the park on a dusty path through the deciduous forest.

We quickly encountered some of the most common inhabitants of the park, the peacocks. These are wild peacocks and it’s common to see the beautiful males in full display for a shy female. The other rather unexpected encounter was with an actual chicken! Yes there are wild chicken, real wild with very pretty colourful roosters. We then completed the “wild farm” with small wild boar, basically furry pigs running around and hiding behind trees.

With eyes out for tigers, we continued driving into the depth of the park, we encountered beautiful sambar deer studs,

small groups of small Bambi-looking chital spotted deer and spent a lot of fun time watching macaques grey langurs playing in the trees. Several langur mothers had babies hanging tightly to their white belly and peeking out curiously with their small black faces.

The beautiful light of sunset marked the closure of the first safari day and we had to retreat with a very nice experience, but no tiger. Back at camp it looked like none had seen the tigers that afternoon, so we put all hope into the next day.

After a good night sleep, we rose early for the morning drive. While no tiger was on sight after some driving around we reached an open plain area and were rewarded with a different very lucky sighting. Playing in the grassy plain were two young dholes. The dhole or Indian wild dog is an endangered predator, relative

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

to the critically endangered African wild dog and they are only left in very small numbers in a few national parks. They look like playful home puppies but these smart carnivores can take on big prey like buffalo in packs. We spent good time following and photographing them playing and resting until they walked off and our morning drive had to come to a close.

Still no tiger, but we came back to camp feeling very lucky.

Getting into the afternoon drive we were now really keen to see a tiger, our guide drove around to all the spots where they had been seen in the past days but

we seemed out of luck. Then another car called saying they had spotted a tiger where we had been an hour before so we rushed back there in full adrenaline, but it had apparently left just minutes before.

Elephant and monkeys sightings did not really feel enough to get over the no tiger frustration especially as it turned out we had been the only ones to not see them.

We now had just one day left and started losing hope again to get that lucky encounter. So the last safari morning, we got in the jeep motivated but also ready to enjoy the rest of the wildlife and forget about the tiger. And of course when you least expect it, things happen.

We were the first car back in the spot where the tiger had been seen the previous evening and there she was! A big female was resting along the bank of a big water pond with the deep orange fur beautifully glowing in the warm morning light. We enjoyed a good 20 minutes of a private encounter until the other jeeps caught up and eventually the tiger stood up, gave us a beautiful roar-y yawn with full teeth display and walked all along the water to eventually disappear in the bush.

Then as we were about to drive off she just appeared again out of the bush literally two metres from our jeep, gave us a quick glance and disappeared in the bush again. That was a breathtaking encounter with the most majestic animal I have ever seen.

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This was just the beginning of an absolutely epic day as we then encountered tigers twice again in the afternoon, saw again a dholes and enjoyed a long encounter with a big herd of elephants in a beautiful spot of grassland crowned by woodland, as well as seemed to encounter all the available animals as a last goodbye day. We just missed a leopard that was also spotted that day. I have done some great African safaris, but this India day places well at the top of my safari experiences.

Saturated with wildlife excitement, it is worth closing the trip with a stop in the historical city of Mysore. Mysore is the second biggest city of Karnataka after Bangalore and has a proud history having served as the capital city of Mysore Princely Kingdom for nearly six centuries, from 1399 until 1947. The majestic Mysore Palace is heritage to this history and is the highlight of the visit. Mysore has also a very charming market full of bright colours, from the long lines of perfect cones of spices to the vibrant saris of the women actively shopping around.

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

The Honey Badger Episode 5: Ethiopia’s Tourist Loop Destination: Northern Ethiopa

Ethiopia has a very different

vibe to Kenya. Safety was often our primary concern in the latter, where we rarely drove with the windows down or doors unlocked, especially in the big cities. In Addis, whilst the people were very interested and inquisitive, we rarely felt threatened. In fact, everywhere we went, no matter how poor, hungry, or curious, we encountered friendly smiles and people wanting to offer help and advice.

Nevertheless, Addis was not our favourite experience: we dealt with horrendous traffic, cold showers every day, non-stop rain and the onset of a man-flu (clearly much worse for James than for Mira).

Once the car was fixed, we headed north to drive the well-trodden loop including the monolithic churches and the Simien Mountains. Frikkie and Fiona, the couple we convoyed with up at Lake Turkana, were a few days ahead of us, so we decided to meet at Tim and Kim’s Camp on the northern shore of Lake Tana.

It took us two days to get there but the

Diaries

roads where excellent and the views even better. We drove through the breathtaking Nile Gorge and then stayed one night in Bahir Dar where we were introduced to the semi-buoyant papyrus canoes that people use to cross the lake. These canoes last for 10 days before they sink and must be replaced. We were amazed to see one group of 10 brave people standing in a canoe to cross part of the lake on their way back from Church.

Our next stop was Gonder, known as the “Camelot of Africa.” One of the many former capitals of Ethiopia, it has its own style of the Orthodox Christian cross as well as an array of castles and ancient architecture.

We explored the sights starting with the Debre Berhan Selassie Church which has numerous ancient paintings telling stories from both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Then we visited the Fasiladas Bath which has an enormous pool where the bishops baptize hundreds of people during the Ethiopian New Year. All attendees jump into the pool after this event for a holy dip.

Next was one of the most breathtaking sights that we have experienced so far: the Simien Mountains. We stopped in Debark to pay the National Park entrance fee and reluctantly made space amongst our luggage for Dego, our AK47-toting, non-English speaking scout. The climb up to an altitude of 4,000m was awe-inspiring.

There were sheer drops on both sides of the road with panoramic views of the mountain range as far as the eye could see. We drove through the clouds to the farthest campsite and prepared ourselves for the cold and rain. Before bed we

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ventured around surrounding area on foot.

We did not have to go far before meeting the gelada baboons. Whilst in Kenya we had quickly learnt that baboons are not the ideal traveller’s companion. However, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the geladas are only interested in eating grass and couldn’t really care less about us. About 100 of them surrounded us and although the females were not impressed

by Mira they tended to leave her alone as long as James was close. We spent the next two days trekking up the surrounding peaks in search of the very rare Walia Ibex and listening to the communications of the gelada baboons and their occasional, and very noisy, inter-family feuds.

Our trip continued to Aksum, Mekele and Lalibela – the heart of Christian history in Ethiopia and the birthplace of the Rastafari, now better known in Jamaica. Aksum was not particularly interesting, other than its link to Queen Sheba and the legend of the Ark of the Covenant secretly being kept in a chapel there (having been nicked from King Solomon by his bastard son).

We decided to take a detour to Mekele with the hope that we could see the Danakil Depression, home to an active volcano and a few rogue bandits. Unfortunately this

was not possible in less than four days and without government permission due to the lack of security of the area.

We planned to move on to Lalibela although a local taxi driver had other ideas and decided to shred his car door in a close encounter with our rear bumper.

Luckily no one was hurt and a day later we had replaced our broken brake light cluster and Mira had persuaded James that the massive air horn in the local garage was not an essential part of the repairs process.

Not wanting to miss out, we took the 140km detour to see the rock hewn churches before heading south to Lalibela.

These were an impressive introduction to Ethiopia’s extraordinary monolithic churches and we did not see a single other tourist “Ferengi” along the way. Lalibela was in a different league, however, and once we had recovered from the jaw-dropping entrance fee we started our tour with our guide “The Deacon” who we met at the 7 Olives hotel. The 11 churches were carved by hand within a couple of decades out of one enormous rock in Lalibela. The site has a similar feel to Petra but with the added bonus of being able to go inside the beautifully designed churches and explore the narrow tunnels connecting them.

The churches are still very much in use and numerous priests and pilgrims were walking around carrying incense or crosses whilst doing their prayers. The Deacon, soon to become a priest himself, effortlessly painted a picture of what it would have been like during the Zagwe dynasty which came to power in Lalibela after the Aksum dynasty ended. It was a fascinating place and we are already looking forward to returning someday.

The rush was now on to return to Kenya and catch the Great Migration in the Masai Mara. We were in for another delay, however, as one of our leaf spring shackles headed off whilst throwing the 3.5 ton Honey Badger around the rather exciting mountain roads. Luckily Frikkie, our travel companion, spotted the problem before everything fell apart and we limped on to Dessie with a couple of spuriously placed but very effective jubilee clips holding it all together. With yet another delay we thought that there was no way we were going to make it in time to see the wildebeest crossing the Mara river. Mario from the Toyota dealership in Addis very kindly directed us to a mechanic in Dessie who specialises in leaf springs. Within 45min he had cut a leaf spring into the shape of a shackle and found two newish bolts to hold it all together. Meanwhile Mira and Fiona entertained the local children with a game of football.

We completed the northern circuit in Addis a day later and continued on to Kenya through the Moyale-Marsabit route.

Despite numerous stories of bandits and inter-tribal fighting in the area we survived without mishap.

A key part of Mira and James’ trip is fundraising and volunteer work and they are

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currently teaching nursery school children in Zanzibar. If you are interested in helping them to achieve their target and make a difference to African communities and wildlife, please spread the word or donate using the following links: To donate: www.gofundme.com/ thehoneybadgerdiaries If you would like to follow their journey through Africa and see more photos, recordings and videos: Website: www.thehoneybadgerdiaries.com Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ pages/Honey-Badger-Diaries Instagram: @thehoneybadgerdiaries

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Bayshore: The

A different kind of beachfront experience Words By: Glaiza Seguia-Godinez Photos By: Jung Francisco and IHG The InterContinental Abu Dhabi is an iconic landmark in the capital with its timetested expertise in hospitality, functional facilities and inspiring panorama. In addition to their luxurious folio, the InterContinental Abu Dhabi launches The Bayshore Beach Club and Spa, an exclusive beachfront destination stretching across 300m of pristine sand. The beach will lure you in, but the experience will make you stay.

“It’s a destination within a destination,” described Resident Manager Khaled Ibrahim Zaki. “The design and location of The Bayshore gives us the exclusivity, yet idyllic comfort. This is an example of our continuous efforts to offer guests the latest in terms of beach innovation.”

Khaled gives us a peek of Abu Dhabi’s latest lifestyle and leisure gem the morning after he and his staff accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge. Instead of upending ice-cold water onto their heads, they gamely jumped into The Bayshore pool in their suits and shorts in support of the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority water conservation campaign and the ALS Association’s Lou Gehrig’s Disease research. They also pledged to donate 1,000L of water to UNICEF that will go to the children of Africa.

We heard you had an interesting morning?

Yes, we participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge. Reema Baroudi, our Director of PR & Communications, and I had a chat and decided to twist the scheme a bit. We have beautiful pools and a beach down here, so we have a lot of opportunities to get wet [laughs]. It was a great start of the day!

Talk about the facilities available at The Bayshore.

We are very excited and anxiously waiting for the opening of The Bayshore. The InterContinental Abu Dhabi is a long-standing hotel in the heart of the capital for the past 34 years and we cater to all guest requirements. We are always about business and leisure; and the concept of The Bayshore fits right into this. We call it “The Destination” because it’s an all-in-one facility with an exclusive beachfront, marina area, infinity pool, splash pool and children’s pool. We have a Jacuzzi, private cabanas, multi-treatment day-spa building with a gym that includes state-of-the-art equipment and amenities.

What is the vision of The Bayshore?

It’s in our continued interest to keep ourselves developing. We like to introduce what is new and fresh in the eyes of our guests. We want to offer them the newest

Khaled Ibrahim Zaki, InterContinental Abu Dhabi Resident Manager

facilities and the latest edition of what they want to see. Abu Dhabi is the destination for whatever purpose guests might require and the establishment of The Bayshore adds more to the experience whether for business, leisure, family affair, dining, fun, fitness or having fun while getting fit.

The Bayshore is unique and I always describe it this way – I’m a man who’s married with children. So I come to Bayshore and I will be working out on the gym, while my children are in the pool and my wife is having a quick salad in the restaurant next door so she can still watch them.. Everything is within proximity, yet you feel the space. From the parking, you don’t need to walk through the lobby and go to the lift. Come in your flip-flops, walk through, pay the access fee and there you go. It’s great for the residence of Abu Dhabi or if you’re coming for a weekend from other emirates or neighbouring GCC countries.

How do you promote healthy and active lifestyle at The Bayshore?

We have a very active monthly calendar.

We have a team on board that ensure guests are directed well and have programmes to participate in to get fit. We have amazing stories about guests who have transformed their lives – like drastically lost weight or participated in a triathlon – and it all started here.

The marina area

“The hotel has a number of award-winning restaurants,” added Reema Baroudi Director of PR & Communication. “The reputation is that as far as food and beverage offerings, we are a world-class dining destination in the capital.

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We have a team of personal trainers and gym instructors, who are qualified and certified. They do not only stand and wait for classes, but actively interact and encourage guests. Our menus also reflect the healthy lifestyle we endorse. We are aware of the increasing consciousness and interest in gluten-free, lactose-free and other healthy options. We participate actively in sporting events in Abu Dhabi for example the Terry Fox Run, which is for charity. The InterContinental Hotels Group has the biggest participation for the second year in a row among other corporate companies and we got the award this year as well, so it’s a milestone. We are planning to increase our participation level next year.

It’s also in our plans for to design a kind of triathlon map because we have a 300m long beach, sea, corridors and we are located in one of the most prestigious and well-designed streets in Abu Dhabi. It is a work in progress. Personally, I’m aiming to participate in a 750m swim too. I’ve done the Abu Dhabi Swimming Festival, but that was 15kg ago [laughs].

What spa treatments does the Health Club offer?

The well-designed spa line ranges from aromatherapy massages, enchanting body treatments and facials that are aimed to destress, relax and rejuvenate. We have very talented masseuses available. They are certified, can communicate well and have the best recommendation for all your needs.

What makes InterContinental Abu Dhabi and specifically The Bayshore a standout among others in the area?

We are well-established and continuously evolving. The recent entire renovation was in 2007 and we kept adding new facilities almost every year. We are also currently developing three restaurants. We have the recently opened The Bayshore restaurant for delicious creative options. There is also the Lebanese restaurant Byblos that is going to open this year. It’s going to be a world-class, authentic Lebanese dining experience with entertainment and view of the marina. It’s going to be the talk of the town. Circo, the Italian restaurant all the way from New York, has decided to find a home here. It’s all about the circus ambience with an upscale Tuscan dining option helmed by world-class Italian chef and management. It’s going to be a great addition to the local cuisine culture.

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It’s a shore thing! The Bayshore includes health club, day-spa, infinity pool, kids’ pool, outdoor Jacuzzi, exclusive beach area, private cabanas and dining options.

I understand that there is a new set of mandatory beach guidelines for hotels in Abu Dhabi focused on environmental, public health and safety management.

All the hotel beachfronts have been addressed by the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority stating this initiative, and we are in line with this. On a personal level, we have been monitoring the water quality of beaches as we have our own brand standards and guidelines to follow. We check the water quality in the marina and the beach to ensure that the environment we offer is safe.

Corporate responsibility is at the core of what we do. IHG has a corporate program called the Green Engage that focuses on sustainable living as a whole. We have targets to reach and there are always key performance indicators to achieve, and we do it with passion because we understand the reasons and what is at stake. It’s not only about saving costs, we want to leave a good impact on the community that we live in. We are part of Abu Dhabi, we owe this to the community and the future generations.

What plans are you working on to meet the ever-changing client demands and taste?

2015 will be a very exciting year for us. We have all those brand new facilities already

The InterContinental Abu Dhabi staff took part in last year’s Terry Fox Run to promote active lifestyle and support cancer researcher.

opened and we will continue on leveraging being “The Destination.” We are also focused on the services and add more watersports like Stand Up Paddling and kayaking. “Animation” on The Bayshore is all about bringing fun to the guests with activities on the beach, like water polo, aqua aerobics, volleyball, etc. This will be a very resort-y concept. It’s all about rejuvenation because we lead a fast-paced life, so we need to stop sometimes and do something for ourselves.

What’s a day in the life for a hotel manager?

It’s never boring! Whether the occupancy is high or lower that day, it’s always busy because there’s always something to do.

The hotel business is all about people, interacting with guests, connecting with people from all over the world, interacting with many minds and backgrounds. Just in the hotel, we have 32 nationalities all together.

I do maximum interaction and touch points on a daily basis with my colleagues by chatting with them, preparing for an event and talking about projects. More importantly, how to make it inspiring and motivating for them. My main role is to smoothen hotel operations, that guests’ stays are memorable, my colleagues’ responsibilities are met. Of course, there is also the financial and commercial side of the job. But we never use the word routine here. It doesn’t happen like that and that’s the fun part. You have to have a lot of passion to do it.

For more information and membership options, visit www.intercontinental.com/ abudhabi, contact +971 2 693 5285 or e-mail recreation.icabudhabi@ihg.com.

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Explore the beauty of Oman Words By: Neil Murphy Photos By: Tania Al Khalidi

Sheesa Beach Travel and Tourism located in Dibba, Oman and more specifically the Musandam are the largest tour operators on the east coast.

The company is divided into Sheesa Beach Dhow Cruises, which has been in existence since 1995, Sheesa Beach Dive Centre, which was started in 2010 and the Sheesa Beach Plantation Camp.

Conveniently located an hour and a half from Dubai, we are unique in the fact that we can offer our guests everything without having to go through a third party. This is due to us owning our own fleet of eight dhows, speedboats, dive centre and camp.

Our fleet comprises of two triple deck, live aboard dhows all with air-conditioned cabins and saloon, diving compressor, majlis Arabic seating, kitchen, kayaks, banana boats and snorkeling equipment. Five double deck dhows and a traditional single deck wooden dhow.

We specialise in private group bookings, but do offer sharing trips as well. The services that are on offer are our sharing day trips that we run daily. This trip is a relaxing fun day out and includes a dhow cruise to Huffa bay, a traditional Arabic buf-

fet for lunch, swimming, snorkeling, hand line fishing and a chance to escape Dubai for a great day out with the family and friends. The dhows depart at 12:00pm and return to port between 5:00 to 5:30 in the evening. The overnight trips are extremely popular on board our double deck dhows in the cooler months, sleeping under the stars, diving, kayaking, banana boating, fishing, exploring ancient villages and ruins are all enjoyed with either a catered for or self-catering option. These trips can range from one to seven nights away in the majestic Musandam. The triple deck live aboards are also popular as we are able to cater to your needs year round. The option of sleeping under the stars or being lulled to sleep by the tide in your cabins is your choice on board. The live aboards are fully catered trips with our on board chefs preparing mouthwatering meals for you.

Our PADI dive centre offers dive safaris on the dhows ranging from a day trip to seven-day trips. The safaris can be enjoyed on either the live aboard dhows or the double decks. Sheesa is synonymous with pushing further north than any other operator thus allowing our clients the privilege of diving in areas where the coral, marine life and scenery are spectacular. The added bonus of having Omani captains on board allows us the luxury for pushing the boundries further north on the trips as the local knowledge they possess is invaluable. Our guides are nothing short of entertaining professionals and you will certainly be entertained above and below the surface whilst confident that you are in extremely safe hands. Our motto is “Deep Down We Care” and we certainly do. Our divers also have the choice of diving either air or enriched air nitrox which we cater for.

Our dive staff are all trained in gas blending and we run regular training exercises for them in order to guarantee you a safe and enjoyable experience.

Our sharing two-day two-night trips run

once a month as a means for the divers to get together for a social weekend. We recently launched the three-day threenight trip which runs every three months and showcases the best diving that the Musandam has to offer. Most of our courses are conducted on these trips as it a very affordable and entertaining way to take your diving to the next level. Courses range from Open Water to Dive Master and a wide range of specialties.

We run our speedboats or fast boats as we like to call them every weekend and again we strive to dive areas that none of the other operators go near. A popular activity is our “Camp & Dive” package we run in the cooler months, where guests get to stay in our plantation camp overnight and dive the following day. Our plantation camp has a 180 beds and our kitchen staff will make sure you are fed delicious meals during your stay with us. The camp can also be combined with a day dhow cruise and a very affordable weekend for a family or group of friends which would probably cost less than a night out in Dubai.

The facilities and services we offer are also a perfect way for companies to conduct team building days or company parties. We also believe that it is all good to write about who we are but the proof is in the pudding. Give us a call and come and experience Sheesa’s unrivalled hospitality in the majestic Musandam and right on your doorstep.

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LIFESTYLE

Habitually healthy Baked Frittata with Farm Fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Avocado

Words By: Chef Christopher Zerbe

Well ladies and gents, Ramadan has come and gone. All those amazing iftar dinners filled with beautiful mezze, rice dishes, meats and cold salads…. Mmmm!

Now for quite a few UAE residents, it’s time to get back onto your regular morning training regimens, complete with a hearty breakfast. There is always a large debate whether or not breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Personally, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, however it’s also the meal I eat the least. I have always preferred to train on an empty stomach, but nowadays many athletes prefer to fuel up before their workouts. For some, it’s merely a “bulletproof” coffee, laced with grass-fed butter and or coconut milk for that caffeine kick plus the sustainable energy that comes from fats. For others, its carbohydrates coming in the form of grain-based dishes, and for some it’s heavily protein based for those long workouts over 40 minutes. I have found over the years that no two

Feeds: 6 people Cook time: 30 minutes approximately Ingredients

Amount

Preparation

Free range eggs

12

Beaten

Onion

1 small

Minced

Garlic

½ clove

Veal or turkey bacon

500g

Sea salt

TT

Black pepper

TT

Sunflower oil

As needed

Cherry tomato salsa Ingredients

Amount

Preparation

Cherry tomatoes

1 dozen

Cut into halves

Minced

Red onion

1tbl

Minced

Chopped

Sea salt and pepper

TT

Avocado

2 whole

Extra virgin olive oil

As needed

Peeled/ Diced (stone removed)

The Cycle Bistro GPS location: Latitude: N 25° 02.792 Longitude: E 055° 14.384 04 425 6555 Phone:

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TESTED ODUC THIS PR

PROV T IS AP

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RUAE

Vivofit

More than a sports band Words By: Kate Winchester

I am an amateur all-around athlete and various sports have been a part of my life since I can remember. Initially, you “just do it” but as you grow to understand your sports and your own strengths and weaknesses, your limits and how to push them, you naturally want to compare yourself to some decent results, gather stats over a period of time and analyse your own performance to better your next workout and reach your set goals.

Enter Vivofit, Garmin’s answer to fitness bands. I went into the testing phase with no expectations and open mind.

Having tried other products previously, I was careful not to jump on the fashion wagon and judge the band by its design or colour or the amount of flashing strips the display has. What consumers must understand is that it is not in the way the product looks on your wrist, it is in the results it yields after synching and how that works for you. This is the most important aspect of selecting a fitness band and therefore I went in blind and literally lived with it for four days without looking into the computer at its readings. I wanted it to give me everything at once to see how easy it is to work my way around it and I wanted all results – fitness activities,

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sleep patterns, steps counts. I have set up only the initial account and downloaded software on my laptop synching the band with my newly created account (including gender and vitals) and setting a daily goal of a random 8,712 steps. An application from Garmin is available for smart phones as well. Turning the band on, its display is fairly basic. A single button on the side switches display readings from time, date, steps and heart rate (active if using the heart rate monitor).

Vivofit comes with an ANT+ USB synch pin which you need every time to synch, install updates and uploads results. I have lost and found it twice over my test period; keep it in a safe place to avoid bag searches.

Here is what I did: Day 1 - Thursday – morning swim, work (office), evening light workout Day 2 – Friday – 10km Stand Up Paddle, moderate evening workout Day 3 – Saturday – general walking around, otherwise a rest day Day 4 – Sunday –work (office), evening light workout

Day 5 – Monday – work (office), moderate workout and swim Monday was the day of results and time to face the facts. I plugged in the ANT+ synch USB pin and synched the band to the account.

The results

Garmin’s Connect Page displays all tabs on the main page. It gives you a clear and quick overview, by section, and for the last day of your upload. From here, you then click on the particular tab to view in-depth readings of the particular section you are interested in. I found this very convenient because when you are, for example, looking into how many steps have you achieved towards your set goal, a gauge with percentage easily shows that. The overall look of the page is easy on the eye and simply displayed, sections are clear and accessible.

The main sections are Steps, Reports, Sleep, Connections, Weight, Activities and Challenges. You can also earn Badges (another section on the main page) that are awarded automatically upon reaching your goal and thus keep

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you motivated. Out of the main sections, it would seem the Steps are the main indicator of your movement. I was surprised at the accuracy of the band logging in your steps. As I mentioned previously, some issues I had with other bands include the inaccurate count of hand movement that translates into activity logged by a band; for some workouts such as rock climbing I was barely getting any reading. With Vivofit, counting was very accurate and based on your logged weight, translated into calorie outtake which was on par with the daily consumptions I am aware of.

Out of the above mentioned main sections, some are automatically calculated – Steps, Reports, Weight. Sleep section requires you to indicate the standard sleep times at the set-up stage and is adjustable by day/night once you work in the application. A very cool feature is your movement (hand-movement obviously) during your sleep. It mirrors standard sleeping patterns of five to six deep sleeps during a sleeping cycle, so again, reading was spot-on. You can also rate your sleep with a funky emoticon and pull results to analyse it later and make changes if needed to your environment or timings to increase its quality.

Connections allow you to connect with other Vivofit users for sharing results, making Vivo friends and staying on track with your workouts and fitness levels – along with Challenges, this brings in the social aspect of “working out together

without working out together” as is, for some, a needed motivator to keep going.

Weight is also adjustable; if your weight fluctuates greatly or you feel this is a feature you are most interested in improving, you can update your weight daily, monitor progress and see how the different activities impact your kilograms.

I would imagine this can be a main feature for consumers looking at reducing their weight.

One of the biggest features is the Activities section. It does require a little bit of fiddling about and setting up beforehand. The page opens into a map with pre-loaded (by other users) saved typical paths – cycling, running and many others around Dubai. You can create your own paths or, if you are out of ideas, simply scout through the existing ones and follow other users. This is actually quite convenient when you get bored with your tried and tested routes and want to look at another established path or just simply see what others are up to around town. You can select or create your Activity and log it into your day with simple input on timings, type and category of fitness and the program will calculate calories for you. Since the band is waterresistant and not water-proof, athletes such as swimmers, surfers and paddlers would use this section frequently to input their workouts without needing to use the band.

An add-on into another application also displayed on main screen is Calorie In/Out. This requires you to use MyFitnessPal application, a very cool feature if you want to get an overall picture of your health. It is downloadable on your smart phone and PC where you track your food consumption by inputting (honestly!) your daily meal intake. MyFitnessPal has a huge database of edibles so entering data is relatively easy if you have the app stored on your phone. In the near future, I would imagine other applications of healthy nature to come onboard and link to Vivofit for further accuracy of users’ lifestyle and fitness readings.

Out of all of the above, you can then pull out reports for literally anything. The key here, as always, is the consistency of inputting the required data. Unfortunately nothing is automatic and as a user, you will be required to adjust and monitor your vitals and add activities to get accurate results.

VerdictFrom a product perspective, the band is minimalistic in design and comes

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in basic colours, suitable for most occasions which I loved! Also, you don’t have to charge it on regular basis (battery life 1+ year) as is the case with other similar products. The band is water resistant so don’t panic when you realise you are standing in your shower with it still on (or sweating or washing dishes – yes, that is a fitness activity too). However, the ANT+ synch connector USB pin is guaranteed waterproof. I know that because I have accidentally put it through a cycle in my washing machine and everything worked as it should.

Overall, Vivofit is more than a sports band which for me is its main attractive point. With the superb accuracy of readings, plenty and variety of results, features such as reports and sharing and a connection to MyFitnessPal calorie counter, it is a comprehensive and sophisticated instrument in keeping your overall fitness, diet and life in check.

As with any system or application, it is only as good as the data you upload, being it your physical activity, log of the different activities, rating of your quality of sleep or accurate input of calories if you choose to. To gain results and understanding of your overall life quality, patience and movement is required over a period of time. Vivofit will help you in both and improve your life in the right areas.

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

PRODUCTS A round-up of quality products available right here in the UAE Silverback Spyke 24-inch 1,699 AED 1,699 QAR 184.700 OMR

Available at GO Sport stores at Dubai Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall and Bawabat Al Sharq Mall in the UAE; Villagio Mall and City Centre Doha in Qatar; and Muscat Grand Mall in Oman • 24-inch lightweight aluminum frame, with kickstand and replaceable alloy hanger.

• SR Suntour, 50mm short travel suspension fork to help make the ride smoother and soften impacts.

• Shimano Altus rear derailleur which is durable, low maintenance and ensures smooth shifting.

• Full length Jagwire gear and brake housing provides excellent sealing for long term durability and smooth shifting/braking.

• Colour coded to add extra bling to the bike.

• Weight is only 11.9kg.

Nolan N104 Evo Helmet

1,500 AED (previously 1,900 AED) Available at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE The N104 EVO is an update of the N104 and combines new technical solutions with improved level of comfort.

• Newly designed ventilation system with air booster technology • The new fully removable and washable liner now comes in more colours • The cheek pad configuration is also new, ensuring maximum comfort • Ultra wide visor allowing to enjoy a wider than average field of vision. It also comes with a Pinlock anti-fog inner visor • A VPS sunscreen

LifeVenture Stainless Steel Bottle (0.8L) 75 AED

Available at Adventure HQ at Times Square Mall Dubai and Dalma Mall in Abu Dhabi; GO Sport stores at Dubai Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall and Bawabat Al Sharq Mall in Baniyas in UAE; Villagio Mall and City Centre Doha in Qatar; and Muscat Grand Mall in Oman Tested and endorsed by The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, this high grade stainless steel bottle can withstand a battering. The durable and colorful matte finish and tough plastic screw-on lid are totally reliable and watertight.

• Single wall, food grade 304 stainless steel design • BPA free • Tough plastic screw-top with finger loop • Available in four different colors (black, white, blue and pink) • Available in two sizes (0.6L and 0.8L) • Weight: 160g • Dimensions: 70 x 70 x 270mm

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Leave other watches in the dark Nite International is a successful British company based in the South of England that designs, manufactures and distributes its own brand of exceptionally tough and stylish, collection of sports watches.

All Nite watches are produced to the highest possible standards using the very best materials, production methods and components, including Swiss self-powered GTLS illumination, Swiss made movements and ultra thick sapphire crystal with triple anti-reflective coating.

Instagram: @almekshah Facebook: www.facebook.com/almekshah Mobile:+971 50 458 7778

CHRONO AQUA MX10

Military Heritage, Timeless Design 1,850 AED with rubber strap; 2,150 AED with metal bracelet Nite was awarded NATO certification on the original MX10 over 10 years ago because of its durability, quality construction and impressive self powered illumination system.

The MX10 has since evolved and been developed further, surpassing its original specification thanks to developments to a number of aspects to the watch whilst staying true to its proud military heritage.

Cool Sporting Elegance 2,200 AED with rubber strap; 2,500 AED with metal bracelet Regardless of whether you are on land or at sea, the AQUA is built for conquering the elements and brings a fresh look to the Nite MBS range. Combining a stainless steel case - featuring the patented Multiple Bezel System - and gun metal PVD finish, the AQUA gives our owners even more choice without compromise.

ICON Vision

Precision Timing 2,800 AED with rubber strap; 3,150 AED with metal bracelet Inspired by our owner’s busy lifestyles and their requirements for an elegant sports watch to wear for both work and play, the VISION incorporates our values, features and creativity into one ultimate investment. The unique case design that protects the crown and the sapphire crystal ensure the VISION is exceptionally stylish and hard wearing.

Elegance Engineered 2,150 AED with leather strap; 2,550 AED with metal bracelet The ICON series is a truly handsome timepiece with classic styling that really stands out from the crowd. In terms of readability, this series leads the field with its large open face, bold dial numerals and GTLS illumination that provides unrivalled visibility at any time of day or night.

Unquestionable build quality throughout the solid steel case, screw down crown and Swiss movement, ensure that this exceptional watch is certainly a fine piece of engineering that will stand the test of time.

Inspired by Technology 2,800 AED with rubber strap; 3,150 AED with metal bracelet The Swiss chronograph movement is designed specifically for start-stop timing scenarios and mission critical activities. The CHRONO also features a uniquely designed and engineered case with the patented Multiple Bezel System, sapphire crystal and fully self powered GTLS illumination making it our most technically advanced model.

• Ultimate Hand and Dial Illumination - what sets Nite apart from other brands is our commitment to producing watches with excellent low-light visibility and uncompromising night reading functionality.

• Swiss Movements - when it comes to quality and precision Swiss movements have a solid reputation for craftsmanship, excellent time keeping and reliability.

• Ultra Tough, Highly Scratch Resistant Sapphire Crystal - understanding the importance of being able to clearly read your watch dial after years of service is why we use the best quality double thickness sapphire crystal.

• Extra Long Battery Life - we know that long battery life is extremely important and this is why we use Lithium batteries with up to ten years life to give you peace of mind, long term use and reliability.

• Dive and Swim with Confidence - we have gone to great lengths to ensure that Nite watches have excellent water resistance capabilities.

• Change the Look of your Watch with Ease change the look and style of your Nite watch with the patented multiple bezel system.

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PRODUCTS Nite HAWK

Extreme GTLS Illumination

2,000 AED Available at

Instagram: @almekshah Facebook: www.facebook.com/almekshah Mobile:+971 50 458 7778

The HAWK marks the next generation of manufacturing technology, delivering our lightest ever watch without sacrificing any of the quality we have built our reputation upon. Its lightweight reinforced carbon construction and extra large, super bright GTLS illumination are just two of the reasons it’s already a Nite legend.

Nite NATO

Mission Critical Durability 2,200 AED with rubber strap; 2,500 AED with metal bracelet Available at

Instagram: @almekshah Facebook: www.facebook.com/almekshah Mobile:+971 50 458 7778

The NATO model suits our most adventurous owners who push the limits every single day.

Military styling at its best, the NATO features an aviation grade 316 stainless steel case, ultra thick sapphire crystal and self powered GTLS illumination making it as durable as it looks and feels.

Powermonkey Discovery 350 AED/QAR; 38 OMR

Available at GO Sport stores at Dubai Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall and Bawabat Al Sharq Mall in the UAE; Villagio Mall and City Centre Doha in Qatar; and Muscat Grand Mall in Oman Featuring a state-of-the-art 3500mAh lithium polymer battery, the sleek Powermonkey Discovery offers users real power on the move.

Housed in a stylish full aluminium case with six high bright pin point LED lights, the Powermonkey Discovery will recharge an iPhone twice, standard mobile phones 3-4 times, or give iPods/ MP3 players up to an additional 120 hours playtime. It is also compatible with e-readers, Sat Navs, handheld games consoles, portable GPS systems and more! Please note, iPhones and iPads will require the USB sync/charge cable supplied by Apple.

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Stellar Mid-wing Kayak Paddles The Stellar Mid-size wing paddle provides strong connection through the drive and a clean release of every paddle stroke. The airfoil cross-section of our wing provides hydrodynamic lift during a high angle stroke. Comfortable oval shaft fits your hand well and is stiff for maximum power application.

Elite Paddle

Hybrid Paddle

1,295 QAR/AED; 140.800 OMR

895 QAR/AED; 97.300 OMR

Ultra stiff cored carbon blade and smooth finished oval woven carbon shaft. Epoxy construction in heated press molds creates a durable finish on the blade.

Stiff cored blue coloured fiberglass blade and smooth finished oval carbon shaft.

Epoxy construction in heated press molds creates a durable finish on the blade.

Available at GO Sport stores at Dubai Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall and Bawabat Al Sharq Mall in the UAE; Villagio Mall and City Centre Doha in Qatar; and Muscat Grand Mall in Oman

• Airfoil cross-section on the blade • Ovalised shaft • Easy adjusting cam-collar • Stiff cored blades • 10cm length adjustment range • Fully-adjustable feather angle

These paddles are EXCLUSIVELY sold at GO Sport.

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PRODUCTS Casio Gulfmaster 1,795 AED

Available at G-Factory Lamcy Plaza (04 335 2979), G-Factory Al-Ghurair (04 252 5217) and G-Factory Ibn Batuta Mall (04-2766169) The Gulfmaster includes the first G-Shock models to incorporate both Triple Sensor Version 3 and Smart Access in the same watch. In addition to barometric pressure, altitude, bearing, and temperature readings, these new models also feature Tide Graph and Moon Age capabilities to help keep you in close touch with your natural environment. Sudden extreme changes in barometric pressure are alerted using a dial hand, LCD display and alarm.

Double LED lighting illuminates the LCD, and also adds a face light at six o’clock to keep information bright and easy to read even in total darkness.

The designs of these watches have been modeled after the look of shipboard instruments to create an attractive marine look. Large buttons are provided for critical light and sensor operations to help make operation easier and more intuitive. All of this and much more make all of the models in the Gulfmaster Series the logical choice for the maritime adventurer who desires something extra in performance and overall toughness.

• Mineral glass • Neobrite • Shock resistant • 200m water resistance • Resin band

• Double LED light • LED light for the face • LED backlight for the digital display • Solar powered

Victorinox Swiss Card Ruby 115 AED

Available at Adventure HQ The traditionalist in the SwissCard family has many hidden talents. A practical companion for every case that finds room in wallets, briefcases or diaries. Victorinox AG guarantees all knives and tools to be of first-class stainless steel and also guarantees a lifetime against any defects in material and workmanship (save for electronic components two years).

Tools: letter opener (blade), scissors, pin stainless, nail file with screwdriver, tweezers, toothpick, pressurised ballpoint pen and ruler.

Garmin Vivofit 669 to 849 AED

Available at Garmin.ae/Vivo Meet Vivofit. The only fitness band that reminds you daily how many steps you need to take in order to reach your personal goal. With a year-long battery, this fitness band never misses a beat, whether it’s your heart-rate*, calories burned, inactivity or quality of sleep. Make every step count. *Included with some models; sold separately on others.

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PRODUCTS Suunto Ambit3 Sport 1,995 AED

Available from the second week of September at Modell’s, Adventure HQ, Stadium, Go Sport, Dubai Duty Free, Intersport, Sports one, Watches Corner, Sun and Sand Sports and other outlets across the UAE. The new Suunto Ambit3 Sport packs all the features needed for running, swimming, cycling and multisport training. The GPS provides accurate pace, route navigation and tracking, while the heart rate monitor lets you train within your ideal zone. In addition to the familiar features of the Ambit2 S, new sport-specific feature highlights for the Ambit3 Sport include: Swimming: As a much requested new feature, the Ambit3 Sport supports recording your heart rate while swimming.

The heart rate belt with the new Suunto Smart Sensor, which is sold with the Ambit3 Sport HR, stores your heart rate data during the swim, and once out of the water, transfers it to your Ambit3 Sport.

Recovery time and activity monitoring: The Ambit3 Sport provides daily activity monitoring for a more complete estimation of your total recovery time.

Smart Mobile Connection for Suunto Ambit3 watches Paired with the Ambit3 watches the Suunto Movescount App turns your GPS watch into a multifunctional smart watch. You can wirelessly upload your moves with the Suunto Ambit3 watch, change watch settings and keep time and GPS data updated on the go using the Suunto Movescount App in your iPhone or iPad. You can also receive call and text notifications on the watch; you don’t need to stop your training to see who is calling. When cycling, you can mount your phone on your bike and turn it into a second display of your watch.

Victorinox EcoLine Huntsman 130 AED

Available at Adventure HQ Swiss army knives Victorinox have been known for their multi-purpose usage all around the world for more than 120 years. Victorinox company offers more than 800 various types of Swiss army knives, such as Swiss army knives, pocket knives, craftsman knives, knives for households and butcher knives. Victorinox knives are small enough to be used as a key ring, but big enough to be helpful for everyday utilisation. Special chrome-molybdenum steel for knives is used for Victorinox blades. After tempering, Victorinox Swiss army knives’ blades are hard as 56HRc. Product details: Length: 91 mm Tools: large blade, small blade, corkscrew, can opener with small screwdriver, cap lifter with screwdriver, wire stripper, reamer, punch key ring, tweezers, toothpick, scissors, multi-purpose hook (parcel carrier) and wood saw.

Cube Aerium Super HPC

For price, please contact 02 445 5838.

Available at Fun Ride Sport Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi.

The Aerium Super HPC SLT is the ultimate machine for ambitious triathletes and time trialists aiming for perfection. Maxed out aerodynamics and a well thought out, adaptable geometry are the defining characteristics of this lightning fast and still versatile highend carbon racer. The electronic Shimano Dura Ace Di2 provides unrivalled 11-speed shifting performance.

Advanced Twin Mold carbon frame is light and rigid with horizontal dropouts is designed specifically for the electronic shifting system, reducing drag even further. The battery and cable connections hide elegantly within the streamlined frame design.

Being fast has never looked or felt better. The Aerium Super HPC SLT abounds with technological highlights. Starting with the exquisite 11-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 group set, through the aerodynamic FSA Metron carbon crankset to the Profile Aeria Carbon aero cockpit - this bike features only the most exclusive components. The Super HPC carbon fork with an integrated front brake continues the quest for perfection, as does the Reynolds Aero 72/90 wheelset.

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OUR EXPERTS

Zodiac Liwa Photos By: Marina Bruce, Stephen Dersley, Olivia Flavin, Amro Abu Kuhail and Debra Hutton

Back in my home country of Scotland, the Scout Association challenges their members to “Zodiac Camp,” that is to say, camp at least one night in every month of the year.

Marina Bruce

is The Desert Diva – read her blog at www.thedesertdiva.com Oasis Offroad is a free to join offroad club based in Al Ain offering family trips and overland adventures in the beautiful sand dunes of Al Ain and beyond. Their website is www.oasis-offroad.com and their Facebook page is www.facebook.com/ OasisOffroad

At 57° north it’s quite a challenge, with freezing cold nights, rain and biting wind, not to mention biting midges (Scottish mosquitoes); this initiative inspired me not to camp, but to drive every month of the year in the Liwa area.

I tend to spend quite a bit of time in Liwa. There are so many beautiful areas to explore it would be a shame not to! Undoubtedly the best time to drive there is between November and February, but that’s not to say that you can’t venture there all year round with good preparations and a bit of risk management.

Please note: no matter what the time of year, you should never drive into the desert on your own. In my month by month highlights, I refer to “us” and “our” whether a private trip or an Oasis Offroad club trip or just a foray in the sand with my husband.

August: Expect extremely high temps of up to 50°C, mega soft sand and absolutely no other vehicles Regular readers may remember our “Diggers, Daubs and Dunes” trip of last year (OutdoorUAE October 2013) when we drove on wet sand for most of the morning which was unexpected for August! However,

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our biggest Liwa summer expedition was in 2012 when we had four separate morning drives during Ramadan with just two cars. Local friends urged caution; “you’ll die,” some said, but with a lot of planning and some non-fasting friends on standby to mount a rescue effort should we need it, we came through unscathed.

September: Expect hot afternoon temperatures and very soft sand

Our one foray into the Liwa area during the month of September happened last year and ended up being billed retrospectively as the “Blood, Sweat and Tears Trip.” Many things conspired against us – early morning fog delayed our departure from Liwa City, the sand which had been wet only three weeks earlier was now dry and super soft, we had multiple stucks in a technical area.

Originally planned as a six-hour desert outing, but it wasn’t until 10pm that the five exhausted drivers and passengers crawled into the Liwa Hotel! However we were never in any real danger as we had adequate water, food and shelter should we have been forced to spend a night on the sand – but it led to the creation of our “Offroad Arabic-English Phrasebook” which you can find in the December 2013 issue.

October: Expect warm nights and soft sand, and at the end of the month, early morning fog My first ever adventure into Liwa was in 2010; thus beginning my

obsession with the area and I’ve visited every October since. After a summer cooped up in our villas and apartments or driving close to our cities, you want to kick your heels and where better to do it than the largest sand dune desert in the world! The most memorable part of our trip last year wasn’t the sand, or nature, but the man-made vapour trail circles which were visible from our campsite in the early hours of daylight. There was much speculation to the cause but one of our friends, ex-American Airforce pilot tells us that chances are a military jet refuelled in mid-air about 35,000ft above us.

November: Expect perfect driving conditions. Warm days, good sand and cool nights

In 2012, we had one of our most memorable Liwa expeditions when we tackled Mike Nott’s “Liwa Crossing” route, from his “Adventure Routes: UAE & Oman”; we even picked up two other cars enroute.

We covered his 140km route in eight hours with a few interesting challenges along the way.

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their calves, so keep your long camera lens handy! Whatever you do, do not approach a very young camel as its mum could be very aggressive when protecting her young!

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driving to a good spot not far off the main road where we searched for desert roses as we watched the sunrise. We then headed back to the hotel for breakfast and to sleep, before heading out in the afternoon for an off-road drive to the abandoned Oshkosh digger. You can give your desert weekend a family appeal by visiting some forts or attractions as well as some serious sand dunes!

December: Expect cold nights, foggy mornings and perfect sand

We have driven in the Liwa area a number of times in December, we’ve even spent Hogmanay (31st December) camping in the red sands. What sticks in the memory most is the 6°C temperature we experienced in 2011, when we camped south of Madinat Zayed to visit the Al Dhafra Camel Festival.

This festival which celebrates the ship of the desert and Emirati/Bedu traditions in general is held in late December and is a great excuse to visit Liwa for some driving/ camping and culture.

March: Expect warm days, unsettled weather and very good sand conditions

We’ve had quite a few forays into the Liwa area during the month of March. It’s still cool enough at night to sleep in a tent and our group often has a last gasp long distance exploration trip in the spring.

My own most notable trip was when I led the support team as a team of four “fat” cyclists crossed the Liwa Crescent – you can read about their adventure in OutdoorUAE in April 2013.

June: Expect very hot temperatures in the afternoon and extremely soft sand.

Like May, driving in Liwa in June is best left to the hardcore off-roaders, ideally with at least one winch in the group to make recoveries as easy as possible. We had a very special drive through the Crescent last year; a friend who is a very keen photographer, Amro Abu Kuhail, had expressed a desire to see Liwa off-road and we were only too happy to oblige. Eight cars drove over 100km off-road on day one, followed by the same the next day where we drove a challenging route with four experienced drivers through the Liwa Crescent area.

January: Expect short daylight hours, very cold nights and fog

This is a great month to explore the sands, if you are lucky you’ll find wet sand to make the going easier (or to allow you to climb higher with ease), and the weather is cool all day long. It’s a great time to tackle longer trips – earlier this year Oasis Offroad visited the most south westerly point in the UAE, driving over 170km in the process. It was a long haul but the peace and quiet, and the most amazing starlit sky made the journey well worth the effort.

February: Expect cold nights, fog and perfect sand

One of the best months for exploring Liwa, once any fog lifts (normally around 9:00am) the area experiences many sunny days with real warmth from the sun. One memorable drive this year saw us explore the area north of Himeem with a small group, exploring uncharted territory, for us at least. The cool days at this time of year make February an excellent month to go exploring!

This is also peak season for camels to have

April: Expect hot days, warm nights and softening sand

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge takes place in the Liwa area each April and it’s great to see the rally cars and bikes power their way seemingly effortless over some of the most challenging terrain in the world.

They are always on the lookout for volunteer marshals so if you have a spare few days in April then get in touch with them – no off-road driving experience necessary as most of the checkpoints are near the road.

May: Expect very warm nights, hot days, soft sand

As the mercury rises, casual off-road drivers are starting to avoid the most remote of areas and only hardcore off-roaders remain.

The days are long, typically with about 1213 hours daylight but they are hot too and I find 6-7 hours in the sand enough. In 2013, Oasis Offroad ran a weekend trip with a difference – day one saw us congregate in the Liwa’s hotel carpark at 4:45am before

July: Expect blistering hot temperatures, extremely soft sand and lots of wildlife – there’s hardly any other cars to disturb them!

In 2014, the Zodiac was completed. Six cars with very experienced drivers, one very early morning and 60km of sand. We witnessed the sunrise from the edge of the desert whilst deflating our tyres and eating breakfast, ready to make the most of the early morning coolness. We were using another of Mike’s routes, this time the first part of the “Go West” route which took us over spectacular dunes where on occasion gazelle were gazing down on us as we traversed the valleys. Our first major stop was at a Solar-Powered Oasis; from here we deviated from Mike’s route taking one of mine to reach the Arada-Ghayathi highway. The mercury had hit 45°C by this point and when finished we dashed back to the gorgeous Tilal Liwa Hotel to cool off in their pool!

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ADVENTURE

RIDING

My plan was only to get an adventure bike on my 60th birthday. To me “adventure” still has a different meaning from what these bikes are intended for.

However, about a month ago (mid July), I had to do my annual medical at Al Noor hospital in Al Ain. Nothing special other than the fact that Al Noor is directly next to the BMW showroom in Al Ain. With no preconceived intentions walking past the showroom, that was still closed John Basson due to the late Ramadan hours, my Moto/ATV and all round adventure seeker eye caught her – a BMW F800 GS in the most beautiful white and black color scheme. I stopped and stared for a few seconds and reminded myself that I only have 17 years to go till I will own a bike like that.

After the medical, walking back to my car, the showroom was open, and I “just popped in” to have a look. Nothing more, just a look.

What can I say, it was love at first sight. I had to return the next even-

ing for some more tests and this time spent a bit longer in the showroom.

Just looking! Maybe there was some physical contact, but mostly “just looking.” Driving home I called my good friend Alex, who has been riding a BMW 1200 GS for some time now, to enquire about the price. “Just standby, I will let Mr Kamal for Adu Dhabi BMW give you a call.” “No, no, don’t do that! I am just asking out of curiosity, nothing more,” was my reply. Well, 10 minutes later (11:15 at night) my phone rang: “Hi Mr John, this is Kamal from BMW in Abu Dhabi…”

From here on I am just going to blame all consequences on Mr Kamal.

He is an excellent sales person and without enforcing himself can be very persuasive. Now that you all know it was not due to any weakness on my behalf that had caused me to buy this beautiful bike, but Mr Kamal’s sales

techniques, let me tell you about the GS and adventure riding.

Many people prefer off-road riding rather than just riding on the main roads. As most of us live in cities, this implies that we need to load our bikes and often ride long distances to any area where we can ride an off-road bike. The intention of an adventure bike is to give us a bike that is “as good” on the road as it is off-road. Surely one would be unreasonable to expect something that is “perfect” for both. There has to be a compromise both ways. It seems that BMW has found the best balance for this. I have looked at many reviews and write-ups of these “adventure” bikes and on virtually every independently done review, the BMW 1200 GS comes out tops.

I knew this about the GS series, but the F800 GS is still more appealing to me. Maybe because it is slightly

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better off-road than the bigger brother and that is still a very high priority for me.

These bike are heavy, very heavy, if compared to dedicated off-road bikes. This makes them more difficult to handle off-road, but the extra weight and power makes them ideal for cruising at 120km/h (or a bit faster) on the roads for extended periods of time. In comparison, Honda’s 450 Enduro bike is about 120kg. The GS 800 is 209kg and the GS 1200 is almost 300kg! Because of the weight and size you would not take these bike on the same trails as the smaller bike, but don’t think that this means “no adventure.” Terrain that previously you would not have considered a challenge now becomes a challenge and as much “fun or adventures” as more challenging terrain would have been on your off-road bike.

You can take these bikes pretty much anywhere where there are tracks made by vehicles (4x4s) and depending on your level, even a bit further. Just go on YouTube and search for “adventure riding.”

You will be surprised to see what these bikes can do and where people take them. Just be warned that looking at these videos might cost a couple of bucks as you are going to want an adventure bike, trust me, you are warned!

I cannot comment on the other brands as I don’t own one, but every time I look at my GS I just say, “Wow!” it is just “so much bike” and comparing the price one would pay for an off-road bike to the price of the F800 GS, the GS just looks like more value for money. The build quality is outstanding

and it is clear to me why the GS has become the favourite adventure bike across the globe.

Up to date I have only done limited riding on my GS and just awaiting some grip guards to protect the levers in the event of a fall, before taking her to the next level. However the riding to date has been great fun and I think the areas around Hatta, Dibba and Fujairah are perfect for day rides from Al Ain, Abu Dhabi or Dubai on an adventure bike, not to mention Oman, and my trip from Al Ain to Salalah that will be in November/December this year. (Anyone is welcome to join this ride!)

So if you have been thinking about possibly one day getting an adventure bike, I only have this to say: don’t wait, make it happen and use it!” There are several groups and clubs in the UAE that are very active regarding adventure riding and I don’t think that there is a single weekend from October to end of May that you would not be able to join some group riding somewhere interesting. (Crazy guys like us don’t stop riding and ride mid-summer, but that is just because we are crazy, nothing serious.)

Go for gold and live life!

Regards

John

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OUR EXPERTS

Summertime tuna Tuna will give you a long fight, always make sure your tackle can stand the strain

Photos By: AJ Pretorius, soolymansportfishing.com

Sit back in your airconditioned room, check out YouTube to see people catching fish, flick through a few fishing magazines, maintain your tackle and go to the malls to escape the heat.

Our fishing pro who shares his experiences and expertise with OutdoorUAE through his regular column. thefishingkit@gmail.com

That basically sums up the majority of the angling population of the UAE when the summer comes rolling in with the heat. For a handful of people, it is not the case; they have already been preparing before summer comes around and started heading eastward as soon as the first signs of tuna come calling.

Although the heat in the cities turns up at this time of year, as soon as you head a few kilometres off-shore, the temperature lowers to 30-something degrees and makes the fishing not only bearable, but comfortable.

Fujairah is located in the east coast of the Emirates and is blessed with shores that face the great Indian Ocean, the gateway to summertime tuna action.

While you can sporadically catch tuna around the tankers in the cooler winter months, active feeding schools of both Longtail and My first Longtail Tuna on a flyrod and the fish that rounded up Soolyman Sportfishing’s Tuna Slam

Yellowfin tuna come closer to shore in the Omani Gulf. “Closer to shore” is relative – given the vastness of the Tuna on a flyrod is no easy feat - it takes persistence and determination Indian Ocean. A travel of 30 to 50 miles straight out to the ocean will school, all the fish that were caught get you into actively feeding schools that day were snagged, the fish that will make the trip one of the most were not really hooked in the mouth, memorable trips in your lifetime. which means the lures were all being The two main species of tuna that is dragged across the fish – the skipper expected are the Longtail tuna (Thundid not know how to position the nustonggol) and Yellowfin tuna (Thunboat. nusalbacares) both excellent fighters What makes or breaks the trip and equally excellent as a table fare. would be the company you keep The fish you would most likely to on the boat; fishing of this type is a encounter range from 9 to 12 kilos, team effort and the captain should the possibility of catching a bigger take charge. On a shared charter, one is not remote with fish of over 20 this a challenge, you have a boat kilos being caught in a regular basis. of eager anglers who all want their The number of fish opens up a lot shots at the fish. There should be of possibilities; top water fishing with an order to have each angler have a stickbaits and poppers using spinning chance at casting to the fish. and conventional casting gear gives When the you the fastest action, using the same magic happens gear with casting jigs is also a very When you have everything in line, effective method. you accomplish the toughest of chalTrolling while waiting for a school to lenges, like catching a good fish on pop up is a good way of piling up the light tackle the task becomes even numbers, as is using live bait. more challenging when you aim to For a handful of people, including catch a tuna on a fly rod. myself, it is the perfect time to test Although it is the summer and the chances with a fly rod. winds are far more forgiving than in What you will need the winter time 30-50 miles of gentle You need a few things to go after breeze would mean the formation them, first make sure your tackle can of swells, which makes casting a not stand up to the abuse. Tuna have the so comfortable task, this is when reputation of testing everything in fishing as a team comes into play. your tackle system and they also test With anglers timing their casts and your back at the same time. never casting more than two casts at With the gear sorted you also need the same time, it is both a safe and to look for a professional that knows efficient way to fish. not only how to find the tuna, but also On the way home from a terrible one that knows what to do when a trip, my regular fishing buddy, Kelvin school is spotted. and I decided to take a chance and I was on a trip recently where I split charter between us. A quick call had to help the captain look for the to Bobby and another confirmation schools, and I found most of them. call to Calvin Du Plessis sealed the When he approached the school, trip, although a bit hesitant a first he was always behind the moving Calvin got especially excited when I

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mentioned that I wanted a tuna on the fly.

Bobby, Darryn and Calvin are the Du Plessis brothers. They run one of the most notable sport fishing charters in the UAE, Soolyman Sportfishing. They are good friends of mine and equally eager to do something out of convention and most importantly they are always eager for a good challenge.

Calvin has taken a Yellowfin tuna on a fly a few days before and was eager to go out and catch a longtail to complete a “Tuna Slam.” This happens when you have caught all the tuna species in the area fish – at that time, they had only one left to complete the slam.

The next day, we pulled into the Fujairah Marina to a waiting Calvin with a big grin on his face – and some not so good news – the weather has not been cooperating and there was a chance that our run to the deep end would have to be postponed.

We would have to see how it is on the way there and if we see that it’s too rough, we need to head back in. Calvin was going to be our skipper, with his trusty deckhand, while Kelvin and myself rounded up the team.

Luckily for us, the weather held and as soon as we were 20 miles offshore, the temperature started to drop and became very comfortable. We spent the next two hours bouncing on the waves heading out into the open ocean.

Calvin was quick to find a feeding school.

Out came the rods with the stickbaits and two quick casts were fired from the bow of the boat, as soon as the two lures landed in the water, two more casts were fired.

Almost as if the coordination of the casts were planned, a double hookup ensued and the fight was on. The first fish was on the boat and Kelvin was still fighting his fish on his light tackle setup. Despite four lines in the water and a double hookup, not a single line was crossed.

Our chance to cast to a second school came fast and this time, all four lines had a fish on – a quadruple hookup. The minutes piled up and we were each battling a hard pulling tuna at the end of our lines. We were all moving around the boat trying to position ourselves and coordinate our movements with the fish. Not a single line was crossed and all fish were safely boated.

It was at then that I asked if it was ok for me to try casting the fly rod. Almost immediately, all the rods at the bow were cleared and stored to give me the space I need to cast with a fly rod, Kelvin even made a sly remark – “I want to hear you scream bro!”

not moving! We stayed around and waited for a school to go up and when it did, we had it to ourselves. Again, I ran up to the bow and made my cast, on the second cast, I felt a fish pick my fly up, a few strip sets and I had the fish come tight on the reel. the reel started screaming and Calvin, who was calmly standing beside me ready to cast his rod told me to make a few quick jabs with the rod to make sure the hook had a solid grip. I did what he said and quickly held the spool of the reel and made a few quick jabs.

When the fight went over 10 minutes, everyone on the boat was relaxed and were joking around. we had the hook well into the jaw of this fish and we all knew that it would take a long time before we had it near the boat, such is the case for a fly caught fish.

When the fish took a long dive, Calvin was quick to quip, “Yeah they do that man, just when you think you got them, they just dive down deep again.” “Geeze dude, that’s not really helping me here,” was my quick reply. Everyone laughed.

A few more runs, two bottles of water and a can of coke later, we had the fish in colour and everyone’s excitement could not be contained. After a few more short runs, we had the fish on gaff and we were screaming our hearts out. We did it!

The ride home was quiet, no words were needed, and we all knew we all had a part in accomplishing something wonderful. It’s one of those fishing trips in your life that you would not forget. Although we’re sure that there were guys who caught Longtail and Yellowfin tuna on a fly in the UAE before us, we have accomplished something a few people on earth has had a chance to do – a tuna on a flyrod.

Kelvin fighting a tuna on light tackle and Calvin spotting a feeding school in the distance before the fish was brought to gaff

The difference when fishing with a professional

The challenge with a fly rod is always the casting – each person has a limit to how far they can cast and unlike conventional tackle where you can cast a hundred metres comfortably; a 35, cast with a fly rod is a cast of an expert fly angler. For someone like myself who is just average, that is almost an impossible cast to perform on a rolling boat! However, instead of positioning the boat beside or behind a moving school, Calvin is able to read where the birds are heading and predict where the tuna will surface. He positions the boat ahead of the school, puts the motor in neutral and intercept the fish. The result was pretty obvious, the tuna were boiling around the boat closing the gap between me and the feeding fish.

Frustration and redemption

Everyone on the boat wanted me to catch a tuna on the flyrod. Calvin has graciously given me the honour of rounding up the Tuna Slam for their company. Since the fish we caught were all Longtail tuna, I knew that this fish meant a lot to him. I was given all the chances in the world: I get to cast first, and they would only cast their lines when I was hooked up. The problem with fly fishing is quite simple to explain – it’s fly fishing and it’s not easy. From casting to retrieving and hooking a fish, it is just downright difficult. Needless to say, I was getting very frustrated and was ready to call it quits. Again, this is where teamwork gets into play, they did not allow me to give up.

School after school after school of fish, I was given the first shot; I kept on hooking up, fighting the fish for a few minutes and later losing it.

Teamwork

At this point, it got pretty embarrassing and after losing a few fish, I was ready to throw in the towel and pick up my spinning rod. There was just one little problem, not a single soul on the boat allowed me to put the flyrod down; each one urging me onward and just telling me we’ve come this far to give up.

The sun was starting to set and the boats fishing the breaking fish made it a challenge to work each school, because of all the noise above, the schools tended to dive down faster. At a distance, we saw breaking fish and diving birds, but we were

Summer

Summer isn’t really the time to keep your gear in storage; there are lots of fish you can target in the Arabian Gulf and off Fujairah. It’s really just a matter of figuring out what fish to target and have the determination to brave the heat and catch some fish.

In our case, we call the summer “the hidden season” because a lot of people don’t know what they are missing out.

We have about a month left before the tuna head back into the deep, you still have a chance to go out there, weather permitting.

Congratulations to Soolyman Sportfishing for the Tuna Slam!

Special thanks to AJ Pretorius who is instrumental in spreading fly fishing in the UAE. AJ was one the first guys I met in the fly fishing scene here in the UAE and he was he first to organise all the fly anglers in the UAE back in 2006. Without him, I would not be as dedicated to fly fishing as I am now. Thank you very much, Big Guy! Kelvin Chan, I will share a boat with you any day.

Till then, tight lines and fair weather!

Kit

thefishingkit@gmail.com

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QATAR EXPLORER

Adult Hawksbill turtle returning to sea after nesting

Turtles in Qatar Experience one of Mother Nature’s miracles Words By: Eulogy van Dyk Photos By: Neil McBride

A beach that is normally covered with people and kites, transforms into a turtle sanctuary by night.

Fuwairit beach is a popular public beach in Qatar where many families, paddlers and kite surfers spend their time over the weekends. To many, it is still unknown that this very beach is also a popular turtle nesting and hatching site, and you will only come to realise this when you arrive one day (normally during the month of April) and a fence is suddenly constructed with signs saying “Turtle Hatching Site: Do Not Disturb.” There are around four species of turtles living in the peninsula waters of Qatar and the Hawksbill turtle specie is best known for nesting along the coast.

Research has shown that various nesting spots are located in Ras Rekan, Umm Tais, Sheraouh, Fuwairit, and Al Ghariya. It seems that their favourite spots are at Halul Island with an average 60-80 nests per year and Ras Laffan Industrial City with over 100 nests per year.

Fuwairit Beach is the only area that is accessible to the public where as the other above mentioned spots are all located in and around land belonging to the petroleum and gas companies in Qatar, and thus not accessible to the public.

The season for nesting and hatching runs from approximately May to July. During this time the female turtles will make their way to the shore of Qatar to nest and once the eggs are laid there will be an incubation period of around 60 days before they hatch. It is during this time that you can come to Fuwairit and experience this miracle of Mother Nature.

Neil McBride, a resident of Qatar, recently started “Qatar Turtlewatch” Facebook group that shares information with expats in Doha on how to see the turtle nesting and hatching. He describes his experience of this year’s nesting and hatching as simply amazing. “From wondering how the

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turtles navigate their way back to the same nesting sites, to how the hatchlings know to head straight for the sea as soon as they hatch, I have always found this phenomenon fascinating. To watch it happen is spectacular, and no matter how many times I witness the event, I will always be in awe!

Mother Nature is truly amazing.” Neil says.

When going to watch turtles nesting it is important to remember that turtles are very sensitive and easily startled. It doesn’t take much to put them off nesting, so it is important to avoid bright lights, flash photography and making too much noise at least until they have finished laying their eggs.

The hatching process is just as delicate as the nesting. The hatchlings will emerge from the sand and slowly crawl down the beach and straight into the sea, using light, wave direction and the earth’s magnetic fields for guidance. Once again, avoid bright lights like fires, car lights or camera flashes, music and loud engines as they will also frighten the hatchlings, causing them to crawl in the wrong direction and die from exhaustion or natural predators.

You will see many rangers and marine biologists during the time of nesting and hatching at Fuwairit beach and it is important to listen to them and follow their instructions. This year they brought buckets to help the hatchlings get to the sea and young and old were invited to help and experience the turtles up close and personal.

Projects to record and monitor sea turtles have been running for a few years, contracted to Qatar University (Environmental Studies Center) and supported by various sponsors and the Ministry of Environment covering all the nesting sites in Qatar to conserve, protect and monitor the marine turtles. Marine turtles are considered a protected species in Qatar, but due to lack of control and enforcement measures the

species do not benefit from this listing.

The main threat turtles face is the human footprint. Litter and pollution of the beaches; destruction of their nesting beaches due to industrial development; and vehicles driving on the beach as well as reports of egg poaching. Fishing nets, jet skies and motorboats also pose a threat to the newly born turtles.

It is therefore extremely important that each individual do as much as possible to help raise consciousness for the protection of the turtles. Make your way down to Fuwairit beach for the next season to witness this extraordinary event, and contribute to the survival of these beautiful creatures.

A few interesting facts about turtles, the nesting and hatching process:

• Turtles have approximate same lifespan as humans but reach sexual maturity much later • Hawksbills turtles are, on average, between 34 and 35 years of age when they are ready to start reproducing • This year’s female hatchlings will not return to Qatar’s beaches to lay their own eggs until around 2044!

• Turtles migrate from their distant feeding grounds to mate and begin egg laying, always returning to the same region where they themselves were hatched • Each nest has around 100 eggs • Once the eggs are laid there is an incubation period around 60 days before they hatch • Eggs only hatch at night once ground surface has cooled • Once the eggs have hatched the hatchlings takes 2-3 days to emerge from the sand

Location of Fuwairit Beach:

26.026553,51.378765; one-hour drive from Doha, located on the North road.

Interested to join next year? Keep an eye on the Qatar Turtle Watch facebook groups, or view the website because-wecare.weebly.com for updates and more information closer to the time.

Public getting involved to help the hatchlings get to the water

Star spotting beneath the waves.

It’s a shore thing.

A refreshing swim at the 300 metre beach.

A sundowner or snack by the pool.

A little “me” time at the spa. Or a work out in the health club. Whatever you choose, life at the all-new Bayshore is the ultimate leisure experience.

And that’s a shore thing.

At InterContinental Abu Dhabi For membership and enquiries, please call +971 2 666 6888 dining-intercontinental-ad.ae

PEOPLE

Mohammad Nader Ahmad Occupation: Product Manager at Al Yousuf Motors Yamaha Motorcycle division Nationality: Syrian Age: 30

Nader considers himself lucky

to be able to work for something he’s passionate about – motorcycles.

Between family and work time, Nader takes his Yamaha R1 for a spin on the tracks and he is also an instructor for the Yamaha Riding Academy for beginner ATV riders.

How and when did you get into motorcycling?

When I was around 10 years old, our neighbour had a motorcycle (CBR Honda 250cc) and it was the first thing I look at every day on my way to school. I loved how the tyres looked, the colours of the bike with the decals, it was just fascinating. I first got into motorcycling when I was 16 as it was my middle school graduation gift.

What’s your training/practice like?

Training and practice are theoretical and practical. You watch special videos and drawing, read special books that teach you a lot about riding and practice either with special schools or with professional supervision. Then the more kilometres you ride with your motorcycle the more experience you earn.

On the other hand, there are special trainings for the tracks which also take a lot of practice and must be instructed by professional schools, institute or professional racers. I want to add one thing: do not implement the track training and practice on

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the street. As it might be similar in some points, it’s also very different in others (eg dive into the corner and exit from it) With our group, we mostly practice in empty areas outside the city or in big empty parking spaces with supervision and we also try to provide videos, books or even face-to-face advices and instructions which they can practice alone in safe areas.

As an instructor for the Yamaha Riding Academy, what is your teaching approach to students?

I apply personality adaptation and friendly approach. For enthusiastic and confident riders, I must hold their horses back and open their eyes to the safety side, because all they want to do is to jump on that ATV and rev it like there is no tomorrow, so we must teach them how to control themselves as they might get injured. For the hesitant and laid-back riders, we show them that it’s fun and easy when you start on the right foot and take it step by step.

Injuries are part of any sport, have you had any serious ones?

Yes I did, and that’s because of slippery surface. I recovered by being optimistic, positive, physical therapy, never giving up and taking it easy.

What have you learned from this sport?

No matter how fast you are there is someone faster than you, so don’t be pissed.

Learn, practice and never give up even if

you crashed. I can’t imagine myself not riding, it’s my getaway, my freedom, my mind clearing, my peace with myself.

What is your advice to riders?

Safety: never ride without safety gear. No road race: do not race on the road; there are tracks where we can fly on. Abilities: we must know and never exceed our abilities or our motorcycle’s abilities. Practice and practice and practice; till today I’ve so much to learn, never think that you have it or you know it all. No solo adventures: my advice for our off-roaders, please don’t attempt any adventure in the deserts, jungle or any place alone. Thanks to technology we can be in touch 24/7 anywhere but still you never know, so please at least do your adventures with a partner.

What do you like most about riding with your team?

Brotherhood, we became like brothers and sisters. We are there for each other even if it’s not about the bikes. We help, motivate and support each other. And last but not least, a little of showing off specially when we ride in the city. People start flashing their cameras at us when they see us in groups.

What is your advice for beginners on picking their first bike?

It depends on which style of bike, but generally you must know your real abilities and choose a bike that suits it and never exceed it, because it’s not about getting a fast bike, it’s the fast biker that matters.

PEOPLE

Goran Čolak Occupation: Freediver Nationality: Croatian Age: 31

Words By: Alex Boulting, freedivingUAE.com

The current world record holder and now the two-time static apnea on pure oxygen Guinness world record holder is dynamic with or without fins.

FreedivingUAE had the pleasure of sitting down with Goran to discuss how someone prepares for his staggering feats and what goes through the mind of a champion. In his characteristic nonchalant and easy going manner, he calmly explains what it’s like to be a superhuman.

Congratulations on your 23-minute oxygen breath hold, which is amazing.

What did you think about during that time?

You know for yourself that when you’re doing static, the goal is to think about nothing basically. You’re trying to clear your mind, but it’s not always you succeed in that. Then you are thinking about, I don’t know, whatever pops into your mind.

This particular time, I was thinking about, “What will I say if I don’t succeed,” because there were like 2,000 people around the swimming pool, the live broadcast on TV and live streaming on internet, so I was kind of obligated to do it. I was thinking about what would I say if things go wrong.

Last year, you did it in the Zagreb Main Square and you must have had a few thousand people watching there as well.

But it doesn’t sound as though it was any quieter or there was any less pressure on the island.

To be honest there was more pressure this time. First of all, the time I did it in the main square in Zagreb, it was really, really bad weather. It was cold and rainy so there were not so many people around the swimming pool. This time, we had official Guinness people there and it was a lot of people around the swimming pool. It was like totally crazy. Full of media people and everything, so this time it was [laughs] harder than in Zagreb.

Explain to us how breathing oxygen helps prolong your breath hold rather than just doing a normal static.

The main thing with pure O2 is that you’re saturating your blood and blood plasma with O2 so you have more oxygen available for breath hold and on top of that, you’re purging CO2 from your body, de-

pending on how hard you breathe before the static.

What’s the process you go through around half an hour before the breath hold?

I’m trying not to think about things that I need to do. Just to cope with something that I am doing right now. So if I’m putting on a wetsuit, then I’m just focused on putting on the wetsuit and doing that properly. When I’m walking to the swimming pool, I’m focused on going through the crowd without bumping into somebody.

Then I’m focused on my warm up routine and I’m focused on my “breathe up” and I’m focused on my packing then I’m focused on my relaxing phase and so on and so on. I never think about any results.

Are you planning on doing a static world record? Because that’s the only world record that you don’t have in the pool at the moment.

Yeah, it’s the only one. But, it’s kind of hard to do [laughs].

I’m hoping, actually, I would be really disappointed if I don’t hit 10+ minutes this year and I’m pretty confident I will do it. But a world record?

I don’t know. To do a static world record, it’s 11:30, you really need to focus on static for at least six months maybe even a year. For me, this is a big sacrifice to do in this period of my freediving career because I still want to do distance and I want to explore depth a little bit.

Ultimately people will be interested in why you would want to hold your breathe for so long.

The main reason why I started to do oxygen breath holds was because we were trying to find something to promote freediving and diving in general here in Croatia.

We were trying to find something that we could do in a main square in a small swimming pool. You can’t do dynamic, obviously, so static was the only thing that was left. O2 is much more media friendly, let’s say. That was the main reason to do it the first time. This time, it was pretty much

similar. In addition to everything, we’ve had these floods here in Croatia; whole parts of the country were flooded and it was pretty much a disaster. So we were collecting donations for the part of the country that was flooded.

Talk us through how you physically trained for this type of breath holding.

I didn’t change that much in my training and I had a little bit of a weird approach for static training. I never just train only static. I train everything basically. I just added a little bit more static specific training to my normal training. I’m doing dynamic with no fins in a pool and I have hypercapnic swimming and different kinds of hypercapnic drills with a little bit of static breath hold now and then.

What sort of psychological training do you do?

To be honest, I don’t do much specific psychological training. There’s this chess player Bobby Fisher, you’ve probably heard about him and the journalist asked him, what he thought about the psychology of chess and how he prepared mentally for a chess game.

Bobby replied that he didn’t believe in psychology, but that he believe in good moves on a chessboard. I kind of have similar concept in my head, I believe in hard training and going there ready and prepared. Once you’re really prepared and you believe in yourself and you know that you’ve done everything in your power to be at the peak of your form on that particular day, then it’s kind of easy, at least for me, to put my head together and do it.

So what’s next for you?

Well, the main thing for me this year, of course, is the AIDA Team World Championship where the Croatian team is defending the gold medal. All my focus from today is on that competition that will be held in Sardinia. And, we’ll see. No team has ever defended a gold medal at the AIDA Team World Championship so far, but I’m hoping we’re going to do it this year again.

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LOCATIONS

Get outdoors in the UAE Hiking – A series of articles to help you start or progress your hiking in the UAE Words + Photos By: Sean James

So you want to climb 8,000m?

Part 2

This is the second part looking at what it takes to climb an 8,000m peak. There are only 14 8,000m peaks in the world and last month we looked at what makes climbing an 8,000m peak so special.

This month we get first-hand information about what it’s like to climb an 8,000m from a number of people who have actually done just that. All are driven and determined and for them it has been an all-consuming but rewarding passion and one that has defined them as people.

Jake Meyer

What do you think is important in preparation before an 8,000m expedition?

Experience of expeditions – not necessarily of 8,000m peaks, but of multi-week trips at altitude. Understanding of how your body reacts to altitude, but Jake presenting also about maintaining awards at BAFTA your morale when in tough, uncomfortable conditions for long periods of time. You also learn lots of tricks of the trade such as what extra kit to bring (home comforts), or how to adapt your kit to make it more fit for “your personal” purpose. I’d also say that the best preparation before an

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8,000m trip is to have previously failed on another mountain. Recognition that you may not summit (despite training, inclination, investment, will power, determination, equipment and lots of other controllables) is key to accepting that things may not always turn out how you might have planned them.

How high had you climbed before you first went over 8,000m?

My highest before Everest had been Aconcagua 6,962m. We did three trips on Everest to about 7,000m before we started pushing much higher.

What would you say are the key factors to a successful 8,000m venture?

A flexible mentality. Clear understanding of why you want to attempt the challenge, and therefore defining success. Accepting that not reaching the summit should never constitute failure – only losing your friend/ life or being badly injured is failure. Some people will read this question as implying “what is the key factor to summiting on an 8,000m venture.” The sooner you can accept that the experience is the payback and the “measurable” success, the sooner you’ll make both safer and more well-informed decisions. Whether you are part of a large or small team – having a trusted partner is key. You won’t always get on with everyone on the team, but you need to have at least one key partner who you can trust implicitly. Remember, trust is made up of four factors – Intent, Integrity, Capability, Results – find these in a partner, and you’ll give yourself a good chance. Recognise that any expedition is a marathon not a sprint. You usually have plenty of time – don’t rush things, wait for the favourable conditions, and if in doubt, go down – it’s better to be a live donkey than a dead lion! Network with the other teams in basecamp – build up the relationships so that if you need support higher up on the mountain – you can start

to trade favours. Despite many people’s perception, high altitude mountaineering is not a competition (between teams) – when the trouble hits the fan, you should all be on the same team, regardless of race, creed or colour.

Describe your feelings of standing on the summit?

An incredible mixture of emotions – of elation, exhaustion and relief. The phrase “feeling on top of the world” doesn’t even begin to cover it!

Matt Snook

Matt Snook climbed Mt Everest, via the North Ridge, with his best friend Pete Sunnucks in 2010, becoming the first to do so for the British military charity “Help for Heroes.” He continues to pursue his dream of completing the Seven Summits.

What do you think is important in preparation before an 8,000m expedition?

In terms of preparation, we focused on three areas: technical ability, experience at altitude and physical fitness. We didn’t let a day go by without doing something to improve ourselves in one of those areas.

Gaining the experience at altitude was the most challenging to develop.

How high had you climbed before you first went over 8,000m?

Mt Aconcagua (6,962m) was our highest exposure prior to heading to the Himalayas, crucially only two months before.

What would you say are the key factors to a successful 8,000m venture?

Preparation. Attitude. Luck. Everything you do in the lead up to the climb determines your likelihood of success. You’ve got to want it so bad you can taste it, but tailor that with a sensible and responsible attitude to reality. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and learn to thrive when you’re feeling at your worst. To a

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certain extent, you make your own luck, but there are many uncontrollables out there which you can’t account for. Think about them. Mitigate them. But don’t let what you can’t control, affect what you can.

What would you say are the key factors to a successful 8,000m venture?

Having a reliable climbing partner. I climbed Manaslu with Ang Phurba Sherpa which was a million times easier than climbing alone.

Describe your feelings of standing on the summit?

Reaching the top of any mountain is an incredible feeling. Reaching the top of an 8,000m peak, achieving everything you’ve worked so hard towards is the single most incredible feeling you could ever explain.

I’ve only climbed the one 8,000m peak but I’ve not hung my mountaineering boots up yet!

(2008), Kang Guru 7,010m, Nepal (2008), Tukuche Peak 6,920m, Nepal (2009).

What would you say are the key factors to a successful 8,000m venture?

Good team spirit and trusting in your climbing partner is very important. You must of course be lucky with the weather and get a good summit window. Weather conditions again. Patience. Try to stay healthy and acclimatise your body. Keep it simple.

Describe your feelings of standing on the summit?

It is very addictive. I want more and more.

Both climbing itself and reaching the summit is incredible, amazing and wonderful.

It is an experience never to be forgotten.

But I think it does not appeal to everyone; it is hard. Big mountains are my passion. I have climbed Mt Everest 8,848m in 2010, Manaslu 8 163m in 2011 (without supplementary oxygen) and Lhotse 8 545min 2013. My dream is to try to climb all 14 of the 8 000m, maybe one every year.

Describe your feelings of standing on the summit?

Everyone else seemed really happy and excited. For me the summit was only half way and I’d worked really hard to get to the top so I expected to make the summit. I think my enjoyment comes from the journey, the places you go to and the people I meet along the way. Currently, I’ve only climbed Manaslu and I’m getting more excited by unclimbed peaks at the moment. This summer I have three unclimbed peaks expedition lined up. In the future, I’d like to climb a few more 8,000m peaks maybe Kanchenjunga one day.

Pete on the summit of Cho Oyu

Anne after the puja ceremony

Anne Hyryläinen

Anne is from Finland and currently lives in Dubai with her husband. Since starting climbing in 2005 she has climbed three peaks over 8,000m, one without supplementary oxygen. In 2010, she was beaten by a few days to becoming the first Finnish women to climb Everest but in her own words “mountaineering is not a competition, it’s something more.” A mixture of being connected to nature and something more spiritual.

What do you think is important in preparation before an 8,000m expedition?

Greetings from cold Finland but it is nice to get some fresh air from here. For me finding a good team to climb and practise with is part of the expedition. Good physical (really good endurance, not big muscles because they need more oxygen to function) and mental condition. Building your experience of being on a mountain is vital before you attempt an 8,000m peak. And of course reliable equipment that will do the job. I am lucky enough to be sponsored by a Finnish manufacturer, Halti who help with the costs but it is still expensive.

How high had you climbed before you first went over 8,000m?

I first took a two-week climbing holiday with my husband in Sweden and I felt I had found my passion. After that I gradually worked my way through a number of higher mountains; Mount Blanc 4,810m, France (2007), Chulu West 6,419m Nepal

Phil celebrating at sea level

Philip de-Beger

Philip is a full-time adventurer. He loves exploring and travelling in search of adventure to the furthest parts of the planet. Still at a young age (under 30!) he is from the UK and works as a freelance outdoor instructor. He has spent time here in the UAE training the military and also runs his own expedition company. In 2011, he climbed Manaslu in Nepal.

What do you think is important in preparation before an 8,000m expedition?

I’ve always used trip preparation as an excuse to eat lots.

How high had you climbed before you first went over 8,000m?

I climbed to camp 3 which is at about 7,000m solo on GII in Pakistan and camped there at the end of the 2011 season. It was nice to have the mountain to myself. I had promised not to go for the summit alone and was happy to leave it as I was going straight on to Manaslu in a few months.

Pete Whitfield

Pete is an accountant for Pricewaterhouse Coopers and now lives in Singapore. He works, plays and pushes his limits to the maximum in everything he does. I’m sure he would not mind me saying he does not look like the typical mountain climber or endurance athlete, but underestimate him at your peril. Every expedition needs the energy and drive Pete brings with him. His responses to the questions show someone who has a detailed and analytical mind and concentrates on every aspect of the task at hand. He has climbed Cho Oyu in Nepal and has ambitions to go higher still.

What do you think is important in preparation before an 8000m expedition?

You should expect long days carrying heavy loads, learning to perform when tired, having the right kit in particular spare gloves as everyone loses one or they get wet. Fingers are very important to me. Work out what your body responds

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Google Earth Screen shot of the route You can download the GPS files here: www.outdooruae.com/downloads/Septemberhike2014.zip

Anne on the summit of Lhotse

best to when you’re desperate for energy e.g. jelly babies for me! Clothes are important and develop your own various layer systems that can be changed depending on weather. Speak to others who have done the trip to know what to expect. Take something for entertainment at basecamp such as books or cards as most 8,000m expeditions involve more sitting around and waiting for the weather than climbing. Before the trip I try to do decent cardio training and leg strength training if living somewhere away from hills e.g. tall buildings staircases.

How high had you climbed before you first went over 8,000m?

Peak Lenin (Kyrgyzstan, 7,134m).

What would you say are the key factors to a successful 8,000m venture?

Key factors include the weather. On 8,000m peaks get decent weather forecasts and have the ability to correctly interpret these. Have the flexibility to change plans if necessary. On summit The first thing you do back at basecamp is eat

Waiting at high camp for summit day

Life as an expat

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day; have the discipline to turn around at a set time, take short, efficient stops, eat something, drink something, don’t stop longer than 5-10 mins to avoid hypothermia, ensure you have a good competent guide, good relationship between team members and trust as you’ll be relying on them potentially as rope buddies/belaying partners. Efficient communication on the hill on radios set call times, decent radios and sufficient spare batteries and discipline over eating and drinking enough particularly drinking enough, melting snow constantly when in camp, and tidy tent management so you know where everything is, keep batteries alive by keeping battery operated devices in sleeping bag with you at night.

Describe your feelings of standing on the summit?

Overall it was a very tough few weeks but summit day was a different level. I did not use supplementary oxygen, was coughing up blood on the summit and was incredibly tired on the descent. Even basic abseil sections became extremely challenging and I didn’t eat anything for over 24 hours as I had a complete loss of

appetite. I therefore didn’t go to the toilet for 24 hours due to extreme dehydration but the feeling of elation on the summit was unparalleled.

Thanks to all the climbers who gave their time and thoughts for such a personal activity as mountaineering. You are all inspirational.

The author has guided hikes, treks and climbs all other the world.

He gained his qualifications from the British Mountaineering Council, a national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers. At present he lectures in a college in the UAE. Before that he worked for a private company that trained the UAE military forces. He has also appeared on TV programmes in the UK and Brazil talking about outdoor activities.

LOCATIONS

Inchcape 1 Dive sites in the UAE and Oman How to get there: This site is around a five-minute trip on the speed boat from our Al Boom, Al Aqah Dive Centre located at the Le Meridien Hotel. The drive to Al Aqah from Dubai normally takes 1.5-2 hours. Alternatively, if you are not driving yourself to Fujairah, you can also use the Al Boom bus transfers from Dubai. Meeting point is from our dive centre in Al Wasl Road.

Other pick-up points are available, please call the call centre for more info.

Description:

This is another artificial reef that has been created by purposely sinking a boat to create a beautiful site for a plethora of marine life to call home. This is probably one of the favourite deep sites in Fujairah, and on a day with good visibility can really be enjoyed by photographers. You can expect to see some of the honeycomb morays that call this wreck home, along with plenty of boxfish, fusiliers, barracuda, file fish, travelli, lionfish, and many more that call her home.

It is also possible to penetrate Inchcape 1, but it can be tight so make sure that you don’t have any equipment dangling that could get snagged. It is also recom-

Location:

Fujairah, UAE

Depth:

32m

Type of dive:

Wreck covered with soft and hard corals, surrounded by sand.

Level:

Advanced Open Water divers and Deep Divers minimum certification level.

mended that because of this being a deeper sight, that you hang a drop-tank at 5m.

In summer you can expect water temperatures of around 30°C, and in winter, an average of around 20°C. Divers can enter in many different ways, and backward-roll and giant-stride are the most common.

Visibility will vary between 5-15m, and on a good day you can even get up to 20m vis! Even when the visibility isn’t that great, you can still find lots of amazing marine life to get some great macro shots.

Make sure your buoyancy is up to scratch for these days.

Be aware of the usual suspects on the East Coast, such as lionfish, urchins, scorpion fish, and occasionally jellyfish!

Hopefully you will get a chance of seeing a whale shark close to the surface, or a zebra shark on the sandy bottom.

OBSERVATION:

“This was an awesome site to complete my Deep & Wreck dives for my Advanced course” Tyler D, Dubai “First time that I have ever seen honeycomb moreys and frog fish, really abundant with marine life!” Ghassan, Abu Dhabi “Was a little nervous as this was my deepest dive so far, but with the help of the experienced dive staff and lots to see, I relay enjoyed this site.” Michelle from Cape Town, South Africa

Contact:

Al Boom Diving, Al Wasl Road.

Call Centre: +971 4 342 2993 or abdiving@emirates.net.ae Al Boom Diving, Al Aqah, Fujairah: +971 9 204 4925 or andrew@alboomdiving.ae

OUTDOORUAE

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TIPS & TRICKS

Proper Lead Belay Technique 4. Position yourself properly

Words By: Read Macadam Photos By: Tara Atkinson

Two metres above your last protection, your right knee starts to go. At first it shudders, then as if someone has turned up the frequency dial, you begin to shake like Elvis. You are not a Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love, however. You are scared to commit to the next move. You tried this last week, but fell and smashed into the wall at the end of a tight pendulum. Your belayer kept you too tight and now you are scared to fall. It’s a common story and it’s holding back your climbing aspirations.

Of course, for a belayer, it is a natural instinct to sit back and “hold” the climber, borne from when we learn to toprope.

However, when lead belaying, if the belayer tensions the rope as the climber falls, they are creating a forceful pendulum at the end of which is the climber who will be ultimately be stopped by the wall. This static lead belay technique can result in sore ankles, bruised heels, reduced motivation and bad language, or worse.

Follow these easy steps to give your climber a silky soft “dynamic” lead belay, allowing them to go for it with confidence, barely noticing the rope is there.

1. Pay attention!

To do this you need to be watching your climber. Are you being distracted by friends on the ground? Catch up on the gossip later because you are busy holding someone’s life in your hands. Someone who has trusted you to manage the rope for them so they can focus on climbing hard up there!

2. Anticipate your climber’s needs

If you are paying attention then you will notice when your climber is about to reach for the rope to clip, make a big movement, down climb back to a rest or fall off.

Anticipating your climber allows you to manage the rope appropriately and fluidly, in advance of your climber having to ask

Dynamic stance. Taking a step forward while feeding the climber slack to clip

for it. If you find it hard to feed slack fast enough in critical situations it is most likely because you’re not anticipating what your climber is doing. You can help yourself by communicating with your climber. The more you practice belaying, the better your anticipating will become.

3. Be dynamic

Don’t just stand there, lead weight! Assume a dynamic stance with your knees bent, ready to move around.

To give out extra slack for faster clips take a few quick steps towards the wall as you feed out the rope.

Too much slack in the system? Step back away from the wall to help yourself take in excess slack in critical situations.

Keep a small bump of slack in the system to allow you to move around.

When your climber falls, go with the rope. Please, for the sake of all of our ankles, do not just sit down on the rope when we fall.

Let the rope take you. If you are heavier than your climber, jump as the rope tightens. I am usually lighter than my partners and I still jump with the rope as it tightens, to ensure a soft catch, often with me ending up at the first bolt.

Note: When there is high risk of ground fall a very dynamic belay should not be used. You will have to be extra vigilant when your climber is below the first two or three quickdraws as a very loose belay may result with them on the ground.

Think of the last clipped protection as a pulley. If you sit back and tighten the rope, the rope is fixed at that point and your climber is at the end of an injurious pendulum. If you have a little slack already in the system and then jump just as your climber starts to tension the rope, you allow the rope to slide through the quickdraw, dynamically. This reduces the impact force on your climber and the system as a whole.

Happy gear. Happy climber.

Jump or let the rope take you when your climber falls from a safe height. It will soften the climber’s fall.

Are you standing 5m out from the wall?

When your climber falls you are going to be pulled into the wall at force!

As we saw above, you will probably need to move around a bit as you feed out and take in rope. Base yourself roughly underneath the first clipped quickdraw and return to this position after you move around. This way, when the climber falls, you won’t get dragged around.

Hint: If you are significantly heavier than your climber, you will want to stand a few steps back so that you can jog towards the wall to go with the rope.

5. Learn how to use a Grigri

The Petzl Grigri 2 is the ideal tool for sport climbing lead belaying when you know how to use it correctly. As an assisted belay device its camming device stops the rope from slipping when your climber is tensioning the rope – e.g. after a fall, or while sitting on tension. This is very handy when you are belaying a climber working on the moves of their project because you do not have to forcefully hold the brake side of the rope as they hangdog around. You still must hold the brake hand (remember, assisted braking, not auto-locking)!

I’ve noticed that inexperienced belayers with the Grigri often have trouble getting enough slack out fast enough for their climber or, when giving slack, they are employing improper technique that can be unsafe. Petzl puts out an annual catalogue that also doubles as an instruction manual for best practice. Pick one up at Barracuda on Sheikh Zayed Road and I highly recommend that you familiarise yourself with the correct operation of the Grigri here: www. petzl.com/en/outdoor/grigri-experience.

Of course, to be the crag’s go-to belayer, this all takes practice. Get out there and practice your dynamic belaying with your partner. When you practice, be sure to practice falls that are high enough off the ground that you can get comfortable to go with the fall and make your dynamic catch.

Read is a personal success coach and rock climber based in Muscat, Oman.

For the past six years, he has been establishing the hardest DWS and sport routes in the GCC. Read is sponsored

by TRAKS Pro Gear and Training, representing Petzl and Andreas Boldrini. Follow Read at www.readmacadam.com.

YAMAHA SVHO

Dubai - Tel: 04-3390621 | Ajman - Tel: 06-7410004 | Fujairah - Tel: 09-2221188 R.A.K. - Tel: 07-2351592 | Al Ain - Tel: 03-7211444 | Abu Dhabi (Musaffah) - Tel: 02-5588890

TIPS & TRICKS

FLY SAFE

Safety measures at Skydive Dubai Words By: Alan Gayton, Skydive Dubai general manager Photos By: Juan Mayer How many instructors are available?

We have 28 tandem instructors four of which are instructor examiner and two Safety and Training advisors. Every tandem student gets a full training and safety brief before each jump.

What are the safety measures provided by Skydive Dubai?

This would be a hundreds of pages of text as per our safe operations manual so in brief we are governed by the EAF (Emirates Aero sports Federation) that was created with more strict flying and jump limitations than any other federation due to the unique location we have with Skyscrapers and the Persian Gulf, we continually work with the GCAA, DCAA (General and Dubai Civil Aviation authorities) and we also monitor the guidelines of the USPA (United States Parachute federation) BPA (British Parachute Association) along with many others to continually improve the standards. We also follow the rules of UPT, the Manufacturers of the Sigma tandem system we use.

Why is it important to have such measures?

My motto always has and always will be “Safety is my number one priority!” and

we always follow this cautious method and that is why we have a zero tandem injury statistic of which we are very proud of.

Why did the instructors choose Skydive Dubai?

I think the instructors chose Skydive Dubai due to our high standards on safety and all levels of training and improvement. And the beautiful view of course!

What are the risks associated with skydiving?

Human error is the highest risk in skydiving and as with all extreme sports there are risks but we cover all of them with very high standards in safety and training, operating procedures and the best equipment, aircraft and with the highest planned maintenance standards for all we cover these risks.

What are some limitations to tandem skydive?

We have a BMI limit for tandem as below: - 200lbs (90kg) - ladies - 220lbs (100kg) - men - And BMI (body mass index) is less than 27.5 (ladies) and 30.0 (men). All tandem students in the group are physically fit. All tandem students do not, and have not,

suffered from any of the following conditions, which they understand may lead to a dangerous situation with regard to myself or other persons during parachuting: epilepsy, fits, severe head injury, recurrent blackouts or giddiness, disease of the brain or nervous system, high blood pressure, heart or lung disease, dislocated shoulder, recurrent weakness or dislocation of any limb, diabetes, mental illness, drug or alcohol addiction. Also if they are over the age of 60. In brief you have to be physically fit to jump.

What weather conditions are considered risky or unsafe?

We have ground and upper wind limitations and also we don’t jump through clouds, turbulent conditions and low visibility.

What changes during risky weather conditions when the team is in the air?

We continually visually and electronically monitor the weather and if the team is in the air when the weather changes we bring them to land with the aircraft.

Are there paramedics available (just in case of an emergency)?

Dubai ambulance service is onsite throughout operations and all ground and boat staffs are emergency first responders.

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

TIPS & TRICKS

Apps for the outdoors We checked out some mobile apps for your outdoor needs.

Words By: Glaiza Seguia-Godinez

My Altitude

Strava

Developer: Strava, Inc Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch; Android devices File size: 29.1 MB Price: Free; Premium monthly 22 AED; Premium yearly 220.35 AED A staple in any runner or cyclist’s device, the Strava apps is for those competitive types or those keen to top their personal best. It allows you to log your stats, map tracks and even create your own routes. It estimates distance, average speed, elevation, calories burned and heart rate if you have the compatible heart monitor. This is also a social app and you can keep track of your buddies’ progress and share achievements on Facebook or Twitter. Note that you will also share your data to the public. Additional features are ongoing or upcoming challenges you can join and training videos you can try out.

Developer: Dayana Networks Ltd Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch File size: 15.5 MB Price: Free

Uncomplicated and useful with the basic metrics you need for hiking– coordinates, altitude and barometric pressure. It uses device sensor instead of internet so it works well outdoors. Or there is also the option to use National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data files to get your altitude. It also allows you take photos with coordinates and local date or time.

Making the most of a High-Fat, Low-Carb Diet Words By: Trace Rogers, Coach and Founder of SuperTRI

Last month, I gave an introduction into what the HF LC diet was all about. This month, we will focus a little more on applying it.

Keep the good carbs The good carbs would be your vegetables and fruit that are high in nutrients and fibre and low in sugar. This includes all leafy green vegetables as well avocado, pears and most berries. To be sure that you are on the right track, it is important to understand what various fruits and vegetables consist of. If your chosen vegetable is going to put your consumption of sugar over 25 grams for the day, you should probably cut back or cut it out completely. Having said this, it is safe to say that anything highly processed (far removed from its original form), is most likely unsuitable.

Planning ahead The easiest way to stick to any healthy lifestyle choice is to plan ahead. At the beginning of the week, compile your shopping list, stock up on your good high fat foods, animal proteins and good carbs.

Prepare some quick and easy snacks, like boiled eggs and mixed nuts so that if you do feel peckish you can address it before

you even have an opportunity to choose something less nutritious.

Know what to expect (this is especially for endurance athletes) If you have been used to fuelling all of your training sessions with high sugar gels and sports drinks etc. Your body is in for a big shock – quite literally. When working at intensity, it is easier for our bodies to break down carbohydrates for energy so when you make the change to a high-fat diet, clearly your normal go-to stash will not be available. You may find that by the fifth day after the change in diet, you feel weak and sluggish during your workouts.

Keep calm and carry on. This too will pass.

Your body just needs time to adjust to fat being its go-to source of energy. Once your body accepts this, your training and performance will be back on track.

Listen to your body Why a high-fat diet works comes down to the fact that it satiates the appetite.

Therefore when you are following a highfat diet, it will be less often that you feel the need to eat. Listen to your body and only eat when you are hungry. There is no

need to count calories – just eat until you are satisfied but don’t overeat. If you find that you still need to eat up to six times a day, I would suggest that your diet may still be too high on carbohydrate. Make small adjustments and note the changes.

Know your body There are very few absolute truths when it comes to nutrition.

One truth however is that nutrition is an individual process. Some people are carbohydrate resistant (their bodies experience the toxic effect of stored fat and the capacity to use stored glucose will be diminished resulting in fat gains).

This group of the population would be better off eating less sugar (25 grams per day is what is suggested as a good rule of thumb). If however, you have a better tolerance, you would be able to take on more than that. If you are not sure, make a change to your diet, take a look in the mirror and you will have your answer.

Whichever way you look at it, if doing the same thing over and over again continues to produce an unsatisfactory result, then nothing is to be lost (except of course unwanted weight) by making a change.

Enjoy the journey!

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UAE DIRECTORY General Sports Equipment Megastores

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, +971 43466824; The Beach on JBR, Dubai: +971 44304419; Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 24456995, www.adventurehq.ae Decathlon, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42839392 Go Sport, The Dubai Mall: +971 43253595; Abu Dhabi Mall: +971 26454595; Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 25868240 InterSport, Dubai Times Square Centre: +971 43418214 and Dubai Festival City: +971 42066581,www.intersport.ae Peiniger BMT Est., CBD, Khalifa Street, Yateem Optician Bldg., Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 26262332, www.peiniger.org Sun and Sand Sports, most shopping centres, +971 43504444, www.sunandsandsports.com

Adventure tours and desert safaris Alpha Tours, Off #512, 5th Flr., Al Qwais Bldg., Al Ittihad Road, Deira, Dubai, +971 42949888, www.alphatoursdubai.com Bike and Hike Oman, PO Box 833, Ruwi, Postal Code 112, Oman, +968 24400873, www.bikeandhikeoman.com Dadabhai Travel, SR 1&2, GF, Gulf Towers, Oud Metha Rd. Dubai, +971 43885566, www.dadabhaitravel.ae Desert Rangers, Dubai, +971 43572200, www.desertrangers.com Desert Road Tourism, Office 503, 5th Flr., Al Khor Plaza, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Dreamdays, First Floor Rm. 107 Ibn Battuta Gate (Offices) Sheikh Zayed Rd., +971 44329392, www.dreamdays.ae Dream Explorer LLC, Shop no # 9, Plot # 312-504, Al Musalla Building , Mina Bazar, Bur Dubai, +971 43544481, www.dreamexplorerdubai.com Dubai Relax Travel, National Towers: Churchill Tower Suite #614, Business Bay, Dubai, +971 44221776, www.dubairelaxtours.com Element Fitness, Dubai, +971 502771317, www.element-fitness.net Explorer Tours, Umm Ramool, Dubai, +971 42861991, www.explorertours.ae, Gulf for Good, Dubai, +971 43680222, www.gulf4good.org Gulf Ventures, Dnata Travel Centre +971 44045880, www.gulfventures.com MMI Travel, Mezzanine Floor, Dnata Travel Centre, Shk Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43166579, www.theemiratesgroup.com

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Net Group, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, +971 26794656, www.netgroupauh.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 42628889, www.opdubai.com Rahhalah, Dubai, +971 44472166, www.rahhalah.com Vera City Tours, Downtown, Dubai, UAE, +971 556100414, www.veracitytours.com Wild Guanabana, Dubai, +971 567954954, www.wildguanabana.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Fishing, Camping, Kayaking, & Adventure Club, +971504920860, mohammed.almahrouky@gmail.com

Air

Ballooning Adventures Emirates, Dubai, +971 42854949, www.ballooning.ae Dubai Paragliders, www.microaviation.org, +971 552120155 or +971 552250193 Jazirah Aviation Club, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 6139859, www.jac-uae.net Seawings, Dubai, www.seawings.com Sky Dive Dubai, Dubai, +971 501533222, www.skydivedubai.ae

Boating & Sailing

Manufacturer Al Fajer Marine, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43235181, www.alfajermarine.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK border Musandam, +971 72682333/+971 504873185, www.aljeerport.ae Al Shaali Marine, Ajman, +971 67436443, www.alshaalimarine.com Alyousuf Industrial, LLC, +971 43474111, www.aym.ae, yamboats@alyousuf.com Elite Pearl Charter, Saeed Tower 1 office # 3102, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE, +971 43889666, www.elitepearlcharter.com Gulf Craft, Ajman, +971 67406060, www.gulfcraftinc.com Distributors and Dealers Art Marine, Shed Nr. 31, Jaddaf, Dubai, UAE, +971 4324061, www.artmarine.ae/ www.artmarinechandley.com Azure Marine, Dubai, +971 43404343, www.azuremarine.net Luxury Sea Boats, Dubai, +971 505589319, www.luxuryseaboats.com Macky Marine LLC, Dubai, +971 505518317, www.mackymarine.com Nautilus Yachts, Sharjah, +971 65576818, www.nautilusyachts.com The Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.ae UAE Boats 4 Sale, Dubai Marina, +971 44471501, www.uaeboats4sale.com Western Marine, Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 43039744 Equipment Ali Khalifah Moh Al Fuqaei, Deira, Dubai, +971 42263220 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 / +971 553899995, info@bluewatersmarine.com, www.bluewatersmarine.com Extreme Marine, Dubai, +971 43992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Japan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 559299111, +971 42828255, uday@japanmarine.jp, www.japanmarine.co Rineh Emirates Trading LLC, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43391512, www.rinehemiratesme.com Repairs and Maintenance Extreme Marine, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 43992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Rineh Emirates, Sheikha Sana Warehouse 1, Al Quoz, +971 43391512, info@rinehemiratesme.com, www.rinehemirates.com SNS Marine, JAFZA Techno Park, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 501405058, info@snsmarine.ae,

www.snsmarine.ae The Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.ae Cruise Operators Al Bateen Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 26665491, www.marinaalbateenresort.com Al Marsa Travel & Tourism, Dibba, Musandam, +968 26836550, +971 65441232 Bateaux Dubai, Dubai Creek opposite the British Embassy, +971 43994994 Bristol Middle East, Dubai Marina, +971 44309941, www.bristol-middleeast.com Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Delma Industrial Supply and Marine Services, Al Bateen Jetty, Abu Dhabi, +971 26668153, www.delmamarine.net Eden Yachting, Dubai Marina, +971 504586171, www.edenyachting.com Emirates Yachting, Dubai, +971 42826683 El Mundo, Dubai, +971 505517406, www.elmundodubai.com Four Star Travel and Tourism, Dubai, +971 42737779, www.fourstartravels.net 4 Yacht Arabia, Shop No. 5, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, 800 92248, www.4yachtarabia.ae Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Ghantoot Marina & Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 529933153, www.ghantootmarina.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 558961276, +971 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com JPS Yachts and Charter, Room 225, Emarat Atrium building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43437734, www.jpsyachts.com Khasab Divers, Oman, +971 567255889, khasab.diver2@gmail.com Khasab Musandam Travel & Tours, PO Box 411, Khasab, Musandam, +968 93350703, info@tourkhasab.com Khour Shem Tourism, Oman, +968 26731919, www.khourshemtours.com LY Catamaran, Dubai, +971 505869746, +971 566506683, www.lycatamaran.com Marine Concept, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26503600, www.noukhada.ae RAK Marine LLC, Ras Al Khaimah City Hilton Marina, +971 504912696, +971 72066410 Sea Hunters Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental, Dubai Marina, +971 42951011 Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Smoke Dragon Of London Yacht, Abu Dhabi International Marine & Sports Club, +971 507011958 / +971 504546617 Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084 The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.com The Yellow Boats LLC, Dubai Marina Walk – opposite Spinneys, Intercontinental Hotel Marina, +8008044, www.theyellowboats.com Marinas Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, Abu Dhabi, Breakwater, +971 26815566, www.adimsc.com Abu Dhabi Marina, Abu Dhabi, Tourist Club Area, +971 26440300 Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam +971 72682333 / +971 504873185 www.aljeerport.ae Al Mouj Marina, Muscat, Oman, +968 24534554, www.almoujmarina.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +971 42394760-61, www.cruiseindubai.com Dubai Creek Marina, Deira, Dubai, +971 43801234, www.dubaigolf.com Dubai International Marine Sports Club, Dubai Marina, +971 43995777, www.dimc.ae Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 43627900,

www.dubaimarinayachtclub.com Dubai Maritime City Harbour Marina, Dubai, +971 43455545 Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, Dubai, +971 43941669, www.dosc.ae Emirates Palace Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 43388955 Four Seasons Marina, Doha, Qatar, +974 44948899, www.mourjanmarinas.com Fujairah International Marine Club, Fujairah, +971 92221166, www.fimc.ae Intercontinental Abu Dhabi Marina, Al Bateen, Intercontinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26666888, www.intercontinental.com Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa Marina, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 48145555/5029, www.jebelali-international.com Lusail Marina, Lusail City, Qatar, +974 55843282, www.mourjan-lusailmarina.com Marina Bandar Al Rowdha, Muscat, Oman, +968 24737286 (ext 215), www.marinaoman.net Pavilion Marina, Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, +971 44068800 The Pearl–Qatar Marinas, Doha, Qatar, +974 4965801, www.ronauticame.com Umm Al Quwaim Marine Sports Club, Umm Al Quwaim, +971 67666644, www.uaqmarineclub.com Dragon Boat Groups Dubai Dawn Patrol Dragon Boating, Dubai +971 508795645 (Michael), www.dubaidawnpatrol.org Dubai Diggers, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, pier next to 360, Dubai, +971 501547175 (Nick Hando), www.dubai-diggers.com UAE Dragon Boat Association, +971 507634008, www.dubaidragonboat.com

Camping & Hiking

Equipment Blingmytruck.com, +971 505548255, www.blingmytruck.com Gulf Camping, Dubai, UAE, www.gulfcamping.com Jack Wolfskin, Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, +971 24437802 Picnico General Trading, near Sharaf DG Metro Station, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43951113 Tresspass, 2nd floor above ice rink, The Dubai Mall, +971 43398801 Tour Operators Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.ae Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959428, www.arabiatours.com

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Libra, +971 559228362, www.libra-uae.com Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 43480214, www.mountainhighme.com Sheesa Beach, Musandam, Dibba, +971 50336046, www.sheesabeach.com

Caving

Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 43480214, www.mountainhighme.com Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +968 24543002, www.holiday-in-oman.com Oman World Tourism, Oman, +968 99431333, www.omanworldtourism.com

Climbing

Equipment Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Jack Wolfskin Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi +971 24437802 Services Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.ae Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Dorell Sports Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, +971 43065061, www.climbingdubai.com E-Sports UAE, Dubai, +971 42824540, www.esportsuae.com The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.com Information UAE Climbing, +971 506456491, www.uaeclimbing.com

Mountain Biking & Cycling

Equipment/Dealers Bikers JLT, Unit H6, Cluster H, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, UAE, +971 526221888, products@allbikers.net Cycle Sports, Shop No. 1, Al Waleed Bldg., Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 43415415, www.cyclesportsuae.com Fun Ride Sports, 301, 3rd floor, Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi, Rm. 4, Mezzanine floor, C-13 Bldg., Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi, info@funridesports.com, www.funridesports.com Micah’s Bike Shop, Warehouse no.4 6th St. Al Quoz 3, Dubai, +971 43805228 Peak Performance, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall, Dubai, +971 43413056 / +971 43308023 Probike, Dubai, Al Barsha 1, +971 43255705, www.probike.ae Rage Shop, Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Festival City, +971 43369007, www.rage-shop.com Revolution Cycles, Shop G05, Apex Atrium, Motor City, Dubai, +971 43697441, www.rcdxb.com Ride Bike Shop, Dubai Mall, Festival City, Oasis Centre, Mirdif City Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43750231, www.ridebikeshop.com Sportz Unlimited, Sheikh Zayed Road & Jebel Ali, Dubai, + 971 43388644 Tamreen Sports LLC, Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26222525, www.tamreensports.com The Cycle Hub, Motor City, Dubai, +971 505528872, www.thecyclehub.com Trek Bicycle Store, Seih Al Salam, Al Qudra Road, Dubai, +971 48327377, www.trekbikes.ae Trikke uPT, Dubai, +971 45081202, +971 556096757, www.trikkeme.net Wolfi’s Bike Shop, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43394453, www.wbs.ae Operator Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, +971 506259165,

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OUTDOORUAE

www.adventure.ae, info@adventure.ae Clubs Abu Dhabi Tri Club, www.abudhabitriclub.com Cycle Safe Dubai, Dubai Autodrome www.cyclechallenge.ae Dubai Roadsters, www.dubairoadsters.com

Diving

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, Dubai www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Blue Waters Marine, +971 42232189, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Gulf Marine Sports, Abu Dhabi, +971 26710017, www.gulfmarinesports.com Premiers for Equipment, Abu Dhabi, Sh. Zayed 1st. Road, +971 26665226, www.premiers-uae.com Scuba Dubai, Al Barsha, Al Khail Road, Dubai, +97143414940, info@scubadubai.com Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Diving Centres Al Boom Diving (equipment), Dubai, Al Wasl Rd, +971 43422993, www.alboomdiving.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam, +971 72682333, www.aljeerport.ae Al Mahara Dive Center, near Muroor St across from main bus terminal, +971 26437377, info@divemahara.com, www.divemahara.com Arabian Diver, Hilton Marine, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72226628, +971 502428128 www.arabiandiver.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Coastal Technical Divers, glenn@coastaltechnicaldivers.com, www.coastaltechnicaldivers.com Deep Blue Sea Diving, International City, Dubai, +971 44308246, www.diveindubai.com Desert Islands, Sir Bani YAs Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 28015400, www.divemahara.com Divers Down, Fujairah, Rotana Al Aqah Hotel Resort & Spa, +971 92370299, www.diversdown-uae.com Emirates Divers Centre, Abu Dhabi, near Meena Fish Market, +97126432444, www.edc-ad.ae Euro-Divers Oman, Muscat, Oman, +968 95035815, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Ziggy Bay, Oman, Musandam, +968 26735555, www.extradivers.info Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, contactus@freedivinguae.com, www.freedivinguae.com Freestyle Divers, Dubai, Al Wasl & Dibba, Royal Beach Hotel, +971 43944275, www.freestyledivers.com Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa - Al Aqah Beach, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Global Scuba Dive Center, Civil Aviation Club, Oman, +968 99317518, www.global-scuba.com Khasab Divers, Oman, www.khasabdiver.com Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Moonlight Dive Center, Madinat Qaboos, Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +971 503289642, www.holiday-in-oman.com Neptune Diving, +971 504347902, www.neptunedivingcentre.com Nomad Ocean Adventures,

SEPTEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

www.discovernomad.com, +971 508853238, Dibba, Oman Oman Dive Center, Muscat, Oman, +968 24284240, www.omadivecenter.com Pavilion Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai, +971 44068828 Scuba Oman, Oman, +968 99558488, www.scubaoman.com Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Scuba UAE.com, +971 502053922, www.scubauae.com 7 Seas Diving Center, Khorfakkan, +971 92387400, www.7seasdivers.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 50784 0830, www.bsac406.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Sky &Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com The Dive Shop, 34G, European Center, Green Community, Dubai, UAE, +971 48135474, www.thediveshopdubai.com Clubs Atlantis Underwater Photography Club, Dubai, +971 44263000 Desert Sports Diving Club, Dubai, www.desertsportsdivingclub.net Emirates Diving Association, Diving Village, Al Shindagha, Dubai, +971 43939390, www.emiratesdiving.com Filipino SCUBA Divers Club (FSDC), Dubai, UAE, +971 566952421, www.thefilipinoscubadivers.com Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, contactus@freedivinguae.com, www.freedivinguae.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 507840830, www.bsac406.com

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Kashat, Shop No. 14, Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar, +974 44175950, www.alkashatqatar.com Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 / +971 553899995,

Walltopia’s ME Sales Showroom and Bouldering Facility Single visit: 80 aed 10-visit pass: 500 Courses for beginners and intermediate every month

Unleash the Beast

facebook.com/rock.republic.dubai info@globalclimbing.com 04 88 29 361

www.bluewatersmarine.com Challenging Adventure, Wadi Al Bih Ras Al Khaimah, +971 561060798, contactus@challengingadventure.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.com Operators Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.ae Al Boom Diving, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Fujairah, +971 43422993 Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club, Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72434540, www.alhamramarina.com Al Mahara Dive Center, Downtown Abu Dhabi, +971 501118125, www.divemahara.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +974 4 2394760-61, www.cruiseindubai.com Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing (Al Wasl Passenger Yachts and Boats Rental LLC), Airport Road, Al Owais Building, Dubai, +971 42394761, www.cruiseindubai.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Barracuda Diving Centre, Fujairah International Marine Club, +971 9222558 Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi, +971 26594144 Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 53244550, www.funbeachsports.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 558961276, +971 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com Hiltonia Beach Club, Hilton Abu Dhabi Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26811900 Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Nautica 1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26503600, www.noukhada.ae Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Soolyman Sports Fishing, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971 508866227, www.soolymansportsfishing.com Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084, www.summertimemarine.comz Xclusive Yachts, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 44327233, www.xclusiveyachts.com

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Clubs Abu Dhabi Camping, Fishing & Kayaking Club, mohamed.almahrouky@gmail.com Dubai Surfski & Kayak Club, Kitesurfers’ Beach, Umm Suqeim 1, Dubai, +971 554986280, www.dskc.hu

General Sports Equipment Distributors

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha 800 Sport, Al Quoz, Dubai +971 43467751, www.800sport.ae Flip Flop Arabia, flipme@flipfloparabia.com, www.flipfloparabia.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Goal Zero, +971 509128353, www.goalzero.ae Highbury Trading, Dubai, UAE, www.highburytrading.ae Jack Wolfskin Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall Abu Dhabi, +971 44437802 Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Sakeen General Trading, +971 47094224, www.sakeen.ae Sport in Life Distribution, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Khor, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, info@sportinlife.ae, www.sportinlife.ae Tresspass, The Dubai Mall 2nd floor above ice rink, +971 43398801

Horse Riding

Equipment Al Asifa Horse Equestrian & Requisites Trading, Al Khawaneej 1, Dubai, +971 554733110, www.asifa.ae Black Horse LLC, Abu Dhabi, +971 26422237, www.blackhorseuae.com Bonjour Equestrian Supplies, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Kho, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, info@bonjourequestrian.com, www.bonjourequestrian.com Cavalos Equine Care and Supplies, 16th Street, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, +917 22222433, www.cavalosuae.com Emirta Horse Requirement Centre, Sheik Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43437475, www.emirtahorse.com Horse & Carriage Equestrian Equipment LLC, Dubai, +971 42895069, www.horseandcarriageuae.com Mirzan Equestrian Equipment, Dubai, +971 44472808, www.metdubaihorse.com Equestrian Clubs/Centres Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Al Ahli Riding School, Al Amman Street, Dubai-Sharjah Rd., +971 42988408, www.alahliclub.info Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Al Jiyad Stables, Behind Dubai International Endurance City, Dubai, +971 505995866, info@aljiyad.com, www.aljiyad.com Al Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 44274055, equestrian.centre@alsahra.com Desert Equestrian Club, Mirdif, Dubai, +971 503099770 / +971 501978888 Desert Palm Riding School, Near Al Awir Road (going to Hatta-Oman), Dubai, +971 43238010, www.desertpalm.peraquum.com Dubai Polo Academy, Dubai, +971 508879847, www.dubaipoloacademy.com Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +971 43618111, www.poloclubdubai.com Emirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.com Ghantoot Polo & Racing Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Golden Stables Equestrian Club, Al Khawaneej, Dubai, (Nouri) +971 555528182, www.goldenstables.ae

HoofbeatZ, located just inside the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, +971 501810401, www.hoofbeatz.com Mushrif Equestrian and Polo Club, Mushrif Park, Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai, +971 42571256, www.mushrifec.com Qudraland Community, info@qudraland.com, www.qudraland.com Rahal Ranch, Al Wathba Racing Area, Abu Dhabi, +971 566127914, www.rahalranch.com Riding for the Disabled, Dubai, lessons@rdad.ae, www.rdad.ae, Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +971 65311188, www.serc.ae Racecourses Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Jebel Ali Racecourse, off the main Abu Dhabi - Dubai Highway (Sheikh Zayed road) beside the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, +971 43474914 Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse, Al Meydan Road, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 43270000, www.meydan.ae Sharjah Racecourse, Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah, +971 65311155, www.serc.ae Equine Hospitals/Clinics Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, next to Dubai Equestrian Hospital, Zabeel 2, Dubai, +971 43375165, www.cvrl.ae Dubai Equine Hospital, behind World Trade Center, Zabeel 2, Dubai, +971 43178888, www.dubaiequine.ae Gulf Vetcare, Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, +971 508617590, www.gulfvetcare.com Sharjah Equine Hospital, Bridge No. 6, Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah, +971 65311881, www.seh.ae

Jet Ski

Dealers Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Japan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 559299111 / +971 42828255, uday@japanmarine.jp, www.japanmarine.co Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Rentals Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 53244550, www.funbeachsports.com Regal Promotions, Level 14,Boulevard Plaza Tower 1, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard. Downtown Dubai, PO Box 334036 Dubai, UAE, +971 44558570, info@regalproms.com The Cove Rotana Resort, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 7206000, www.rotana.com Xventures, Dubai, +971 555404500, www.x-ventures.ae

Motocross & ATV’s

Dealers Al Badayer Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, +971 507842020, www.albadayerrental.com Al Shaali Moto, Ras Al Khor, +971 43200009, sales@alshaalimoto.com. www.alshaalimoto.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Golden Desert Motorcycles Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 551532550, www.goldendesert-dubai.com Just Gas It, Hatta Rd., Al Aweer, Dubai, UAE, +971 509192394, www.JustGasIt.net KTM, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, exit 42, +971 4323151, www.ktm.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE (atv’s), Ras Al Khor, Nad al Hamar Road, Al Ghandi Complex, Dubai, +971 42896100, M4, Sector 13, 10th Street, Mussafah Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 25555144, www.polarisuae.com

SEPTEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Sebsports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1 Dubai, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai, +971 48321050, www. wildx.ae Equipment Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Sandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43470270, www.sandstorm-motorcycles.com Sebsports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com 2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai, +971 44548388, www.2xwheeler.com Wild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Industrial Area, +971 42852200, www. wildx.ae Workshops and Services Moto-X and Quad, PO Box 476214, Dubai, UAE, +971 50 6169727, www.gasgasmotos. me

Motorcycling

Distributors and Dealers Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, www.aym.ae/yamaha Ducati, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25535771, info2@ducati.ae, www.ducati.ae Duseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43476712, www.dusejamoto.com Harley-Davidson, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25540667, hd.auh@harley-davidson.ae, www.harley-davidson-abu-dhabi.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 42822144, www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +971 42896100, www.polarisuae.com Tristar Motorcycles, +971 43330659, www.tristaruae.com Workshops and Services Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, +971 43678700 www.dubaiautodrome.com Emirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain, +971 67681717 2xWheeler Adventures, Dubai, +971 44548388, www.alainraceway.com Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Off-Road

Dealers Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 / +971 505548255, info@blingmytruck.com, www.blingmytruck.com 4x4 Motors LLC, Shk. Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43384866, www.4x4motors.com Liberty Automobiles, Dubai, 800 5423789, www.libertyautos.com Repairs and Services Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Off Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43392449, www.offroad-zone.com Saluki Motorsport, Dubai, +971 43476939 www.salukimotorsport.com Equipment Advanced Expedition Vehicles, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43307152, www.aev.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 / +971 505548255, info@blingmytruck.com, www.blingmytruck.com Heartland UAE, Al Mafraq Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 567231967, www.heartlanduae.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 48321050, www.wildx.ae Yellow Hat, Nad Al Hamar, and Times Square Center, Dubai, +971 42898060, www.yellowhat.ae Tour Operators Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43034888, www.arabian-adventures.com Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503,

Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 42628889, www.opdubai.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com ALMOST 4x4 Off-Road Club, +971 507665522, www.almost4x4.com Dubai Offroaders, www.dubaioffroaders.com JEEP Wrangler JK Fun Club, suffian.omar@yahoo.com, www.jk-funclub.com ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

Running

Clubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.org Abu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www.abudhabitriclub.org Abu Dhabi Striders, admin@abudhabistriders.com, www.abudhabistriders.com Al Ain Road Runners, Abu Dhabi, +971 504188978, alainroadrunners@yahoo.co.uk Mirdif Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.info Dubai Creek Striders www.dubaicreekstriders.org

Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Ikönic Brands, Suite 509 Düsseldorf Business Point Al Barsha Dubai, UAE +971 506874178, info@ikonicbrands.com Kitesurf Dubai, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqueim and Jumeirah 3 +971 505586190, www.kitesurfdubai.ae Pearl Water Crafts, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, +971 553749398, www.pearl-watercrafts.com Picnico, Jumeirah Beach Road Opposite Sunset Mall, Dubai +971 43941653 Surf Dubai, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971 505043020, www.surfingdubai.com Surf Shop Arabia, Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 43791998, www.surfshoparabia.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971 505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.net Distributors Kitepeople Kite & Surf Store, International City, Dubai, +971 504559098, www.kitepeople.ae Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Operators Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com

OUTDOORUAE

69

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Dubai Kite Surf School, Dubai, Umm Suqeim Beach, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com Duco Maritime, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, +971 508703427, www.ducomaritime.com Dukite, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai,+971 507586992, www.dukite.com Kite Fly, Dubai, +971 502547440, www.kitesurf.ae Kite4fun.net, Abu Dhabi, +971 508133134, www.kite4fun.net Kitepro Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Al Dabbayyah, Abu Dhabi, +971 505441494, www.kitepro.ae Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Shamal Kite Surfing, Umm Suqueim Dubai, +971 507689226, astrid@shamalkitesurfing.com, www.shmalkitesurfing.com Sky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com

OMAN DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris

Dolphin Qasab Tours, PO Box: 123, P.C. 811, Khasab City, Musandam, Oman, +968 26730813, www.dolphinkhasabtours.com Go Dive Oman, Capital Area Yacht Club (CAYC), Sidab Muscat, +968 99289200, www.godiveoman.com Nomad Tours, PO Box: 583, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Oman, +968 95495240, www.nomadtours.com Oman Trekking Guides, PO Box: 917, NIZWA, Oman, +968 95741441, www.omantrekkingguides.com

Diving

Equipment Al Marsa Musandam, PO Box: 44, Dibba,

QATAR DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris

Al Mulla Travels, PO Box: 4147, Doha, Qatar, +974 44413488, almullatrvls@qatar.net.qa Alpha Tours, PO Box: 13530, Doha, Qatar, +974 4837815, info@alphatoursqatar.com Al QAYED Travel & Tours, Al Qayed Holding Bldg., D-Ring Road, PO Box: 158, Doha, Qatar, +974 44072244, www.alqayedtravel.com Arabian Adventures, Al Asmakh Street, PO Box: 4476, Doha, Qatar, +974 44361461, www.arabianadventureqatar.net Black Pearls Tourism Services, PO Box: 45677, Doha, Qatar East Marine, West Bay, Doha, Qatar, +974 55200078 E2E Qatar Travel and Tours, PO Box: 23563, Doha, Qatar, +974 44502521, www.e2eqatar.com Falcon Travels, PO Box: 22031, Doha, Qatar, +974 44354777, www.falcontravelqatar.com Gulf Adventures, 29, Aspire Zone Street Aspire Zone Al Rayyan City, PO Box: 18180 Qatar, +974 44221888, www.gulf-adventures.com Net Tours Qatar, PO Box: 23080, Doha, Qatar, +974 4310902, www.nettours.com.qa Regency Travel & Tours, Suhaim Bin Hamad Street, Doha, Qatar, +974 4434 4503/4718, www.regencyholidays.com Qatar Adventure, Al Matar Street, PO Box: 13915, Doha, Qatar, +974 55694561, www.qataradventure.com Qatar Desert Gate, Doha, PO Box: 18496 Ad Dawha, Qatar, +974 55594016, www.qatardesertgate.com Qatar Inbound Tours, Commercial Street, Al Muaither, Al Rayyan, PO Box: 21153, +974 77451196, www.inboundtoursqatar.com Qatar International Tours, PO Box: 55733

Surf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach and Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai,+971 556010997, www.surfschooluae.com Watercooled, Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, +971 48876771, www.watercooleddubai.com Water Cooled, Watercooled Sports Services LLC, Hilton Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 26395997, www.watercooleduae.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle, www.abudhabisup.com UAE SUP www.uaesup.com

Water Parks

Aquaventure Atlantis, Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, +971 44260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dreamland Aqua Park, Umm Al Quwain, Emirates Road, +971 67681888, www.dreamlanduae.com Wadi Adventure, Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain, +971 37818422, www.wadiadventure.ae Wild Wadi Water Park, Dubai, +971 43484444, www.wildwadi.com

SEPTEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Other leisure activities

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, + 971 25588990, www.adgolfclub.com Al Tamimi Stables, Sharjah, +971 67431122 \ +971 44370505, www.tamimistables.com Blokart Sailing, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 556101841, www.blokartme.com Children’s City, Creek Park Gate No.1, Dubai, +971 43340808, www.childrencity.ae Dolphin Bay Atlantis, Dubai, +971 44260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +971 43369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.ae iFly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42316292, www.iflyme.com Sadiyaat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, +971 25578000, www.sbgolfclub.ae Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +971 43999005, www.golfandshootingshj.com SkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of The Emirates,

Sultanate of Oman, +968 26836550, www.almarsamusandam.com Al Sawadi Beach Resort, PO Box: 747, Barka - Al Sawadi, Oman, +968 26795545, www.alsawadibeach.info Diving UAE & Oman, www.dive-uae-oman.com Euro Divers CAYC Oman, Marina Bandar Al Rhowda, PO Box: 940, Muscat, Oman, +968 95035815, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Musandam, PO Box: 498, PC 811 Khasab, Musandam, Oman, +968 99877957, www.musandam-diving.com Global Scuba LLC, +968 24692346, www.global-scuba.com Moon Light Dive Center, P.O. Box: 65, Madinat Qaboos, Muscat Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Oman Dive Center Resort, PO Box: 199, Medinat Sultan Qaboos, Oman, +968 24824240, www.omandivecenter.info Omanta Scuba Diving Academy, Al Kharjiya

Street, Al Shati Area, Muscat, Oman, +968 97700564, www.omantascuba.com Oxygen Diving and Adventures, PO Box: 1363 PC130 Alazaiba, Muscat, Oman, www.o2diveoman.com Seaoman, PO Box: 2394, RUWI PC 112, Oman, +968 24181400, www.seaoman.com Sub Aqua Dive Center, Hilton Salalah Resort, PO Box: 699, Salalah 211, Oman, +968 99894031, www.subaqua-divecenter.com

Doha, Qatar, +974 44551141, www.qittour.com Qatar Ventures, Barwa Village Bulding No. 12, Shop No. 33, Doha, Qatar, +974 55776679, www.qatar-ventures.com Clubs Doha Sailing Club, Doha Sailing Club, PO Box: 4398 (9995), Doha, Qatar, +974 44439840, www.qmsf.com

+974 44435626 Doha Sub Aqua Club, Doha Sub-Aqua Club, PO Box: 5048, Doha, Qatar, +974 66304061, www.dohasubaquaclub.com Extreme Adventure, PO Box: 33002, Shop 3, 4 Ahmed Bin Ali Street (Bin Omran), Doha, Qatar, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa GoSport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Pearl Divers, PO Box: 2489, Doha, Qatar, +974 44449553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, PO Box: 11538, Doha, Qatar, +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.com Qatar Scuba Center, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277, www.qatarscubacenter.com Q Dive, Souq Al Najada cnr of Grand Hamad and Ali bin Abdulla Str.; Al-Odeid Aisle numbers 129-132, +974 55319507, www.qdive.net World Marine Centre, PO Box: 6944, Doha, Qatar, +974 44360989, www.worldmarinecenter.webs.com Dive Centres Al Fardan Marine Services, Najma Street (near Al Fardan Exchange), Doha, Qatar, +97444435626 Pearl Divers, Al Mirqab Al Jadeed Street, Doha, Qatar, +974 4444 9553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, PO Box: 11538, Doha, Qatar, +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.com Qatar Divers, Marriott Hotel Marina Near Old Airport, Ras Abu Aboud Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 44313331, www.qatardivers.com Qatar Marine, Go Sport City Center West Bay, PO Box: 16657, Doha, +974 553199507, www.qatarmarine.net Qatar Scuba Centre, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277 / +974 44422234, www.qatarscubacenter.com

General Sports Equipment Megastores

Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44822194; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44569143; Ezdan Mall, Qatar: +974 44922827, www.galaxysportqatar.com GoSport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574 www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Sun & Sand Sports, City Centre Mall, Qatar: +974 44837007; Dar Al Salam Mall, Qatar: +974 44932973, www.sunandsandsports.com

Boating & Sailing

Equipment Regatta Sailing Academy, Al Isteqlal Road, West Bay Lagoon, PO Box: 18104, Doha, Qatar, +974 55507846, www.regattasailingacademy.com Distributors and Dealers Speed Marine, Speed Marine, Museum Road, PO Box: 9145 Doha, Qatar, +974 44410109, www.speedmarinegroup.com

Horse Riding

Equestrian Clubs/Centres Al Shaqab, PO Box: 90055, Doha, Qatar, +974 44546320, www.alshaqab.com Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club, Racing and Equestrian Club, PO Box: 7559, Doha, Qatar, +974 44197664, www.qrec.gov.qa

Diving

Equipment Al Fardan Marine Services, Najma Street (near Al Fardan Exchange), Doha, Qatar,

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Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment, Operators Kiteboarding Oman, Sawadi Beach, PO Box: 133, PC 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 96323524, www.kiteboarding-oman.com Oman’s Kite Center, +968 94006007, www.kitesurfing-lessons.com

+971 44094000, www.skidxb.com Spacewalk Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, +971 24463653, www.spacewalk.ae

Health, Safety & Training

Safety Lessons Marine Concept Yacht Charter & Sea School, Rania Business Centre, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Safety & Leisure Training Middle East, Dusseldorf Business Point, Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 44502418, www.sltme.com Sport and Health Centres Bespoke Wellness, Dubai, +971 553724670, www.bespoke-wellness.com Original Fitness Co., C6 Tower Al Bateen Bainunah St, Abu Dhabi, +971 2406 9404, www.originalfitnessco.com Orthosports, 5B Street, Jumeira Beach road, Dubai, +971 4355060, www.orthosp.com The Physio Center, Suite 405, Building 49, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, +971 44370570, www.physiocentre.ae

Camping & Hiking

Tour Operators Safari Desert Camp, PO Box: 117, Postal Code 421, Bediyah, Ghabbi, Oman, +968 99310108, www.safaridesert.com

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Az’Zaha Tours, +968 99013424, www.azzahatours.com Water World Marine Oman, PO Box: 76, Muscat, 113, Sultanate of Oman, +968 24737438, www.waterworldoman.com

Boating & Sailing

Manufacturer Saphire Marine, PO Box: 11, Post Code 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 99877243, www.sapphire-marine.com Qdive Marine Center, PO Box: 16657, Doha, Qatar, +974 44375065, www.qdive.net World Marine Centre, Old Salata Street, near the Qatar National Museum, Doha, Qatar, +974 55508177

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Al Mamzoore Marine Equipment, PO Box: 6449,Old Salata, Doha, Qatar, +974 44444238, almamzoore@qatar.net.qa Fish World, PO Box: 1975, Doha, Qatar, +974 44340754

Motocross & ATV’s

Dealers Qatar Adventures, Barwa Village, Building # 9 Shop # 11, Doha, Qatar, +974 77700074

Fishing & Kayaking

Spearfishing Shops Equipment Al Kashat, Fishing and Hunting Equipment, Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 66724828 Extreme Adventure, Shop 3,4 Ahmed Bin Ali Steet, Doha, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa State of Qatar (QatarSub), Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 4431234, www.stateofqatar.com

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment, Operators Fly-N-Ride, Al Muthaf Street, Doha, Qatar, +974 4498 2284, www.fly-n-ride.com Flo Kite School, Westbay, Doha, +974 55041039, www.flokiteschool.com Kitesurfing Qatar, +97430179108, www.kitesurfingqatar.com QSUP, Qanat Quartier, Costa Malaz, The Pearl-Qc, Doha, Qatar, +974 66602830, www.qsup.me

ONLINE DIRECTORY

AD 1FP Waeco

Available at: Go Sport The Dubai Mall and Bawabat Al Sharq Mall in Abu Dhabi, Adventure HQ in Times Square mall in Dubai and Dalma mall in Abu Dhabi.

Qatar Doha: Go Sport in Villaggio Mall, Doha City Centre Mall

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