Ras Abrouq
Time and Place: We will meet at 09:00 in front of the Umm Alafai Petrol Station on the Dukhan Road - it’s the the first petrol station on the right after you pass Education City, the same one we met up at for our Dukhan trip. The GPS coordinates are 25 20.172 N 51 19.622 E. Please be fuelled up and ready to go by 09:00.
Duration: Flexible. I expect we'll be finished by 14:00, including a picnic lunch.
Vehicles: A four-wheel drive vehicle is a must for this trip, but as usual carpooling will ensure that no one is left behind.
Requirements: Bring a picnic lunch. Beyond that, the usual - hat, sunscreen, water, binoculars. Make sure you have enough food, water and other supplies so that you can enjoy the time.
Description: From Umm Alafai Petrol Station we will head west for almost exactly 47 kilometers. At that point there is a dirt road heading north (on the right) through the fence. There is the first sign for the Ras Abrouq Game Preserve just beyond the fence. We will regroup there; this is also the last place we can leave saloon cars. From there it is dirt and sand roads up to the tip of the peninsula. We will follow the signs to the Ras Abrouq game preserve.
For this ramble, I’d like to do things a little differently. I would like to do a short series of exploratory spot rambles (scrambles?) to introduce people who have not been up there yet to the area. The first place I’d like to stop is in the park, but beyond the main entrance. It’s a chance to get out and scramble up some of the low gypsum cliffs to parts of the game preserve that are not often visited. The view is gorgeous and I’ve found gazelle bones in this area, so if we’re both lucky and quiet we might have a chance to see some!
From there we will double back up onto the plateau of the park. You will notice the wells on the left and the old style complex that make up the central parts of the movie set as we drive in. Keep your eyes out for Ostriches - I’ve had great luck sighting these birds; they’re not very shy. Seeing that their mating season is approaching (April, I believe) we need to be very cautious around them in that they have been known to attack unwary visitors. Drive slowly and take as many pictures as you want, but don't get out and approach them like you might camels.
We will pop in on the caretaker and see if he can give us any news about the set, its history, and the animals in the preserve. Although there are rumors that he loves company and will provide tea even to large parties, this is not guaranteed.
From this point we’ll press on a kilometer or two to the cliff dwellings, the most dramatic part of the movie set. Here we will stop and simply explore the valley and see what creatures, features and plant life we can uncover. We will eat our picnic lunch there.
There are several options for post-picnic rambling if people want to spend more time in the area; we'll decide when the time comes depending on what people are interested in.
Leader: Me, John Tribuna. Please call my mobile (6056762) if you have questions on the morning of the ramble.
See you on Friday,
John