Dubai
That smell of a campfire, the view of the stars and the delicious fresh barbecue are a few reasons that have people running out of the city on the weekends to go camping. But, respecting your environment and being safe are paramount for making a camping trip a success.
Gulf News spoke to Roy Barghout, a camping expert and the founder of FindBargo a camping video blog for the region.
In Barghout’s 10 years of camping, one of the first things that he tells all campers is to bring lots of garbage bags.
He said: “Obviously, people have to take all their stuff with them when they leave. Maybe some people panic when they don’t know how to fold their tents or pack their things, so they just leave.”
People who have bought a new tent could talk to the people they’re buying it from to show them how to pack it to avoid unnecessary confusion.
Barghout said: “People just don’t know what to do with their trash. They don’t calculate for the trash. That’s the problem.”
To stay safe, he emphasises that being warm enough in the desert cannot only make or break your camping experience, it could also prove to be dangerous.
According to visitabudhabi.ae, winter temperatures can dip below 10 degrees in the UAE desert.
Barghout said: “People should make sure they wear something that will keep them warm at 10 degrees Celsius. So, a long sleeve shirt, a jumper and a jacket. The desert cold is very dry, it’s like you can feel it in your bones.”
Tribes believe that having your bare feet in the sand in the desert can absorb your negative energy. Although the feeling of the sand between your toes feels great, Barghout suggests that, especially for those areas where there have been campers before, not to go barefoot. However, you can do your part to eliminate risks for those in the future.
Barghout said: “Don’t take glass and don’t use glass bottles. Always use reusable containers. Some people take glass and it breaks, and you get shards on the ground.”
He recommends campers bring a head torch so that when you’re cooking, both your hands are free and you’re less likely to burn yourself.
Plan where you place your barbecue to avoid any mishaps. Cooking beside the fire might not be the best idea.
Barghout said: “People will move the barbecue after they cook to the side, but the sand underneath those barbecues is boiling hot and people often burn themselves from stepping on that area or sitting there.”
Lastly, Barghout talks about the multipurpose need for bringing firewood.
Barghout said: “It’s for the ambiance and for light and for warmth. But, mainly for ambiance because people usually gather around fires. It is the social setting.
“Now in Al Qudra you can’t make a fire on the ground. You can put it on the grill but you can’t put the fire on the ground.”
For places to camp for beginners who are getting to know the area or aren’t good at driving in the desert, Barghout does say that Fossil Rock and Al Qudra Lake are good places to camp.
That being said, we must leave these places cleaner than when we found them. Many people believe others will pick up their garbage, but in these large areas that’s not always possible. It blows away or gets eaten by the wildlife.
Barghout said: “Respect that this is a sanctuary and leave it the way it is.”
