Tip-toe around nature

It began with a walk in the wild. Wadi Wurrayah to be precise. A weekend trekking around the recently declared nature reserve changed hardcore dune-basher/camper Jean Michael. He works in a logistics company in Dubai, and the high-pressure job has him heading out of the city to dune-bash during weekends.

Bored and feeling guilty about the effect on the environment, he forewent a dune-bashing weekend to go on the wadi trek organised by Absolute Adventures. The clear pools, the many waterfalls and the intriguing rock formations he came across just scratched the surface. What really surprised him was when the guides started cleaning up the debris left by other picnickers. Michael pitched in enthusiastically. At the end of the trip, not only did he know a lot more about the indigenous flora and fauna, he also had a sense of fulfilment at having done something worthwhile. He had a great time too. Jean Michael was converted.

Chalk one to Paul Oliver. This is a personal mission for the calm, soft-spoken organiser of adventure challenges for charities. "We already teach an environmental ethics programme to children to leave no trace," he says in his calm, measured manner. His company, Absolute Adventures, is the only Middle East partner of the American non-profit organisation, Leave No Trace.

"We teach their certified environmental ethics course. The school kids who come on our trips are taken outdoors and taught this course. The theory is taught here, but we teach them to practise it in the wadis - particularly the Wadi Wurrayah."

Absolute Adventures collaborates with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on cleaning up the wadi. "We usually do this when we leave the wadi after a session with a group," says Oliver. "We give them trash bags and gloves. We end up picking bags and bags of trash every time. We were there with a school group last week and we filled up 15 large trash bags of rubbish from the wadi. It was just a scratch on the surface. The municipality cleaners usually clean up after every weekend. They mainly clean up the first area around the main waterfall. We walk much further inside the mountains, where it's not easy for the cleaners to get at. No one really cleans up in that area. We haul all the rubbish we collect onto our pick-up trucks and dump them at the garbage dump site. We do that very regularly. It's all part of teaching children - and some adults - how to act responsibly, not only to clean up after themselves, but after others as well."

That Absolute Adventures is different from your regular tour organiser is evident the moment you spot its headquarters in an old traditional house on the pristine beach on the Omani side of Dibba. The house has been restored lovingly to its original form, with modern amenities such as toilets, a kitchen, a lap pool, and airconditioning thrown in for those who can't do without.

A barasti is used to store bikes and equipment while customers can relax on the terrace. "The barasti house was made by an old man, an Omani," says Oliver with justifiable pride. "It took him three weeks to build, using palm fronds and palm ropes. It's a dying art, and we wanted to support him. It's nice to sit there in the breeze, watch the passing dhows." He's too polite to add that that too is a dying art.

Lest you think the UAE and Oman-based adventure specialist is a fuddy duddy, Oliver hastens to add that they also organise off-the-beaten track adventure holidays that you are unlikely to find in a brochure. Other than theirs.

This is the base from where customers are taken out on adventures: treks, mountain biking routes, kayaking, and other water-based activities which are done in conjunction with a partner company. "We do rock-climbing and 4x4 trips along the East Coast and the wadis here," says Oliver. "We have some hang-gliding flights as well. When we produce our next brochure you'll find different trips - cycling and trekking - in that. Some are further up the Musandam coast, some are in the central mountains here, most of them pass through ancient villages and see petroglyphs (carvings or line drawings on rock, especially those made by prehistoric people) and other rock engravings." There are also multi-sport activities that combine some or all of these trips.

For Oliver, fun involves learning something new. "We show people the local culture, and as guides we teach them about the local flora and fauna," he explains. "That's part of our job. We know most of the local indigenous trees, palms, and birds. We know most of the animals here as we spot them on a regular basis."

The Absolute Adventures base has a dorm-style hall and a double bedroom that can be hired separately. But most of their clients prefer camping out in the open courtyard. "When we host kids we move the furniture out of the way and put up a buffet table," explains Oliver. "We put up tents around the courtyard, with girls and boys on different sides. We can take up to 40 kids here. The teachers stay inside the house. There are separate bathrooms for adults, and separate bathrooms for girls and boys. If it's a large group, we put up chemical toilets and toilet tents. We have outdoor showers as well."

The school division is relatively new. "It was only at the end of last season that we started promoting our activities to schools," says Oliver. "We had a couple of school groups then. This season we've had five school groups so far. Many more have booked till the end of March next year. We have a school from Qatar coming in the early part of December. We have more groups from the Safa School, the JPS, the English College, the Dubai American Academy lined up. We are doing some training for the Rashid School for Boys on a weekend. It's starting to get busier - we have also agreed to train students from the Fujairah Men's College. There is a lack of quality outdoor education, and we are filling the gap."

Oliver has had a lot of experience in organising adventure challenges. "I've been in Dubai for almost 28 years," he relates. "I started my first business back here in 1986. I also used to do a lot of charity work here in Dubai. I was a member of the Dubai Round Table and I also did my own personal charity projects.

That eventually led to me co-founding Gulf4Good, the charity organisation that organises adventure challenges. That started when I approached Brian Wilkie to help me raise money for a big project I was working on in Africa. I helped run the organisation for five years. I used to plan and lead their adventure challenges."

People who participated in the challenges kept asking him if there was a company that organised adventures in Dubai. "Clearly, there was a need for an adventure company. So I sold my previous business and invested in Absolute Adventures."

Before doing that, Oliver studied the international best practices followed by adventure companies. "I also went through lots of additional qualifications myself before launching it in early 2004," he says. "The first year we only did overseas adventures - Everest base camp, Kilimanjaro treks, etc. It was just commercial, no charity."

Then Oliver saw the house in Dibba, "I found the base I had always wanted to launch the local adventures from. It is the perfect location, because so many of the adventures are in the mountains, and we have the most spectacular coastline."

Part of the reason for the success of Absolute Adventures is the seriousness with which all the staff approach their work. According to Oliver, serious adventure isn't something you take lightly; it has to be done in an organised, professional manner. "Most of my guides are from Nepal, highly qualified mountain guides. I also have British and South African guides. I am one myself. We work to the highest standards you'll find in the UK or the US."

The activities are risk-assessed, liability insurance arranged, and the guides have appropriate certification for multiple activities. "Not just mountain guiding, but kayaking, cycling, rock climbing, abseiling, etc.

"We have all the rules and procedures which companies are expected to have in the UK. Everything is logged, including equipment and personal guiding time, even though there are actually no regulations here. The problem here is that anyone can take people here in the outdoors, even if they have no skills, training or experience. It's such a small industry here that it's slipped under the radar. The only way to do it is by abiding by the international norms. Because of our approach, business is growing even during recession. People keep coming back again and again. That's the reason why we have to keep creating new brochures, because some of our clients have done all those trips, and keep asking what's next!"

The company has grown as a result. "We have kayaks for 26 people, 40 mountain bikes, rock-climbing gear for kids and adults for a group of 20, 70 hydration backpacks for trekking, and five 4X4 vehicles," says Oliver. "The equipment is always growing as there are multiple groups on trips at the same time."

School groups are charged Dh600 per night for a student, which includes accommodation, food and all the activities. The guide to student ratio is one to six. With adults, one guide handles a group of 10 or 12. "There is more cost and extra care involved in taking students. But we try and keep the costs down for them. Individuals pay from around Dh350 for a half-day of activity with lunch but no accommodation."

Business is obviously good, as Oliver is developing a larger base for Absolute Adventures. "We have a date plantation in Lima along the Musandam coast where we are developing an eco-friendly camp site," says Oliver. Lima is one of the larger towns in the Musandam area, with a population of about 3,000 people.

"We've already built a fresh water pool filled from our own well, with some barasti huts around it. The next stage is to build a traditional terrace in the mountain that overlooks the plantation. The idea is to build little chalets on the mountainside."

Keeping in mind Oliver's promise of eco-friendly adventure, the camp will use solar power - the fans, water heaters and lanterns will run on solar power. "We'll have composting toilets rather than flush toilets. It will be a very low-impact dwelling. We are also looking at teaching cooking with solar ovens. We will teach children about date farming, solar energy, composting and in fact all the eco-friendly measures we implement."

Oliver also plans to involve the local population in the venture - to their benefit. "The people of Lima are rich in traditional handicrafts, so we'll bring in potters, engravers and weavers to work here. It will give them employment, and be an education for our guests on the skills that are available in the region."

Oliver sees business increasing. "I think experiential holidays are becoming very popular. People have been to beaches, they've been to cities, theme parks, etc. Now they are looking for a real experience. I see these kind of adventures on the rise." It seems his business is doing nothing but increase, as are the number of environmentally conscious clients.