Yes to go to the desert and spent a day/night is one of the fantastic things to do here in Qatar and unfortunately not many expat take advantage of it. There are many areas to discover. North/South/East & West. However make sure that you never go alone. Cos if you get stuck...... Also have extra supplies of water with you. A spade to dig you out. To look at the sky is the most amazing thing. All those stars. Specially on a no-moon night. The whole sky is lit up with millions of stars. One never imagined there could be so many of them. As for camp fires, when you go to the south/Al Udeid, you will need to bring wood with you as there is none to find around but when you go towards Zikrit you will find lots of wood on the beach. Try to find the beauty of this country. Go and spend your weekends in the out-doors. Now we are in the summer and camping might be a bit hot and the sea is hot and there is the risk of jelly fish. But come the fall...... and winter in the dessert. But never go alone. Have a working phone with you and a gps. (this is for when you need help you can tell them your position) No road signs out there!
Aisha-Taweela