Geocaching in the UAE: modern day treasure hunting.

Geocaching can be a familiar term to many, but for those who have never heard of it, I thought it was worth writing a post about it, as it is really an incredibly fun thing to do.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, the official website has a useful and straightforward geocaching 101 video and FAQ.

The bottom line is: ‘geocaches’ (or simply ‘caches’) are small containers of various sizes (usually on the small side) which contain ‘treasures’ (of course, in a broad sense of the term).
Some are hard to find because disguised as wooden logs or simply really tiny; others are bigger, but sometimes hidden so well that you will really struggle (yes, it did happen to us).
See below for an example of various geocaching containers we have personally found, back in the UK.

Tupperware!

Vintage cache…

A micro-cache.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fake log!

A film container…

This was another big one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

These containers are distributed all over the world. Literally. There are over 2 million people hiding and seeking ‘geocaches’ on the planet in this precise moment!

Each container is logged (by the person who hides it) on the official geocaching website with satellite coordinates, so that anyone around the world can find it again (and re-hide it after).

Usually the containers are hidden in spots of natural beauty or of some sort of cultural interest, so that people can enjoy the outdoors as well as playing the game.

One of the main rules of geocaching is that you should not remove/move the containers from their location: usually you open them, sign your name in the provided logbook (which can be just a roll of paper) and that’s it, you put them back: the fun part is the search, not really the container itself.

Bigger containers might have several objects in them, so the main rule in this case is that if you take one item out, you must replace it with something else. After this, you just log everything online and move to the next search!

It might sound complicated, but it is basically treasure hunting done with the help of modern technology. It is really great fun!!

We have a little bit of geocaching experience, but we are keen on starting again in the UAE, as we never geocached over here before.
There are so many geocaches just around Abu Dhabi! (See map’s screenshot below!)

As useful starting point, apart from the official website, I also found this UAE Facebook group.

To get started, in my opinion, it is easier to download the app than starting from the website: the app is much more straightforward, as it tracks your position istantly and simply tells you which caches you have around, so that you can start straight away.

Another advice – from personal experience: if you decide to start geocaching it is a good idea to invest in a cable to charge your mobile phone in the car, if you don’t have one already: using the geocache app is great but it is horrible when your battery dies just meters from the goal!

Joining the fun is totally free (unless you want premium perks) and we can’t wait to start again!

Click HERE to read more about NATURE in Abu Dhabi.