Desert expedition planning simulation

At a desert camp in the Wahiba (Sharqiya) Sands, teams receive the brief for a fictional expedition: reach a set of waypoints across the dunes within a time limit, with a fixed budget for water, fuel, vehicles and guides. They must plan the route, allocate resources and agree roles before setting off.

The expedition is then played out, partly at the table and partly on short guided walks and four-wheel-drive stages with local desert guides. News arrives along the way: a sandstorm warning, a vehicle problem, a waypoint that has moved. Each team must decide whether to continue, reroute or regroup with others.

At sunset the facilitator leads a debrief around the fire: which assumptions held, how resources were shared between teams, and how the group dealt with uncertainty when there was no perfect answer.