Orienteering Team Building in the Desert

Orienteering Team Building in the desert is a challenge for fearless teams. Originally developed in Scandinavia, orienteering involves navigating wild terrain under a time limit, where rival teams must reach the finish line as quickly as possible using a topographic map and, if needed, a compass.

Teams must pass a series of control points, marked by flags, in a specific order, requiring careful planning, strategy, and communication. The main challenge of Orienteering is to independently identify the best path, fostering problem-solving, decision-making, and collaboration while pushing participants outside their comfort zones.

We moved the Orienteering trial to the desert dunes to make it even more challenging and immersive. As teams navigate the shifting sands, participants must make collective decisions, choose the best path, and ensure no one is left behind—because in the desert, solitude is not an option.

During this experience, team members are taken outside their comfort zones, learning to identify reference points and make decisions in a completely unknown environment. Facilitators can observe technical leadership versus charismatic leadership, understanding how decisions are made and what drives them.

Orienteering Team Building in the Desert provides a natural and engaging context where participants experience relationship dynamics, decision-making processes, and situational awareness in a fast-changing environment, strengthening both team alignment and individual resilience.

Orienteering Team Building in the Desert: Purpose and Goals

The main goal of this activity is for teams to locate points scattered across the desert terrain, using maps, compasses, and the support of teammates. This experience is ideal for groups looking to spend a day in nature while enhancing teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. The activity can be tailored in duration, from a few hours to a full-day adventure.

Key Purposes of Orienteering:

*Exploration – discover and navigate unfamiliar terrain

*Knowledge – develop practical navigation and decision-making skills

*Relationship – strengthen collaboration and trust among team members

*Integration – enhance team alignment and role coordination

*Fun – enjoy an engaging, immersive experience in the desert