There's pretty good skiing/snowboarding in Morocco - yes, Morocco

I daresay snow sport will come to no one's mind when contemplating the fascinating North African country of Morocco. But more adventurous types might know that the high, craggy Atlas Mountains sweep across a goodly swath of this country, giving ris

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'Dark tourism' on the rise in Syria - and opposed by some Syrians

Interesting piece not long ago in The Guardian on how some tour operators are promoting normalization of tourism in war-torn Syria and why some locals affected by the war are against it. How do you feel about this issue?  Read it here.

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6 of Morocco's most beautiful beaches

 

Besides being a splendid soukful of exotic cultural and ecotourism experiences, Spain's next door neighbor to the south, across the Strait of Gibraltar, shares with it a unique attribute: coasts on both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocea

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The top 7 destinations of awesome Egypt

Egypt is one of the most distinctive countries of the African continent as well as the Middle East, with an impressive civilization stretching back more than 5,000 years. From its pyramids and palaces to its art, artifacts to its bustling cities,

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The Arab world's most liberal country, beautiful Lebanon is an under-the-radar gem

The tiny Arab country of Lebanon (not even three-quarters the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut) on the Mediterranean bordering Jordan, Syria, and Israel, has been in the news this week thanks to universal street protests - peaceful and held in

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Kashan, Iran and its rosewater festival

Kashan is an ancient city of some 433,000 in north central Iran, some two hours south of capital Teheran, and its name is tied in the minds of Iranians to its carpets, silks and other textiles - but also golab (rosewater), with its annual rosewater

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Discovering Dubai's beautiful parks and gardens

Dubai, located in the Middle Eastern desert. is not well known for its parks and gardens. So it may come as a surprise that Dubai does in fact have several beautiful parks and gardens located throughout the city, and make a fabulous and inexpensive

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Saudi Arabia to offer unrestricted tourist visas for the first time, but...

The Guardian reports that as part of a push to diversify the economy away from oil, the Saudis are pushing to develop tourism, with visas available as of tomorrow. But it also points out that it's a "hard sell," due to factors including restrictions

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Enjoying Dubai Marina and its dhow cruises

The Arab world's most famous capital of glitz in the desert is full of man-made wonders surrounded by dramatic dunes and great beaches. And with all the breathless chatter about towers such as the Burj Al-Arab and Burj Al-Khalifa; the Dubai Mall and

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The top 10 historical sites to visit in Iran

Iranian architecture reflects the rich history and culture of the country, especially its ornamental tiles and clever engineering masterpieces, yielding for example an amazing 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Here are ten that visitors to Iran shoul

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Ouarzazate & Aït-Ben-Haddou, gateways to Morocco's Sahara

        

Just a half-hour ferry ride from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar lies another exotically different world. The Kingdom of Morocco is a true cultural, culinary, and eco treasure trove, from Imperial Cities like Marrakesh, Fez, Meknes, an

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Dubai, playground of privilege, glitz and glamour with travel host Linda Cooper

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Shiraz, Iran's city of art, history, and gardens

One of Persia's oldest cities, and now one of Iran's most beautiful as well as its fifth larges (pop. 1.7 million), Shiraz in the country's southwest (a ten-hour drive from capital Teheran, or an hour-and-twenty-minute flight) is a city of history a

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4 fabulous highlights of Cairo

Old Cairo Nightlife

During the daytime, the city of Cairo offers countless number of monuments and artifacts located in the Egyptian museum, the Giza pyramid complex and old Cairo dating back to more than 5,000 years spanning from the ancient Egypt

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An introduction to Muscat, capital of Oman

After arriving on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul, as we drove in from the airport to Muscat's Mutrah district to begin our Oman tour,it struck us that this city of 1.7 million was everything we'd expected as the capital of a wealthy Gulf

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Oran, Algeria and its Raï music

        
 

In the West these days, we rarely if ever spare a thought for North Africa's largest and second-most populous country, but as this blog has reported several times, Algeria is an underrated gem, from the history and culture of capital city

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Oman cited in '5 Fab Places to Visit in 2019 That (Mostly) May Not Have Occurred to You

Regardless of whether you want to lay on a shoreline in the Caribbean; climb the world's most popular gorge; investigate ancient sites; eat world-reknowned cuisine - it's all good! Discover the places that may change your life.


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Dubai desert safaris

Traveling to the desert and exploring it is such an exhilarating experience to have and the tours that I am going to tell you about in this article are full of them. Dubai is rich in its beauty of the desert and the matchless landmarks around it ma

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Hedonist's Guide to Dubai our Read of the Week

This beautifully designed guide helps Dubai travelers steer clear of the over-the-top opulent in favor of more refined venues. Targeting seasoned, sophisticated travelers, it includes photographs and color-coded maps of the profiled locations, all re

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Tantalizing Tangier

   

Strategically ensconced on the south side of the Strait of Gilbraltar, Morocco‘s seventh largest city is a relatively little known destination among international visitors – except perhaps those who hop the ferry over on a day trip or overnight

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