In the Middle East, the long passage of time feels real. It may have something to do with the ancient landscapes. Or the extraordinary remnants of cities and civilisations past. It could be the deep and longstanding cultural traditions. Whatever it is, the timelessness of this region is magnetic, enduring….and it makes this one of our favourite parts of the world.
Our Middle Eastern travels have so far taken us through Morocco and Egypt on the African continent, through Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Oman and Iran. Each time, our travels have been punctuated by the epic history, the absorbing art and architecture, the diversity of people and cultures, the delicious regional cuisines and, above all, the kindness and welcome of locals.
Posts from Middle East
20 Beautiful Places In Oman That Should Be On Your Itinerary
Commonly overshadowed by its wealthier, more ostentatious neighbours, Oman has slowly but surely been finding its way onto the tourist map, and it’s easy to see why. Our Oman adventure found us hiking spectacular mountain ranges, exploring the country’s many fortresses, diving a shipwreck in the Gulf, catching mesmerising desert …
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Planning a Trip to Oman – Things to Know Before You Go
Planning a trip to Oman, but wondering where to start? In this Oman Travel Guide, we’ve put together answers to all the questions we had while planning our trip, along with a few of our top tips to help you get the most out of your Oman tour.
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Epic Egypt: Photo Gallery
We’ve been thinking about Egypt a lot lately, and particularly after visiting the excellent Sunken cities: Egypt’s lost worlds exhibition at the British Museum recently. Since the revolution in 2011, it’s been a rocky road for the country and its people. Tourism, an industry the nation relies on, has taken …
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Spectacular Red Sea Diving: Photo Gallery
Diving doesn’t get much better than the Red Sea, and with so many dive sites to choose from there really is something for even the most discerning diver. We’ve enjoyed enchanting coral gardens, exciting caves, an amazing variety of colourful tropical fish of all shapes and sizes, and of course …
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Dahab Diving: A Red Sea Escape
Sydney diving is great fun, but we’ve been aching for the warm, clear waters of the Red Sea, and the spectacular dive sites off the coast of Dahab. It’s a place we frequently talk about, especially with other divers, and it’s always been one of the highlights of our diving …
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A love affair with Petra
Petra – where camels are touted as ‘air-conditioned taxis’, donkeys finally get the credit they’re due as ‘Ferraris’, ‘happy hour’ prices and ‘buy one get one free’ rides come into play at a moment’s notice, and horse rides to the Siq are included in your ticket price. ‘No, really! It’s …
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From the Red Sea to the Dead Sea
It was a journey of biblical proportions, starting with a mad dash across three countries in as many hours as we crossed borders from Egypt through Israel and finally into Jordan.
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Trip to Jerusalem
As day trips go, we knew we were being ambitious. It didn’t look like a big deal. On the map, Jerusalem was barely 40 or 50km away from us in the Jordanian town of Madaba…as the crow flies, anyway. From all accounts though, getting there and back on the same day …
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Sailing the Nile Aboard a Traditional Dahabiya
We follow in the footsteps of Egypt’s 19th-century explorers and set sail on a Nile cruise aboard a beautiful, traditional dahabiya sailing boat. We couldn’t blame Enrique for trying. Our dahabiya host was determined to get us off the boat at least once a day to experience ‘the real Egypt’ …
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