Middle East & Africa | Viator Travel Blog

Travel Tips for Egypt

3. April 2009

I traveled to Egypt for the first time and enjoyed it a lot. I did not know what to expect and arrived in Cairo with some trepidation about a culture, religion and way of life I didn't understand. I admit arriving with a touch of ignorance and a small tinge of fear. Before leaving I found it hard to find good information about what to expect so I thought I'd share a couple of the things that I would have liked to know before I got there.

10 Things We Love About Abu Dhabi

4. March 2009

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Abu Dhabi, the dazzling capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (no, the capital is not Dubai) has been getting a bit of media coverage lately. Dare I say it, but the city-emirate is even starting to steal some of the spotlight from Dubai. The attention is mainly due to the recent opening of a colossal mosque dedicated to the late President and founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed – a mosque that some writers have likened to the Taj Mahal!

The Viator 50: The Year’s Top Travel Destinations

21. January 2009

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The Viator 50: The Year’s Top Travel Destinations

Before we say farewell to 2008, let us take a moment to honor the Top 50 destinations of the year as determined by Viator.com travelers. This is our third annual "Viator Top 50" list, and like last year, 2008 has been a great ride, full of surprises (good on ya Paris, Rome and Las Vegas) and some surprising absences (Mexico, we missed you).

Top 25 Things to Do in Africa & the Middle East

9. January 2009

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Top 25 Things to Do in Africa & the Middle East

Last year we got serious about making Viator the one-stop-shop for tours and things to do in Egypt, Cairo and Luxor. Our efforts paid off, as this year Egypt nearly dominated our annual list of top things to do in Africa & the Middle East. That said Dubai was a star performer again - it's won the #1 spot two years in a row, which is no easy feat.

Cairo, Fabulous Chaos

29. December 2008

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Chaos. Complete chaos. And yet with some kind of unspoken rule and unexpected courtesy. It’s the only way I can begin to describe driving around Cairo. There are no lane markings on the roads – why bother when nobody is likely to take any notice? It's more like a mass of angled, battered dodgem cars, ducking and weaving; no indicators, only waving hands and tooting horns which have a language of their own: one toot, three toots, a long blast.

Oman Tour: My 4×4 Adventure to Nizwa & Jebel Shams

15. October 2008

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Oman Tour: My 4×4 Adventure to Nizwa & Jebel Shams

It was hot at 8am when Munir, our guide for the day, picked us up at our Muscat hotel in his 4×4. Hot enough, in fact, for my camera lenses to fog when we went outside. Summer temperatures in Oman can reach 50°C (122°F), and air-conditioning in vehicles is a necessity rather than a luxury. Our [...]

Viator’s Traveler of the Month

10. October 2008

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Editor’s Note: Mea culpa! You may notice a little gap in Viator’s traveler of the month. Somehow (the guilty have indeed been punished) we skipped July & August. In our defense, that’s the busiest time of the year for us, with thousands of people traveling across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. But we won’t lie [...]

Top Things to Do in Dubai

14. September 2008

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Terry Carter has photographed and, with his wife and writing partner, Lara Dunston, written or contributed to half a dozen travel guides to Dubai and the UAE and have made it their home base since 1998. We asked Lara and Terry to write about experiencing the "real" Dubai. They have kindly obliged with a guide to eating, sleeping & sightseeing in Dubai aimed at first-time visitors.

9 Reasons to Love Ramadan

10. September 2008

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The Muslim holy month of Ramadan (which began September 2) puts many people off travelling to the Middle East during the period, but travel writer and Dubai resident of 10 years Lara Dunston thinks it’s a fabulous time to visit. Here’s why.

10 Reasons to Shop Dubai: The Ultimate Dubai Shopping Guide

28. August 2008

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10 Reasons to Shop Dubai: The Ultimate Dubai Shopping Guide

When we arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), just over 10 years ago, the Indian guy from my company who collected us from the airport chatted the whole way to the hotel, giving us a detailed introduction to the country, culture, and society, while extolling the virtues of living in Dubai compared to Abu Dhabi, where we’d just moved.