Top 25 Things to Do in Africa & the Middle East
Fellow travelers, it’s time for another installment of Viator’s Top Things to Do list. So far we’ve covered Central & South America and the Caribbean. That makes it three continents down, four more to go in our ‘top things to do in 2007′ series (based on the tours and activities most popular with actual travelers on Viator.com this year).
It’s time for us to shine a spotlight on Africa and the Middle East. There were some exciting regional developments for Viator this year; in January we launched a new destination on the site, safaris and tours in Kenya, and we’re pleased to see the private three-day safari to Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve taking Africa by storm and skyrocketing to #2 on our list.
We also got serious about making Viator the one-stop-shop for tours and things to do in Egypt (with props to Kerrie, who’s been inspiring all of us with her recent blogs about her trip to Egypt).
Rounding out our list of top things to do in Africa & the Middle East are Dubai and South Africa. We’ve been enjoying the dozens of fantastic reviews, photos and trip reports about Dubai over on the main Viator site; have a look. In South Africa it’s been all about Cape Town and Johannesburg. It’s all worth noting that the #20 top thing to do in 2007 was the scuba dive with Great White Sharks in Cape Town. How cool is that!
Finally, an extra helping of congratulations are in order to this year’s winner — the Dubai 4×4 Desert Wonder Safari — not just because it’s such a cool thing to do. But because this is the second year in a row it’s been voted the #1 thing to do in Africa & the Middle East.
Without further ado, the winners of our 2007 Top Things to Do polling…
Top 25 Things To Do in Africa & the Middle East: 2007
25. Private Dubai City Sightseeing Tour - The Golden City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
24. Private Tour: Abu Simbel by Minibus, Aswan, Egypt
23. Nile River Dinner Cruise on the Nile Maxim, Cairo, Egypt
22. Cape Peninsula Tour, Cape Town, South Africa
21. Sun City and Pilansberg Nature Reserve Safari, Johannesburg, South Africa
20. Scuba Dive or Snorkel with Great White Sharks, Cape Town, South Africa
19. 3-Day Classic Kruger Breakaway Tour, Johannesburg, South Africa
18. Private Full-Day Tour to Petra, Amman, Jordan
17. 4×4 Hatta Safari - Mountain Springs, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
16. Luxor Tour via Plane, Cairo, Egypt
15. Private Air Tour: Cairo, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
14. Private 4×4 Adventurer Safari - Sandboarding and Optional Dune Buggy Ride, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
13. Private Tour: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Egyptian Museum, Khan el-Khalili, Cairo, Egypt
12. Private Tour: Alexandria, Cairo, Egypt
11. Private Tour: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis, Sakkara, Cairo, Egypt
10. Sightseeing Tour - The Golden City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
9. Dubai Big Bus Hop On Hop Off Tour, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
8. Aquila Game Reserve Wildlife Safari, Cape Town, South Africa
7. Private Abu Galum Tour: Jeep Safari, Snorkeling, Camel Ride and Bedouin Lunch, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
6. Private Air Tour: Abu Simbel, Aswan, Egypt
5. Private 4×4 Desert Wonder Safari - Sandboarding, BBQ Dinner and Bellydancer, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
4. 8-day Nile River Cruise on M/Y Mirage, Luxor, Egypt
3. Three Day “Zimbabwe” Victoria Falls Fly-In Tour, Johannesburg, South Africa
2. Private Three Day Safari to Maasai Mara National Reserve, Nairobi, Kenya
1. 4×4 Desert Wonder Safari - Sandboarding & BBQ Dinner, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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| #1 in 2007: Dubai 4×4 Desert Safari |
There you have it. Viator’s list of the Top 25 tours and things to do in the Middle East & Africa in 2007.
Stay tuned for more lists in the coming days, to help you plan your next trip across the globe. In the meantime, if your curious about the top things to do last year in Africa and the Middle East, in 2006, keep on reading…
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Along with a healthy showing from South Africa, the big news on this year’s list is Dubai. It tops our list and remains one of the most popular destinations we have in the Middle East & Africa. And it’s no wonder. How many places in the world can you take a 4×4 desert safari, go sandboarding (think: surfing on a sand dune), and have a BBQ under the desert stars with a bit of belly dancing thrown in, all in the same day? Answer: just one that we know of, and it’s the #1 thing to do on our list this year.
So without further ado, here is the complete Top 25 list for Africa and the Middle East…
Top 25 Things to Do in Africa & the Middle East: 2006
25. Private Jerash & Amman City Sightseeing Tour, Amman, Jordan
24. Mountain Splendor - Kingdom of Lesotho, Durban, South Africa
23. Ocean Safari Boat Trip from Ushaka Marine World, Durban, South Africa
22. Full Day Tour of the Cape Peninsula, Cape Town, South Africa
21. Private Tour to the Pharaonic Village, Cairo, Egypt
20. Private Tour of the High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk & Philae Temple, Luxor & Aswan, Egypt
19. Half-Day Sightseeing Tour of Soweto, Soweto, South Africa
18. Full Day Aquila Game Reserve Wildlife Safari, Cape Town, South Africa
17. Full Day Hluhluwe Game Reserve Safari, Durban, South Africa
16. Sun City and Pilanberg Nature Reserve, Johannesburg, South Africa
15. Private Tour of Egyptian Museum, Bazaars & Citadel of Salah el Din, Cairo, Egypt
14. Full Day Durban Highlights with Ushaka Marine World, Durban, South Africa
13. Al Ain City Sightseeing Tour - The Garden City, Dubai, UAE
12. Private 4×4 Adventurer Safari - Sand Boarding & Dune Buggy Rides, Dubai, UAE
11. Sound & Light Show at the Giza Pyramids, Cairo, Egypt
10. Private Tour of Coptic Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
9. Private Day Tour to Alexandria, Cairo, Egypt
8. Dubai City Sightseeing Tour - The Golden City, Dubai, UAE
7. Full Day Cape Highlights and Wine Tasting in Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa
6. Private Tour of Memphis, Sakkara, Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx, Cairo, Egypt
5. River Nile a la carte Dinner Cruise on the Nile Maxim, Cairo, Egypt
4. River Nile Buffet Dinner Cruise on the Nile Pharaoh, Cairo, Egypt
3. Half Day Sightseeing Tour of Table Mountain & Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
2. Dubai Big Bus Hop-on Hop-off Tour, Dubai, UAE
1. 4×4 Desert Wonder Safari - Sandboarding, BBQ Dinner & Bellydancing, Dubai, UAE
There you have it, Viator’s list of Top 25 Things to Do in Africa and the Middle East in 2006. If you’re looking for more travel inspiration, check out our tours and activities throughout Africa and the Middle East: Botswana, Dubai, Egypt, Jordan, Namibia, Oman, South Africa and Zambia (including Victoria Falls). Happy travels in 2007.
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December 13th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Come on Egypt - let’s go for number 1 in 2008!
December 15th, 2007 at 2:22 am
Why don’t you have the hot air ballooning trip over the desert in Dubai emirate? It’s sublime. I’d also suggest putting that hop-on-hop-off bus ride up a bit higher. While sitting in traffic in Dubai is not my idea of fun (I’ve been a resident for many years), visitors to Dubai simply love it. It’s amazing popular, a great intro and taste to Dubai, especially if you’re on a stopover and especially in winter when you can sit in the open air and let the wind blow through your hair. Dubai Creek cruises are also fantastic, particularly at night when the old restored windtowers on the Creek are beautifully lit.
December 15th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Thanks for the tip Lara. We’ll try to track down the hot-air balloon ride in Dubai. Who knows, maybe it’ll make it onto the ‘top in 2008′ list.
And Lara, I just checked out your blog as well, great stuff (readers in case you’re looking for the link it is http://cooltravelguide.blogspot.com/). I’m a big fan of the Middle East, so your photos and articles are right up my alley. Don’t think you and I ever crossed paths at LP, but I’d be curious for your reaction on the BBCW sale (my opinion is fairly obvious: http://travelblog.viator.com/the-bbc-acquires-lonely-planet-is-independent-travel-dead/). Anyway, happy travels.
December 20th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
[...] travelers in 2007. So far we’ve covered the Top 25 in Asia, Central & South America, the Middle East & Africa and the Caribbean. Now it is Australia’s turn to grab the [...]
January 8th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
[...] If you’re not yet caught up on our end-of-year lists top things to do around the world, these links will help: Europe, Asia, USA & Canada, Australia, Caribbean, Central & South America, Middle East & Africa. [...]
March 7th, 2008 at 6:51 am
A trip to Africa is not complete without visiting Cape Town, Kruger National Park or Hluhluwe Game Reserve. I’ve traveled throughout Africa and although I’m biased toward South Africa - There no place like it.