Abu Dhabi
The Gulf at a slower pace: quiet Saadiyat beaches, the Louvre and the Grand Mosque, with the Liwa dunes a drive away.
Desert, ancient cities and warm winter sun, from the rock-cut tombs of Petra to the beaches of the Gulf
Middle East travel: Middle East
How to think about Middle East
The Middle East splits into two kinds of trip. The Gulf destinations of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Ras Al Khaimah are about beach hotels, good food and easy winter warmth, often as a stopover. Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia are journeys, built around landscape and history.
In Jordan that means Petra, a night under the stars in Wadi Rum and a float in the Dead Sea. Oman has the Hajar Mountains, the dunes of the Wahiba Sands and fjord-like inlets on the Musandam peninsula. Saudi Arabia is newer to visitors, and AlUla, with the Nabataean tombs of Hegra, is the reason most people go.
Combining them is simple. A few days in Jordan or Oman pairs well with a beach stay in the Emirates to finish. Summer is fiercely hot across the whole region, so most of our trips here run from October to April.
Destinations in Middle East
Dubai
Seven hours from London, winter sun you can count on, and an old creek-side city under the glass towers.
Jordan
Petra at opening time, a night under the stars in Wadi Rum and a float in the Dead Sea, five hours from London.
Oman
Wadis you can swim through, mud-brick forts and a night in the dunes: Arabia as a road trip, seven hours from Heathrow.
Qatar
Two museums worth the trip on their own, an old souq that still trades and an inland sea in the dunes, all within an hour of Doha.
Ras Al Khaimah
Mountains, mangroves and a quieter beach, 45 minutes north of Dubai airport: the Emirates for people who like to be outdoors.
Saudi Arabia
Nabataean tombs at Hegra, sandstone canyons at AlUla and the coral-stone old town of Jeddah, with few other visitors.
Journeys in Middle East
Sample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.
Jordan in a week: Jerash, Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea
Seven nights with a private guide and driver: Roman Jerash from Amman, two full days in Petra, a night under the stars in the Wadi Rum desert, and two slow days floating in the Dead Sea to finish.
Two nights in Dubai, then a week in Baa Atoll
Break the flight with two nights on the beach in old Jumeira, then seven nights on a barefoot island in Baa Atoll with a large kids club and a UNESCO biosphere reserve on the doorstep. Good for families.
Plan your Middle East trip
No forms to get through first. Tell us roughly what you have in mind and a specialist will take it from there.