Region · 94 destinations
Middle East & Africa travel guides
The Middle East and Africa hold the trip-of-a-lifetime places — Egypt's pyramids, Jordan's Petra and Wadi Rum, the Serengeti and Masai Mara, Victoria Falls, and the Cape. These guides cover the icons (Marrakech, Cape Town, Dubai, Istanbul) and the wild — the Sahara, the Red Sea, the southern African safari circuit. Timing matters more here than anywhere; plan around the dry seasons.
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Popular in Middle East & Africa
Marrakech
Morocco
Marrakech is a walled city of souks and riads — get lost in the medina, then escape to the desert.
Cape Town
South Africa
Cape Town is a city between mountain and sea — Table Mountain, beaches, and wine country an hour away.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
Architectural audacity, desert heritage, and seamless global dining across distinct urban hubs
All Middle East & Africa guides
Lalibela
Ethiopia
Monolithic stone churches carved directly into the earth by living medieval faith
Accra, Ghana
Ghana
West Africa's cultural epicenter of highlife beats, coastal energy, and living pan-African history
Beirut, Lebanon
Lebanon
Unfiltered Mediterranean energy, complex history, and unmatched dining.
Nosy Be, Madagascar
Madagascar
Ylang-ylang plantations, primary rainforest lemurs, and pelagic boat crossings off northern Madagascar.
Sidi Bou Said
Tunisia
Cliffside Andalusian architecture, pine-nut mint tea, and sweeping Gulf of Tunis vistas.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
Uganda
Steep primal jungle, razor ridges, and heart-stopping wild gorilla encounters.
Medina (Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah)
Saudi Arabia
The City of the Prophet: where deep spiritual sanctuary meets the living history of the Hejaz.
Tunis
Tunisia
A complex layered capital where UNESCO-listed souks meet Roman ruins and coastal cliff cafes.
Mecca (Makkah), Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The spiritual epicenter of Islam, navigated through ritual, endurance, and precise logistics.
Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Rwanda
Untamed Virunga volcanic slopes and the world's most intimate mountain gorilla encounters.
Nizwa, Oman
Oman
The historic heart of Oman, where ancient mud-brick bastions meet lively mountain livestock trading
AlUla
Saudi Arabia
Monolithic Nabataean tombs and mirrored art carved into dramatic red sandstone canyons
Kigali, Rwanda
Rwanda
A spotless, hill-crested capital trading chaos for creative energy and modern African urbanism.
Doha, Qatar
Qatar
Pritzker-designed waterfront cultural institutions anchored beside bustling spice souqs and shifting desert dunes.
Dead Sea, Jordan
Jordan
Earth’s lowest elevation, where effortless salt buoyancy meets desert resort retreat.
Agadir, Morocco
Morocco
Modern Atlantic boulevards, year-round sun, and Southern Morocco's launchpad
Etosha National Park
Namibia
A stark white salt pan where wildlife congregates right before your parked car
Eilat
Israel
Red Sea coral reefs meet jagged desert canyons at Israel's southern frontier
Nile Cruise (Luxor to Aswan), Egypt
Egypt
A slow-water passage through 4,000 years of riverside antiquity.
Addo Elephant National Park
South Africa
Unfiltered elephant herds and accessible self-drive bush terrain at the end of the Garden Route
Chobe National Park, Botswana
Botswana
Dense elephant corridors, riverboat game viewing, and raw savannah predator drama
Rabat
Morocco
Morocco's calm, administrative coastal capital of whitewashed ramparts and quiet souks
Dead Sea, Israel
Israel
Buoyancy at the lowest elevation on earth, surrounded by harsh Judean cliffs.
Dahab, Egypt
Egypt
Unfiltered Red Sea diving, Bedouin desert calm, and barefoot seaside living.
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Untamed inland waterways, apex predator drama, and low-impact private safari concessions
Pilanesberg, South Africa
South Africa
Big Five safari inside an ancient volcanic crater, malaria-free and three hours from Johannesburg.
Sossusvlei, Namibia
Namibia
Colossal apricot dunes and skeletal camelthorn trees in the world's oldest desert.
Siwa Oasis
Egypt
Salt lakes, mud-brick ruins, and Berber quiet deep in the Western Desert
Drakensberg, South Africa
South Africa
Ancient basalt ramparts, plunging waterfalls, and world-class alpine wilderness.
Sahara & Merzouga, Morocco
Morocco
Towering Erg Chebbi dunes, Gnawa polyrhythms, and remote Berber glamping beneath dark-sky constellations.
Praslin & La Digue
Seychelles
Prehistoric palms, granite boulders, and unhurried bicycle commutes in the inner Seychelles.
Nungwi, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Tanzania
All-day turquoise swimming, working dhow boatyards, and unhurried northern Swahili sunsets.
Lake Nakuru, Kenya
Kenya
A compact Great Rift Valley sanctuary for guaranteed rhino sightings and yellow-barked acacia forests.
Alexandria, Egypt
Egypt
Faded Greco-Roman coastal grandeur, fresh seafood, and Egypt’s intellectual heart.
Tangier, Morocco
Morocco
A windswept strait city blending literary bohemian lore with sharp modern coastal vitality.
Plettenberg Bay
South Africa
The Garden Route's premier coastal hub for rugged peninsula hiking, blue-flag surf, and relaxed seafood dining
Mauritius
Mauritius
Volcanic peaks, coral lagoons, and complex Creole street food far beyond standard resort gates.
Mahé, Seychelles
Seychelles
Granite peaks, wild southern coves, and the vibrant cultural pulse of the archipelago.
Lamu
Kenya
Car-free Swahili coral stone alleys, dhow sails, and slow Indian Ocean tides
Hurghada
Egypt
World-class Red Sea reef diving stitched against sun-bleached resort strips
Dar es Salaam
Tanzania
The sensory, unvarnished pulse of the Swahili Coast
Hermanus, South Africa
South Africa
Cliffside whale watching meets cool-climate Pinot Noir along Walker Bay.
Mount Kilimanjaro & Moshi, Tanzania
Tanzania
The non-technical rooftop of Africa, where pacing beats muscle every time.
Mombasa, Kenya
Kenya
Centuries-old Swahili stone architecture meets coral reefs and Indian Ocean spice routes.
Casablanca, Morocco
Morocco
A gritty Atlantic metropolis of Mauresque facades, modern commerce, and architectural grandeur.
Diani Beach
Kenya
Powder-soft coral sands, coastal forests, and the definitive bush-to-beach finale
Arusha, Tanzania
Tanzania
The northern safari staging ground beneath Mount Meru
Franschhoek
South Africa
Cape Winelands culinary capital framed by Huguenot heritage and dramatic valley peaks
Chefchaouen
Morocco
A mountain-ringed, cobalt-hued medina built for quiet walks and Rif mountain air
Aswan
Egypt
Granite boulders, ancient Nubian rhythm, and Egypt’s quietest Nile reach
Sharjah
United Arab Emirates
The UAE's intellectual counterweight of heritage souks, dry laws, and serious museums
Ngorongoro Crater
Tanzania
The world's highest-density natural amphitheater for Big Five wildlife
Stellenbosch, South Africa
South Africa
Cape Dutch heritage, dramatic peaks, and South Africa's premier wine valley.
Amboseli National Park
Kenya
Tuskers under Kilimanjaro’s snowline and lush subterranean swamps
Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
Rugged Hajar peaks, terracotta dunes, and unhurried Arabian Gulf coastline without Dubai's artificial roar.
Garden Route
South Africa
Ancient coastal afro-temperate forests tumbling into dramatic Indian Ocean surf.
Serengeti National Park
Tanzania
Earth's greatest wildlife theater across boundless, predator-dense plains
Kruger National Park
South Africa
A raw, self-navigable wilderness where predator encounters happen on your terms
Petra & Wadi Musa
Jordan
Carved rose sandstone, punishing canyon staircases, and Bedouin tea above the clouds
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Egypt
World-class Red Sea reef walls, desert escarpments, and self-contained resort life.
Luxor, Egypt
Egypt
The monumental epicenter of pharaonic power, tombs, and living archaeology
Tel Aviv
Israel
Bauhaus modernism, non-stop culinary vitality, and Mediterranean shoreline.
AlUla & the Northwest Desert
Saudi Arabia
Monumental Nabataean tombs, cinematic sandstone canyons, and high-design desert sanctuaries.
Skeleton Coast & Damaraland, Namibia
Namibia
Raw gravel passes, ancient petroglyphs, and rusted hulls shrouded in Atlantic sea fog.
Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique
Mozambique
Towering coastal sand dunes, protected dugong shoals, and barefoot luxury in the Indian Ocean.
Fish River Canyon
Namibia
Vast silence, raw Precambrian geology, and Africa's deepest chasm.
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe
Volcanic spires, forgotten cacao roças, and untamed Atlantic isolation.
Garden Route & Klein Karoo
South Africa
Ancient coastal forests, dramatic ocean escarpments, and arid mountain passes in a single self-drive corridor.
Al Baha & Asir Mountains, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Cloud forests, ancient stone fortresses, and cliffside switchbacks in Saudi Arabia's green highlands.
Siwa Oasis & the Western Desert, Egypt
Egypt
Mud-brick fortresses, hypersaline pools, and Berber quietude deep in the Sahara.
Musandam Peninsula
Oman
Dramatically folded limestone fjords, remote dhow anchorages, and silent desert peaks jutting into the Strait of Hormuz.
Rwanda Primate Circuit (Volcanoes & Nyungwe)
Rwanda
High-altitude conservation encounters with mountain gorillas and chimpanzees.
Serengeti & Ngorongoro, Tanzania
Tanzania
The world's most iconic wildlife theater, defined by scale and seasonal migration.
Greater Kruger National Park
South Africa
Two million hectares of premier African wilderness, where DIY self-drivers and ultra-luxury private reserves share the same unfenced bush.
Windhoek & Sossusvlei, Namibia
Namibia
From highland capital to towering ochre dunes and ancient petrified clay pans.
Maasai Mara, Kenya
Kenya
Dense big-cat savannah and the theater of the Great Migration.
Durban
South Africa
Durban is South Africa's beach and surf — the Indian Ocean coast, a curry culture, and the gateway to the Drakensberg.
Wadi Rum
Jordan
Wadi Rum is Jordan's red desert — sandstone valleys, Bedouin camps, and a moonscape used as Mars in the movies.
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe & Zambia
Victoria Falls is the smoke that thunders — the world's widest sheet of falling water, on the border of two countries.
Amman
Jordan
Amman is a Roman hilltop capital — citadel, souks, and the gateway to Petra and the Dead Sea.
Johannesburg
South Africa
Johannesburg is South Africa's engine — gold, Apartheid's history, and a city of energy and caution.
Nairobi
Kenya
Nairobi is the safari capital — a national park inside the city, and the gateway to the Masai Mara.
Zanzibar
Tanzania
Zanzibar is a spice island of stone town and white sand — Swahili doors, dhows, and the turquoise Indian Ocean.
Essaouira
Morocco
Essaouira is Morocco's windy Atlantic port — a rampart medina, fish grilled at the port, and the kite-surf capital.
Fes
Morocco
Fes is Morocco's medieval soul — the world's largest car-free medina, tanneries, and a living medieval city.
Petra
Jordan
Petra is a city carved into rose-red cliffs — the Nabataeans' lost capital, and one of the world's wonders.
Muscat
Oman
Muscat is the quiet Gulf — a low-rise capital of white mosques, a corniche, and desert mountains behind.
Riyadh
Saudi Arabia
Riyadh is Saudi's rising capital — a new city opening to tourism, with Diriyah's mud-brick past and a desert edge.
Jerusalem
Israel
Jerusalem is sacred to three faiths — the Old City's stones, the Western Wall, and a weight of history everywhere.
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi is Dubai's quieter sibling — the Grand Mosque, the Corniche, and a calmer Gulf city.
Cairo
Egypt
Cairo is the pyramids and a city of 20 million — chaotic, ancient, and unforgettable.
Marrakech
Morocco
Marrakech is a walled city of souks and riads — get lost in the medina, then escape to the desert.
Cape Town
South Africa
Cape Town is a city between mountain and sea — Table Mountain, beaches, and wine country an hour away.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
Architectural audacity, desert heritage, and seamless global dining across distinct urban hubs
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