DESTINATIONS WILDLIFE MIDDLE EAST


drives offering visitors the chance to go out and glimpse them all. Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara, set on Sir Bani Yas Island, offers guided nature walks in addition to the drives, leading visitors past towering giraffes, diving osprey and other creatures doing their thing in remote surroundings, making it a good base for those wanting to get closer to nature. Book it: Lusso offers five nights’ half-board in a Deluxe Sea View Room at Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara from £1,670 per person, based on two sharing. The price includes transfers and Etihad Airways flights on selected dates until October 31. lussotravel.com


DIVE IN THE RED SEA, JORDAN The Red Sea is up there with some of the world’s best diving destinations, and short flight times plus impossibly clear waters make it an excellent alternative to the likes of Asia, the Maldives and beyond. For especially vibrant sea life and


ultra-colourful coral, look no further than Aqaba in Jordan, says Sally Emden, marketing manager at Dive Worldwide. Regular companions include hawksbill turtles, stripy lionfish, yellow-mouthed morays and blue- spotted rays (huge, flat beasts marked out by their luminescent dots), and it’s a good option for beginners thanks to excellent shore dives, warm waters


and relatively few tourists to interrupt the views. Book it: Dive Worldwide offers a Learn to Dive in Jordan package from £1,725 per person, including seven nights’ B&B accommodation, Padi open-water course, transfers and return flights. diveworldwide.com


KAYAK IN THE MANGROVES, AJMAN


Clients looking to get off the beaten track? Suggest the little emirate of Ajman, home to the Al Zorah Nature Reserve. Here, 60 species of birds waddle and flit among bottle- green mangrove forests and mirror- like lagoons, which stretch for an


impressive one million square metres. The best way of experiencing its


creeks is from a kayak. Quest For Adventure offers two-hour trips during which clients can paddle serenely past flamingos, kingfishers, ospreys and other wildlife, with nothing to distract bar the sound of water gently swishing. Book it: Kayaking tours with Quest For Adventure, which start at £36 for adults and £28 for children, can be booked at local hotels including the Fairmont Ajman. questforadventure.net


TOP: Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara


LEFT: Al Zorah Nature Reserve


54travelweekly.co.uk14 February 2019


RIDE A CAMEL OVER THE DUNES, ABU DHABI Have you even been to the Middle East if you haven’t ridden a camel? Plodding along marbled sand dunes to a backdrop of burning orange sky is a feeling like no other – and doing that in the Rub’ Al Khali, the largest uninterrupted sand desert in the world, is the stuff of bucket-list dreams. Premier Holidays recommends adding a stay at Qasar Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara for those wanting to experience it at its best. The resort offers a camel trek taking guests out to explore the area at sunrise, when the only interruption is the tip-tapping of camel hooves kicking up the dust. Book it: Premier Holidays offers three nights’ B&B at Qasar Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara from £539 per person, including transfers from Abu Dhabi beach resorts, based on two adults sharing. trade.premierholidays.co.uk


PICTURES: SHUTTERSTOCK; NEIL CORDER; JOANNA SKLADANEK


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