Since Saudi Arabia opened to tourism, Al Ula appeared on many travelers’ bucket lists. Its unique natural beauty, an unparalleled wealth of history and culture combined with many activities and attractions promise a truly unique experience. There are not many other places I fall in love with the moment I stepped off the plane.
When you ask Dubai residents what they miss the most here, “nature” will be probably the most common answer. It does take a bit of effort (=2 hours drive) but you can find stunning places in the mountains in other areas. In no specific order, these are our favorite hikes in the UAE.
After falling in love with the Georgian mountains, Armenia got on top of our bucket list. We spent a couple of days working from Yerevan (which didn’t impress us except for its great food) and then went for a 3-day hike to Ghegam mountains. What we experienced there totally overcame our expectations. We decided to go to the Ghegam mountains since it’s just a 1-hour drive from Yerevan but not as crowded as more popular locations such as…
When I mentioned I’m going to Mauritius, a colleague of mine said: „You need to tell me if it’s a good honeymoon destination.“ If he wanted to hike and dive during his honeymoon it sure was, I told him. Now after spending a week on this gorgeous island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, I can only confirm that. Despite popular belives, there are tons of things to do on this tiny island where you can drive from the…
Sri Lanka is mostly famous for its beaches and watersports, but not many people visit the mountains which are in the middle of the island. Our first trip to Sri Lanka was exactly that, the usual beach vacation in the South of the island. It was beautiful and we enjoyed it very much, but for our second visit, we chose to see a different side. Our steps were directed to the beautiful mountains and jungle of Knuckles Mountain Range at…
Our first trip to Georgia was in May 2021. The plan was to explore the capital and to do some small trips around Tbilisi. Even though we only stayed for couple of days, we managed to see a lot. We walked our shoes off in Tbilisi, drove to Gori, and explored the breathtaking Uplistsikhe cave city nearby. Lastly, we managed to squeeze in one day hike near Abudelauri lakes.
Although Jordan had been on our bucket list for a while, going there was totally spontaneous decision. We didn’t have much time to plan it and didn’t know what to expect but it turned out to be an absolutely unforgettable vacation. In 4 days, we saw an ancient city, drove through a rocky desert with Bedouins, saw corals and wrecks in the Red Sea, and swam in the saltiest sea in the world 400m below the sea level. Oh,…
Long story short – Petra is magical. It was one of the most beautiful historical places we have visited. It would have been even more magical without ever-present hawkers but that’s part of the experience, I guess. There are many ways to explore this beautiful area and this was ours.
Our first hike in Georgia was from Stepantsminda to the foot of the Gergeti glacier covering Mount Kazbek. Stepantsminda is a small town in 1,740 m surrounded by mountains and one of them is the highest one – Mt. Kazbek (5,047 m). To climb up Mt. Kazbek to the top is very difficult because you need proper climbing equipment such as ropes, helmets, Ice Gripper Cleats for your shoes, etc. The top and the way there are covered by glaciers…
Stepantsminda is a small town in north-eastern Georgia. It is the center of the Kazbegi Municipality with an elevation of 1,740 m. It is located on one of the Georgian military highways and you will have to overcome lots of trucks going to Russia on the way here. Even though the town is pretty small and has just a couple of streets, it is a strategic spot for all kinds of hikes and trips.