Holidays in Oman can be anything that you want them to be! Active or restful, exploring history or modernity – Oman has plenty to offer.

Whatever draws you to Oman, the one thing you get is a taste of Arabia. Strange as it is to say it, in my experience you don’t always find that in North Africa and the Middle East – life can be quite westernised, and the pictures you have in your head may not tally with what you see when you arrive.

But in Oman, there’s still that flavour. The landscape is one of deserts, mountains and sweeping beaches – the climate offering year-round sunshine. The people are more traditional than you find in many other countries in the region, with traditional dress often still worn.

Holidays in Oman with AfricanExplorations.com

Despite this, it is a modern, vibrant place too – and accommodation, especially around the capital Muscat, reflects this. There’s no shortage of luxurious options – on the beach, within range of the city’s markets, mosques and the forts that once guarded the harbour towns.

And if you want to get away from it all, that’s equally possible. The Wahiba Sands provide opportunities to camp in the dunes, the coastal town of Sur is a laid-back treat. A favourite hideaway of ours in Oman is the Six Senses hotel in Zighy Bay, where the diving is spectacular and the activities are wonderful.

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But the options are plentiful and we always start from scratch with a guided sightseeing programme to the country, so you can make your holidays in Oman your very own.

Luxury Tunisia – Tunisia is a beautiful country – but all too often people think of it as simply a place to spend a week on the coast enjoying the Mediterranean.

I spent a year of my life in Tunisia in my student days, learning Arabic and travelling the country, and I was never happier than when I was on the road.

If Tunisia has an image problem, the good news it can work in your favour.

After all, there are still plenty of luxurious, special experiences awaiting you, both when it comes to sightseeing and accommodation.

You notice it most at a place like the hillside Roman ruins of Dougga – the site is remarkable, but the fact that you typically share that experience of walking around the amphitheatre, Capitol and surroundings with just a handful of other tourists and local schoolchildren is all the more remarkable.

Luxury Tunisia with africanexplorations.com - image Simon Blackley CCA

And you can be one step ahead of the crowd too when it comes to where to stay. There are a handful of delightful boutique hotels in Tunisia, places which have lots in common with the Moroccan riads – grand old traditional houses, converted into charming hotels.

Take Dar Said, for instance. Sidi Bou Said is a picturebook town, with cobbled stones and whitewashed buildings set against the blue skies and the Mediterranean coast. To see the Tunisian north in a little luxury, Dar Said is an absolute must – a 24-roomed hotel and a wonderful antidote to all the larger places in the area.

Luxury Tunisia with africanexplorations.com - Cafe Sidi Chaabane, Sidi Bou Said

These dars are just starting to spring up in the country, and add a sprinkling of luxury to some of the wonderful and under-visited treasure that Tunisia has to offer.

The Dana Nature Reserve is one of Jordan’s real joys – a little enclave of quiet and calm. Queen Noor of Jordan once described it as a place with ‘ten-star views’, and it’s hard to disagree.

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A rift valley runs through Jordan, responsible for the stunning rocky setting of Petra and the curious combination of sands and stone in the desert of Wadi Rum.

But while most visitors see those places, they don’t tend to get to Dana. And that’s a real shame.

Dana itself is a tiny village – almost deserted. About a dozen families still live there, and it feels abandoned when you arrive.

But when you come to the Dana Guest House, the place to stay here, the vibrancy returns.

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The balconies gaze out on views deep into the valley. Dana, around 1000m above sea level, quickly drops away to reveal a feast of plants, flowers and trees. Many of Jordan’s 415 varieties of birdlife can be found here too.

In fact, at any given time of year there is something a little different about the terrain, which because of its sudden drop boasts four eco-systems in close proximity to one another, to enjoy.

No wonder the RSCN, Jordan’s Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, work so hard to preserve it. The Dana Nature Reserve is one of several regions the organisation look after in the country, with an emphasis on having local people take a personal responsibility for the flora and fauna therein.

The projects the RSCN undertake extends to organising co-operatives and teaching people to be guides. And with the money from stays and visits to Dana going straight back into the communities and the conservation projects, it makes for some genuinely responsible tourism.

Holiday in Syria?

Syria is not a country to go and spend a fortnight on the beach, despite a lengthy stretch of Mediterranean coastline and a beautiful climate which welcomes sunshine for most of the year.

A holiday in Syria should be a journey, a feast of surprises and wonder in an underexplored corner of the world.

The names of Syria’s landmarks are evocative, exciting ones – places famed for millennia. Damascus, Aleppo, Palmyra – these are ancient cities which have inspired writers and travellers alike for generations.

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Whatever you read about these places, however, there’s no substitute for just diving in and exploring them for yourselves!

For a holiday in Syria one has to get going. Get walking, because in these labyrinthine streets of the old town there is no better way to experience the charm than to poke your head around the corner of an old wooden door and see a magnificently-appointed courtyard – or smell the jasmine as a donkey and cart bring boxes full of perfumes along the narrow cobbled streets to market. No two experiences of Damascus and Aleppo are the same.

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Get talking, too, because Syria’s uniqueness extends to its welcoming people. The Syrians are not wearied of tourists, and they’re keen to chat. Part of the reason that these old towns have persisted is because of the affection the locals feel for them – their connection to it, which extends back for generations, can yield wonderful stories and charming narratives best experienced against the backdrop of a café on a busy street, watching the world go by.

And if you’ve ventured into a café, get eating! Syria’s cuisine is divine, similar to that of Lebanon and full of tempting grilled meats and delicious vegetables. Falafels, spices, spreads of dish after dish – you’ll never go hungry.

A holiday in Syria is one full of adventure and excitement. It may not be a well-travelled road, but it’s one as vibrant and thrilling as any road one could hope to take.

Petra Jordan Holiday- There is no place in Jordan, or indeed the Middle East, that I find more magical than Petra.

An ancient city set in the cocoon of rich red rocks, with remarkable tomb facades hewn high into the wall faces. A wondrous feat of artisanship set against a dramatic natural background – what more could one ask for?

Petra Jordan holiday with africanexplorations.com - Petra

So it’s no surprise then that if you’re looking for a holiday to Jordan, that Petra is either the reason you began to consider it, or a cornerstone of your visit.

And of course, it has to be seen properly.

I’ve been at the site, which is a sprawling mass of treasures set across several miles, and seen busloads of tourists whisked in and out in three hours – a few pictures better off, perhaps, but with no sense of the place they have travelled all the way to see.

You have to give Petra time to unearth its secrets.

Petra Jordan holiday with africanexplorations.com

Two full days to explore it are a minimum – walking, exploring, dallying, breathing it all in. The Treasury, the most iconic of landmarks within the site, is about a mile’s walk from the site entrance, and that is only really the start of the surprises.

The walk up to the Monastery is a half day’s journey – so is the trek up to the High Place of the Tunnel Siq. Then there’s the journey along the Tunnel Siq, or around the mountains to sneak an unforgettable view of the Treasury from on high. That’s just a flavour of what there is to see – the more time you give Petra, the more you get out of it.

But a Jordan holiday featuring Petra is about more than just the Nabatean city alone. There are other remarkable places to visit, great walks to take if that’s how you enjoy exploring.

And, of course, at the end of your time in Petra the possibility of a few days of relaxation, be it on Jordan’s coral-filled Red Sea coastline or by the Dead Sea, home to salts, muds and minerals to revitalise you before you return home.

Boutique hotels Syria- There is an exciting new development in Syria over recent years of boutique hotels springing up which are a little splash of magic on a stay in the country.

It’s easy to think of a journey to Syria as being an exciting adventure off the beaten track – which will mean staying in some fairly ordinary hotels – but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Take Damascus, for instance – venture inside a building in the old town and your reward is typically a beautiful courtyard with a fountain in its centre, bougainvilleas climbing the walls, a focal point with rooms looking towards it.

Happily, several new places have opened which have done a magnificent job of converting these majestic old buildings into top boutique hotels.

Boutique hotels Syria with africanexplorations.com - Talisman

The reasons to stay in such places are as simple as they are compelling. They feel like Syria, for one thing – with the fabric of days of yore woven carefully into every detail to create a sprinkling of luxury and tradition. There are just handfuls of rooms – typically somewhere between ten and twenty – which means that not only is it a magical experience, but it’s one you don’t feel like you’re forced to share with the world and his wife. And beyond that, there is a practical reason – they are set in the old cities – the very places you should explore the most. It keeps your explorations within walking distance.

Damascus has a number of these places. The Talisman is a beautiful example of a former Ottoman Palace converted into a little paradise away from the masses, but plenty more have followed it.

It is a similar story in Aleppo, where the enchanting Mansouriya has been joined by a handful of Riad-style properties which add something to the Syrian experience.

Boutique hotels Syria with africanexplorations.com - Mansouriya

Elsewhere in the country, it must be said, the accommodation is still a bit rough-and-ready – a product of Syria being a hidden gem, whose many sites are still under-explored. But we love these boutique hotels Syria has to offer, and cannot recommend them enough when you want somewhere a bit special to stay.