Sclerophyllous forests in Ramot Menashe now a UNESCO biosphere reserve For such a small country, Israel has some very beautiful and unique natural landscapes and vegetation, including forests (those not destroyed by fires like the recent ones on the Carmel Mountains ), wild flowers like the purple “Argamon Iris,” and eco tour areas like the […]
Stay at Dar Les Cogognes for a boutique-style rest in the exhilarating city of Marrakesh. Marrakesh is a thrill to travelers looking to access the Middle East oriental flavor, through a North African city a short plane ride from Spain. Despite the occasional terror attack and instability in the Arab world right now, Marrakesh is […]
More questions than answers in new Saudi refutation of BBCs slam on its holy waters In May, we covered the BBC claim that imported Zamzam holy waters from a sacred well at Mecca being sold in some Muslim bookshops in London was contaminated with dangerous levels of arsenic. Association of Public Analysts President Dr Duncan […]
The revolution in Egypt has left a power vacuum that is allowing unchecked development to take over a once thriving, quiet dive spot. Apart from the Egyptian revolution itself, a powerful culmination of civil disobedience that roused thousands of somnambulant citizens from decades of political apathy, it’s still hard to see in what way this […]
Israeli inventor Meidad Marzan has a vision of solar-powered futuristic city lights Solar power embedded in tiny tiles cladding the sides of skyscrapers could be used to efficiently power programmable light-scapes like lamps creating ever-changing patterns on buildings at virtually no energy cost, using the nascent technology of OLEDs, suggests Marzan.
Eco-tourism holidays in Lebanon offer picturesque fishing villages and ancient remains British walking holidays specialist Ramblers Worldwide has added Lebanon to its list of destinations, according to a recent announcement. Ramblers Worldwide have long included Jordan, Morocco, Oman and other Middle East and North African destinations on their itineraries, although some scheduled trips to Egypt […]
Soon virtual tourists will be able to view images of Israel via Google street view, reducing the need to get on a carbon-emitting airplane. Google, our modern-day cartographers, have been discovering new ways to map out the world since 2007 when they came out with Google Maps. One of the ways in which they’ve created […]
Jordan’s Six Senses Evason Hot Springs Eco Resort. Does King Abdullah and family come here for fun? There are numerous eco-tourism options available in the Middle East. Green-hearted tourists can climb “God’s Mountain” in Egypt or visit the desert oasis of Siwa along the Red Sea coast in Sinai. But in the United Arab Emirates, five star […]
The Shouf Cedar Reserve is working tirelessly to protect Lebanon’s cedar forests from climate change. Fifteen years ago, civil war posed the greatest threat to Lebanon’s majestic cedar forests, but today climate change is their most prominent foe. The largest of Lebanon’s natural reserves and home to one quarter of the nation’s almost mythological cedar […]
Palestinians hope rural tourism in Taybeh will lure tourists away from the beaten path Lamb blood is splattered all over the doorway of what was once a church as if someone had just dropped a leaky garbage bag filled with guts from the heavens. “The local people continue to follow Old Testament practices. They sacrifice […]
This attractive Adhoc canoe packs down to the size of a backpack and weighs pretty close to nothing! It’s time to face the truth: I am an eco-nomad. Although it’s sometimes challenging to live up to my fullest green fantasies on the road, I do my best, though I often miss having easy access to […]
Can Wadi Rum cope with a predicted influx of tourists attracted by its World Heritage status? In June, the Jordanian desert valley of Wadi Rum joined the UNESCO World Heritage List, with a decision which has been much predicted since the end of 2010. According to Green Prophet’s Tafline Laylin, writing in September 2010, UNESCO […]
Led by Berber guides, five Australians and I head out on the Chebbi dunes outside Merzouga, Morocco for an unforgettable night under star-filled skies. Yesterday, Merzouga in southern Morocco (a stone’s throw from the border of Algeria) was so hot that I almost passed out in the internet cafe where I worked all day. There’s […]
If the thought of walking around a bustling city doesn’t feel like eco-tourism to you, maybe it’s time to think again and implement ‘The Art of Mindful Walking’. The term ecotourism often conjures images of mud brick eco lodges in the desert or visiting rare endangered plants on a nature reserve, but it can and […]
My Berber guide Mohammed on our return journey from Mt. Toubkal, North Africa’s highest point. “You should know that I haven’t hiked in a while,” I told Mohammed, my Berber guide for a two day trek to the highest point in North Africa. He nodded and grinned, understanding nary a word. I allowed myself to […]