>I'll travel with my bf
I opened this thread to recommend Iran, but Iran is not a very good place for gays. Sorry man, but if you're travelling as a couple, you should probably stick to Turkey.
Still liable to get stoned. You need to accept the fact, that even in the year 2023, there are still places on this planet where deviants are not welcome at all.
Still liable to get stoned. You need to accept the fact, that even in the year 2023, there are still places on this planet where deviants are not welcome at all.
Shit, I misinterpreted your post. I inferred "fem" as being a femboy. This fricking head cold is a trip.
Anyway, if you want to visit the middle east as a female, I would recommend sticking to the UAE or Qatar, as they are the most accessible. There isn't shit to really do in Saudi Arabia, Iraq is still a shithole, Kuwait is a dry country full of buttholes, Bahrain is pretty nice, so is Oman. Iran requires a shit ton of hoops to jump through, and I definitely would recommend against Iran if you're an American citizen. I've also heard that Turkey is a beautiful country to visit, but with the recent earthquake that devastated half the country, I would avoid. Yemen is currently a warzone, as is Syria. Don't really know much about Jordan. If Israel, I'd stick to Jerusalem. Egypt has the pyramids, sure, but Cairo as a whole is a fricking dump ridden with scam artists and pick-pockets. Lebanon doesn't have much going for it, their economy is in the fricking shitter.
That is my half-baked run-down of the Middle East, now do your own research.
what this guy said, Egypt outside of the Pyramid complex is terrible. anything between the airport and pyramids is okay since they're new build cities but they don't have much to offer. Cairo is hell on earth for many residents and just about all tourists who stay in Cairo-proper come back regretting it. There are other places like Luxor, Thebes, southern Sinai, and Alexandria that have stuff worth seeing and are pretty safe but the extra money generally isn't worth it unless you're really enthusiastic about whatever you plan on visiting
Oman is great - amazing nature and very friendly people. The exchange rate is a bit daunting and there is no backpacker infrastructure to think of really so you'll just have to rent a car, but that allows you to get off the beaten path. Wild camping is permitted anywhere so that helps with the cost. As for safe it might just be the safest country in the middle east, maybe one of the safest in the world
Pic related
Currently in Turkey at the moment and the earthquake is really only affecting the area around Syria, it's not that bad at all in the rest of the country. Turkey is pretty great, much more tourist infrastructure and more information for sights online
Don't go to Egypt, it's full of Egyptians
Renting a car in Oman was the best vacation I ever had.
The other anon might have a different answer, but I was there in 2015 and spent almost nothing. I think the car was like $30/day, and gas was $1/gallon at the time. Hotels were expensive so we just camped in wadis and beaches. Entry to the old castles (10/10) was a negligible expense, and wandering around oases is free. In Musandam you can pay fishermen on a "what's-it-worth-to-you" basis to ferry you around or take you fishing.
1 year ago
Anonymous
I should add all touristic sites near highways are signposted in English, so you can just drive around looking for those signs pointing to cool stuff.
in terms of purely sights the most diverse would be Iran and Turkey. Egypt would also be a heavyweight but not that diverse, a bit more monotone. Saudi Arabia and the gulf countries are reaaaally boring, stay off. The levant is also a very cool place to visit but fragmented in many countries so you have to choose where to visit. Probably Jordan is the best of the bunch but when Syria is safe again it'll be a contender for the spot. Finally if Yemen was safe it would be one of the best countries in the middle east to visit but for that we will have to wait a bit
what this guy said, Egypt outside of the Pyramid complex is terrible. anything between the airport and pyramids is okay since they're new build cities but they don't have much to offer. Cairo is hell on earth for many residents and just about all tourists who stay in Cairo-proper come back regretting it. There are other places like Luxor, Thebes, southern Sinai, and Alexandria that have stuff worth seeing and are pretty safe but the extra money generally isn't worth it unless you're really enthusiastic about whatever you plan on visiting
I've been in Egypt in 2020 for two weeks and was one of my worst travel experience. Cairo has destroyed my expectations about ancient Egypt, full of scammers and there's nothing other than Pyramids that really worth of visit.
So for my next travel I won't consider Egypt.
Also I'm not interested spending all my time shopping or stuck on the beach, so I don't know if Dubai could be a good option.
I looked up on the internet for some tour in Oman and it looks a really interesting place immersed in history and nature, so thanks for your suggestions anons!
Jordan looks interesting too but from the descriptions gives me kinda the impression of having everything concentrated in a small area and being completely empty outside of that.
Because of the earthquake maybe is better to wait for a travel in Turkey.
Apart from the NE desert region of the country, Jordan is full of stuff throughout the country to be honest. It has a ton of Roman ruins and castles from the crusades scattered all over the place, as well as some pretty nice nature reserves (e.g. Wadi Rum, Dana) scattered around. I spent about 3.5 weeks there recently and could have easily spent longer there. Nice people on the whole too.
Did you rent a car in Jordan?
I think to visit Jordan or Oman (I'm still undecided) staying in the main city and travel around the country with a guided tour. Is it better to rent a car?
1 year ago
Anonymous
Nope, but if you can, do it. Public transportation sucks ass, and unless you're willing to hitchhike (which we did do for the first time here and is super easy people picked us up a few times when we weren't even trying to get a lift), you'll have to head back to Amman a lot to get buses to your next destination. There are a quite a few crumbly old castles/ruins that are in really remote places too that would be a pain to get to even if you are willing to hitchhike, so yeah, get a car if you can.
1 year ago
Anonymous
You ever hike any of the Jordan Trail? Looks super cool as an itinerary.
1 year ago
Anonymous
I spent some time walking around some areas that I guess are part of the trail, but not really, no. I'd really recommend going in winter if you do do that though. I can't imagine what it'd be like hiking somewhere like Jordan in the middle of summer.
1 year ago
Anonymous
Did you you hitchhike in/around Amman or longer distances like Amman-Petra? I want to visit Kerak and maybe the dead sea on my way from Amman to Petra, but public transport is non-existent and private drivers are expensive, I was considering trying to do it for free. Did drivers ask for payment, or did you say something along the lines of "for free, no taxi" when people stopped to pick you up?
1 year ago
Anonymous
Yeah, getting to Kerak was a pain. We hitchhiked there from the northern part of the dead sea, then hitchhiked from Kerak to Petra. Nobody asked for money except for a few minivan drivers, but they were all upfront about it. Nobody asked us for money after we got into the car. We usually offered some snacks (e.g. nuts or fruit) to be polite, since people in Jordan like sharing food with people.
Truck drivers were the best - 3/3 trucks that passed us at different locations picked us up. It was all SUPER quick getting a ride, except for one place when we got dropped off by a small road leading to Petra/Wadi Musa from the desert highway. We waited about half an hour there just because not many people were driving that way (and all the cars that were driving there were full), but the first car with space stopped to pick us up. There were even people who picked us up when we weren't even trying to hitchhike (once when walking in the countryside to Dana with our bags, and once just walking to our hotel in Kerak). Honestly, it was just ridiculously easy to get rides there. 10/10 would recommend.
in terms of purely sights the most diverse would be Iran and Turkey. Egypt would also be a heavyweight but not that diverse, a bit more monotone. Saudi Arabia and the gulf countries are reaaaally boring, stay off. The levant is also a very cool place to visit but fragmented in many countries so you have to choose where to visit. Probably Jordan is the best of the bunch but when Syria is safe again it'll be a contender for the spot. Finally if Yemen was safe it would be one of the best countries in the middle east to visit but for that we will have to wait a bit
Oman is great - amazing nature and very friendly people. The exchange rate is a bit daunting and there is no backpacker infrastructure to think of really so you'll just have to rent a car, but that allows you to get off the beaten path. Wild camping is permitted anywhere so that helps with the cost. As for safe it might just be the safest country in the middle east, maybe one of the safest in the world
Pic related
Currently in Turkey at the moment and the earthquake is really only affecting the area around Syria, it's not that bad at all in the rest of the country. Turkey is pretty great, much more tourist infrastructure and more information for sights online
Oman is the most esotic one but requires a deep visit
Yemen like oman but there is some warfare
UAE are the americas of arabs, top level services and fun, also some nature
Qatar is like a smaller UAE with less thing to do and no nature
Saudi Arabia was meant to be only for religious travellers but recently opened for turism maybe their visitsaudi is worth
Egypt you can do diving in sharm el sheik, wind surfing in the nord, visit historical sites like Pyramids, Luxor and Aswan, but its best if you are in the mood of ancient history
Jordan its an easy quick travel for Petra and you can do trekking on Wadi Rum
Turkey its mediterrean climate, more familiar. Istanbul and anatolian historical sites
Lebanon Syria and Iraq i think its more difficult to travel here
Iran is a world in their own
Renting a car is 100% worth it in Oman. I went with my Dad back in 2016 and it was a ton of fun! Omani people are incredibly friendly, and the countryside is beautiful. I actually went because of a SighSee post back then saying that is Qaboos died there was a possibility the country would fall into turmoil. He did die but they had a succession plan and it seems to be stable.
Looks amazing and thanks for your recommendation! I was afraid about people there after my experience in Egypt and because of religion issues. What season do you suggest me for visiting Oman or Jordan?
i've only been to Iran but gotta say it was really good and safe. And people don't really scam there too. The "tourist tax" is usually around 100 000 rials which is like a third of a dollar. However i visited the place off-season.
I always love visiting countries for ancient ruins alone. So far in the MENA region I've only been to Lebanon. The temple of Bacchus in Baalbek is incredible. I think it's probably the best preserved ancient temple of anywhere around the Mediterranean.
Syria is on my bucket list next. Always wanted to visit Palmyra but I'm not sure it's open to the public yet. Anyone has been to there recently?
Op here
Ps never been there but I'm interested to visit something different from European cities. Which is better and safe? I'll travel with my bf
>I'll travel with my bf
I opened this thread to recommend Iran, but Iran is not a very good place for gays. Sorry man, but if you're travelling as a couple, you should probably stick to Turkey.
I'm not gay lol
I'm f
No girls on the Internet.
Is Turkey worth of visit? Thanks anon
If you're a homosexual, stay out of the middle east. They stone your kind over here, and not in the fun way.
I'm not gay but a fem
Still liable to get stoned. You need to accept the fact, that even in the year 2023, there are still places on this planet where deviants are not welcome at all.
Shit, I misinterpreted your post. I inferred "fem" as being a femboy. This fricking head cold is a trip.
Anyway, if you want to visit the middle east as a female, I would recommend sticking to the UAE or Qatar, as they are the most accessible. There isn't shit to really do in Saudi Arabia, Iraq is still a shithole, Kuwait is a dry country full of buttholes, Bahrain is pretty nice, so is Oman. Iran requires a shit ton of hoops to jump through, and I definitely would recommend against Iran if you're an American citizen. I've also heard that Turkey is a beautiful country to visit, but with the recent earthquake that devastated half the country, I would avoid. Yemen is currently a warzone, as is Syria. Don't really know much about Jordan. If Israel, I'd stick to Jerusalem. Egypt has the pyramids, sure, but Cairo as a whole is a fricking dump ridden with scam artists and pick-pockets. Lebanon doesn't have much going for it, their economy is in the fricking shitter.
That is my half-baked run-down of the Middle East, now do your own research.
what this guy said, Egypt outside of the Pyramid complex is terrible. anything between the airport and pyramids is okay since they're new build cities but they don't have much to offer. Cairo is hell on earth for many residents and just about all tourists who stay in Cairo-proper come back regretting it. There are other places like Luxor, Thebes, southern Sinai, and Alexandria that have stuff worth seeing and are pretty safe but the extra money generally isn't worth it unless you're really enthusiastic about whatever you plan on visiting
What the frick is nice about Bahrain?
Renting a car in Oman was the best vacation I ever had.
Oman by car, what are we looking at here in terms of budget and planning?
The other anon might have a different answer, but I was there in 2015 and spent almost nothing. I think the car was like $30/day, and gas was $1/gallon at the time. Hotels were expensive so we just camped in wadis and beaches. Entry to the old castles (10/10) was a negligible expense, and wandering around oases is free. In Musandam you can pay fishermen on a "what's-it-worth-to-you" basis to ferry you around or take you fishing.
I should add all touristic sites near highways are signposted in English, so you can just drive around looking for those signs pointing to cool stuff.
I've been in Egypt in 2020 for two weeks and was one of my worst travel experience. Cairo has destroyed my expectations about ancient Egypt, full of scammers and there's nothing other than Pyramids that really worth of visit.
So for my next travel I won't consider Egypt.
Also I'm not interested spending all my time shopping or stuck on the beach, so I don't know if Dubai could be a good option.
I looked up on the internet for some tour in Oman and it looks a really interesting place immersed in history and nature, so thanks for your suggestions anons!
Jordan looks interesting too but from the descriptions gives me kinda the impression of having everything concentrated in a small area and being completely empty outside of that.
Because of the earthquake maybe is better to wait for a travel in Turkey.
Apart from the NE desert region of the country, Jordan is full of stuff throughout the country to be honest. It has a ton of Roman ruins and castles from the crusades scattered all over the place, as well as some pretty nice nature reserves (e.g. Wadi Rum, Dana) scattered around. I spent about 3.5 weeks there recently and could have easily spent longer there. Nice people on the whole too.
Did you rent a car in Jordan?
I think to visit Jordan or Oman (I'm still undecided) staying in the main city and travel around the country with a guided tour. Is it better to rent a car?
Nope, but if you can, do it. Public transportation sucks ass, and unless you're willing to hitchhike (which we did do for the first time here and is super easy people picked us up a few times when we weren't even trying to get a lift), you'll have to head back to Amman a lot to get buses to your next destination. There are a quite a few crumbly old castles/ruins that are in really remote places too that would be a pain to get to even if you are willing to hitchhike, so yeah, get a car if you can.
You ever hike any of the Jordan Trail? Looks super cool as an itinerary.
I spent some time walking around some areas that I guess are part of the trail, but not really, no. I'd really recommend going in winter if you do do that though. I can't imagine what it'd be like hiking somewhere like Jordan in the middle of summer.
Did you you hitchhike in/around Amman or longer distances like Amman-Petra? I want to visit Kerak and maybe the dead sea on my way from Amman to Petra, but public transport is non-existent and private drivers are expensive, I was considering trying to do it for free. Did drivers ask for payment, or did you say something along the lines of "for free, no taxi" when people stopped to pick you up?
Yeah, getting to Kerak was a pain. We hitchhiked there from the northern part of the dead sea, then hitchhiked from Kerak to Petra. Nobody asked for money except for a few minivan drivers, but they were all upfront about it. Nobody asked us for money after we got into the car. We usually offered some snacks (e.g. nuts or fruit) to be polite, since people in Jordan like sharing food with people.
Truck drivers were the best - 3/3 trucks that passed us at different locations picked us up. It was all SUPER quick getting a ride, except for one place when we got dropped off by a small road leading to Petra/Wadi Musa from the desert highway. We waited about half an hour there just because not many people were driving that way (and all the cars that were driving there were full), but the first car with space stopped to pick us up. There were even people who picked us up when we weren't even trying to hitchhike (once when walking in the countryside to Dana with our bags, and once just walking to our hotel in Kerak). Honestly, it was just ridiculously easy to get rides there. 10/10 would recommend.
Genuinely one of the worst posts I've ever read
How many foreign homosexuals or fems have ever been stoned in the mid-east that you've heard of?
in terms of purely sights the most diverse would be Iran and Turkey. Egypt would also be a heavyweight but not that diverse, a bit more monotone. Saudi Arabia and the gulf countries are reaaaally boring, stay off. The levant is also a very cool place to visit but fragmented in many countries so you have to choose where to visit. Probably Jordan is the best of the bunch but when Syria is safe again it'll be a contender for the spot. Finally if Yemen was safe it would be one of the best countries in the middle east to visit but for that we will have to wait a bit
Oman is great - amazing nature and very friendly people. The exchange rate is a bit daunting and there is no backpacker infrastructure to think of really so you'll just have to rent a car, but that allows you to get off the beaten path. Wild camping is permitted anywhere so that helps with the cost. As for safe it might just be the safest country in the middle east, maybe one of the safest in the world
Pic related
Currently in Turkey at the moment and the earthquake is really only affecting the area around Syria, it's not that bad at all in the rest of the country. Turkey is pretty great, much more tourist infrastructure and more information for sights online
Don't go to Egypt, it's full of Egyptians
This. Oman is the only country in the region with a culture worth discovering.
How's the cooming in Oman? Serious question.
Unlike Dubai you're not going to have east European hookers. Locals are pretty much impossible. So your only option is fellow tourists.
I didnt visit but to my knowledge:
Oman is the most esotic one but requires a deep visit
Yemen like oman but there is some warfare
UAE are the americas of arabs, top level services and fun, also some nature
Qatar is like a smaller UAE with less thing to do and no nature
Saudi Arabia was meant to be only for religious travellers but recently opened for turism maybe their visitsaudi is worth
Egypt you can do diving in sharm el sheik, wind surfing in the nord, visit historical sites like Pyramids, Luxor and Aswan, but its best if you are in the mood of ancient history
Jordan its an easy quick travel for Petra and you can do trekking on Wadi Rum
Turkey its mediterrean climate, more familiar. Istanbul and anatolian historical sites
Lebanon Syria and Iraq i think its more difficult to travel here
Iran is a world in their own
If i were you i would choose UAE
based, theres so much shit to do here in Dubai and AD.
If you're done seeing UAE easily second best is oman
Renting a car is 100% worth it in Oman. I went with my Dad back in 2016 and it was a ton of fun! Omani people are incredibly friendly, and the countryside is beautiful. I actually went because of a SighSee post back then saying that is Qaboos died there was a possibility the country would fall into turmoil. He did die but they had a succession plan and it seems to be stable.
Looks amazing and thanks for your recommendation! I was afraid about people there after my experience in Egypt and because of religion issues. What season do you suggest me for visiting Oman or Jordan?
>What season do you suggest me for visiting Oman or Jordan
Middle of July
Thanks
Holy shit that was probably me. I'm so glad you had a good time. I shitpost a lot so I'm nervous about people taking my advice.
Turkey and Lebanon, hottest women in the region hands down
i've only been to Iran but gotta say it was really good and safe. And people don't really scam there too. The "tourist tax" is usually around 100 000 rials which is like a third of a dollar. However i visited the place off-season.
Oman... super clean and safe. Not too expensive either.
I always love visiting countries for ancient ruins alone. So far in the MENA region I've only been to Lebanon. The temple of Bacchus in Baalbek is incredible. I think it's probably the best preserved ancient temple of anywhere around the Mediterranean.
Syria is on my bucket list next. Always wanted to visit Palmyra but I'm not sure it's open to the public yet. Anyone has been to there recently?
Where doesnt matter as much as when. Dont dare bother until, at the earliest, September.
Come to Kuwait-just kidding it's a shithole
oman