Middle East - Anthony Ham [529]
In Lebanon, the Qadisha Valley is hiking central (see the boxed text, Click here), while in Turkey some fine trails pass through the Kaçkar Mountains, the Ala Dağlar (near Niğde), the mountains of Lycia, Cappadocia and Mt Ararat (5137m) near Doğubayazıt. For more information, Click here.
See the Activities section in the relevant country chapters for further details.
Sailing
With its whitewashed villages, idyllic ports and mountainous backdrop, Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean coasts are ideal for yacht cruising, especially given its proximity to the Greek Islands. Possibilities include everything from day trips to two-week luxury charters. Kuşadası (Click here), Bodrum (Click here), Fethiye (Click here) and Marmaris (Click here) are the main centres, with more resorts developing yachting businesses all the time. You can hire crewless bareboats or flotilla boats, or take a cabin on a boat hired by an agency. Ask anywhere near the docks for details. For more information, see the boxed text, Click here.
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DESERT HIKING: WATER & WARM CLOTHES
While the Middle East offers a host of hiking opportunities, the conditions are quite different from those most visitors are accustomed to. For this reason, you have to be careful in picking the right time of year for your visit so that you don’t expire by lunchtime on the first day.
In the summer, hiking can be extremely dangerous, and in 40°C heat most hikers will go through one litre of water every hour. Even in the cooler months, your main issue will be water, and hikers should have available at least four litres per person per day.
The most effective way to conserve water isn’t necessarily to drink sparingly, as this tends to psychologically focus attention on water availability, and may lead to an unhealthy hysteria. Before setting off in the morning, flood your body’s cells with water. That is, drink more water than you feel you can possibly hold! After a few hours, when you grow thirsty, do the same again from the supply you’re carrying. Believe it or not, with this method you’ll actually use less water and feel less thirsty than if you drink sparingly all day long.
Another major concern is the desert sun, which can be brutal. Wear light-coloured and lightweight clothing; use a good sunscreen; and never set off without a hat or Arab-style head covering to shelter your neck and face from the direct sun. You’ll also value a light, semitransparent veil to protect your eyes, nose, mouth and ears from blowing sand and dust.
If the heat’s a major problem, it’s best to rise before the sun and hike until the heat becomes oppressive. You may then want to rest (in the shade) through the heat of midday and begin again after about 3pm. During warmer months, it may also be worthwhile timing your hike with the full moon, which will allow you to hike at night.
Because many trails follow canyons and wadis, it’s also important to keep a watch on the weather. Rainy periods can render normally dry wadis impassable, and those with large catchment areas can quickly become raging – and uncrossable – torrents of muddy water, boulders and downed trees. Never camp in canyons or wadis and always keep to higher ground whenever there’s a risk of flash flooding.
And just because you’re in the desert, don’t for a second imagine that you’re in for a balmy night – with no cloud cover to trap the earth’s heat, night-time temperatures in the desert can plummet, even below freezing in winter. As a result, make sure you’ve warm clothing in your backpack unless you want to pass the most uncomfortable of nights.
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For one of the Middle East’s most leisurely and enjoyable experiences, try a slow cruise up the Nile aboard a felucca (Click here).
Snow Skiing
‘Snow sports in the Middle East’ probably sounds like it belongs in the tall-tales-told-to-gullible-travellers category, but not if you’re Lebanese. In the 1970s, Beirut was famous for the fact that you could swim in the Mediterranean waters of the Lebanese capital