With a desert climate that rarely falls below 25°C, the Middle East makes for the perfect destination to get some winter sun. October – April being the most common months to travel there. Between May – September, you will often find temperatures of 40°C or more.

Anywhere between 3 days for a stopover or up to 7 days is enough time to enjoy any of the Emirates States at a leisurely pace.

English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Tagalog, Persian, Chinese, Malayalam

Not required

UAE National Dish: Khuzi (roasted lamb or mutton served on top of a bed of rice and topped with vegetables and nuts) Al Harees/Jareesh (This one-pot dish is made by soaking the wheat berries overnight and then boiling it in water with butter until a thick, porridge-like consistency is reached. Chunks of meat, cinnamon, salt, pepper and other spices and vegetables are added once the wheat is fully cooked) Stuffed Camel (camel is stuffed with a lamb, which in turn is stuffed with one or more chicken, which is further stuffed with rice and eggs or at times fish) Falafel (deep fried balls made of chickpeas, served with salad in a flat bread) Shakshuka (scrambled of poached eggs with tomatoes, onions and coriander) Fattoush (salad consisting of fresh lettuce, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, mint leaves, onion, garlic, lemon and olive oil and is served on fried or toasted slices of pita bread) Luqaimat (crunchy dumplings, which are pleasantly soft on the inside, soaked in honey or a sweet, sticky date syrup) Balaleet (vermicelli sweetened with sugar, nuts, saffron, rose water, cardamom, cinnamon, pistachios and is topped with an egg omelette) Esh Asarya ( an Emirati cheesecake with a cream frosting) Sulaimani (Mint and Lemon Tea) Gahwa (Arabic coffee spiced with cardamom, cumin, cloves and saffron. It is often served alongside some fresh dates) Jellab (A cold blend of grape molasses and rose water) Karak chai (strongly spiced black tea) Laban (a buttermilk drink that tastes quite sour almost like yoghurt) Timar Hindi (a drink made by combining soaked, crushed tamarind with water, sugar and lemon juice)

Salam alay kum – Hello Masalama – Goodbye Shukran – Thank you Yellah! – Let’s go! Minfadlich - Please