2010 Travel Planner

Bashing Dunes

Off-road driving (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

TEXT: Ian Seldrup

At first glance, Dubai, the most populous of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, doesn’t seem like much of a base for an adventurous break. Yet, despite the profusion of gleaming shopping malls and sprawling souks here, the surrounding desert, mountains, gorges and waterholes hold the potential for a great deal more than the mere accumulation of “stuff”.

Get Set, Go!

Four-wheel driving (Syria)

TEXT: Ian Seldrup
PHOTOS: Syrian Automobile Club

Despite the Bush Administration’s best efforts, the uncharitable “Axis of Evil” label never really stuck when it came to Syria. The country has remained largely an enigma, and only the most enterprising foreign tourists bother checking out this beautiful, historic and vibrant land.

In 2003, the Syrian Automobile Club set about changing that, launching the first Discover Syria Rally, a cross-country adventure open to anyone with a driver’s licence and an adventurous streak. From humble beginnings and just 22 competitors, this three-day race now attracts more than 10 times that number of people from all over the world.

Powder Hungry in Persia

Snowboarding (Alborz, Iran)

TEXT: Ian Seldrup

You wouldn’t know it from the scrappy look of Iran Ski Federation’s website, but snow is huge in Iran. In fact, skiers and snowboarders from around the globe rate northern Iran’s slopes as some of the best in the world. The sprawling capital Tehran is more than a kilometre above sea level and its ski resorts are high up in the Alborz mountain range – at a considerably higher altitude than their European counterparts.

Half a dozen metres of snow on average blankets these impressive slopes for about half of the year, drawing droves of avid powder hounds away from the choking traffic of the city to the two most popular ski resorts, Dizin and Shemshak. The best part is that Iran’s religious police seem to be averse to the cold, and Tehran’s youth traverse the once-segregated slopes clad not in burqas but the latest skiwear.

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