Travel Green List: 4 top sustainable destinations in the Middle East

The Jordan Trail (Shutterstock)

What better way to get to know a country than to walk the length of it? The 650km Jordan Trailshows off the nation’s desert landscape and deep-rooted Bedouin culture in a way that totally immerses travellers in this world, and it does so with the lightest of impacts.

Beginning in the pastoral north of Umm Qais, the route winds past the ancient ruins of Petra and Mars-like rocks of Wadi Rum, before ending at the Red Sea city of Aqaba in the south. Visitors can dip in and out at will, as the trail is divided into eight sections of varying difficulty. Other highlights include the prehistoric rock carvings of Jebel Khazali; the Dana Biosphere Reserve, home to the endangered Syrian wolf; and the slow immersion in local culture that you feel as the days drift by.

AlUla Old Town is part of the restoration masterplan (Shutterstock)

Humans have occupied AlUla, a vast and fertile landscape in the north-west of Saudi Arabia, for over 200,000 years. Preserving that history is now a major part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 project, which is putting tourism at the heart of the country’s bid to wean its economy off petrochemical dollars and tackle climate change.

The masterplan here starts with the restoration of five historical districts – AlUla Old Town, Dadan, Jabal Ikmah, the Nabataean Horizon and Hegra Historical City. The AlRowah project is also training locals as storytellers and guides, teaching them to bring AlUla’s history to life, while elders from its Old Town (a labyrinth of mud-brick buildings) are being encouraged to share their stories, which will be replayed at the heritage site.

The region’s wildlife is also playing a role. The Royal Commission for AlUla is spearheading a rewilding project to bring native species, such as the Arabian oryx and Nubian ibex, back to north-western nature reserves. It’s having success too. A breeding programme for the critically endangered Arabian leopard has already seen four cubs born since 2021.

Ras Al Khaimah is an eco (RAKTDA)

Shifting the focus away from all-inclusive breaks and five-star resorts, the UAE’s northernmost Emirate is starting to champion local projects with a sustainable focus. Six hiking trails now funnel the slopes of the 70 million-year-old Jebel Jais, while the 1,840 metre Jais Sledder toboggan ride also zooms the Hajar Mountains. On the coast, the Suwaidi Pearl Farm is the only pearl farm in the UAE still cultivating local pearls by hand, mirroring how the ancient Al Zaab people would have worked. And lastly, the restoration – using traditional materials where possible – of ancient pearling village Al Jazeera Al Hamra is set to offer a unique glimpse into UAE history.

New initiatives are in place to improve the Red Sea’s ecosystem (Shutterstock)

Extending for 28,000 sq km, Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast encompasses 90 unspoilt islands and has remained relatively untouched by tourism. Now plans to build a traveller-facing, regenerative community across this area are in motion, as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 project. Driven by Red Sea Global, the initiative aims to grow over 25 million plants and enhance the already-present mangroves, seagrass, corals and land vegetation while improving the area’s infrastructure. The plan is that the new coastal village and improved access will draw more visitors; in turn, this will bring a source of income to the communities who will care for this biodiverse environment, helping the region to finally move away from its reliance on fossil fuels.