Editor’s Note: This CNN Travel series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy.
“Back! Back! Now, forward! Stop! GET DOWN, GET DOWN!”
Rajendra Shrestha’s voice reverberates through Abu Dhabi’s Jebel Hafeet mountains as we navigate the treacherous twists and turns of the rapids.
“He fell off! He fell off!”
Shrestha screams as I am abruptly pulled beneath the churning water. Emerging back to the surface, I desperately flail my arms, searching for something to hold onto, hoping to regain stability.
“Relax, relax,” he reassures me, his voice cutting through the chaos. Shrestha reaches out, hauling me back into the raft. He places my paddle in my hands, and we forge ahead, resuming our journey.
Saadiyat: Abu Dhabi’s ‘island of happiness’
This is no ordinary river; it is the result of a $50 million man-made park constructed between Abu Dhabi’s arid mountains on one side and a sprawling desert on the other.
Located in the oasis city of Al Ain, just an hour and a half from Abu Dhabi’s city center, Al Ain Adventure Park proudly claims the title of the Middle East’s first destination for white water rafting, kayaking and surfing.
It’s an unusual sight in a region where no natural rivers exist, and summer temperatures often soar upwards of 120 F (49 C).
In a country where nearly everything is artificially created, including beaches, snow, and even rain, Al Ain Adventure follows suit.
The park boasts a world-class kayaking and rafting experience. White water channels span 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles), providing a challenging journey for kayakers and rafters of all levels.
Shrestha is a seasoned watersports enthusiast who has spent most of his life rafting. He’s competed professionally in world rafting competitions in Nepal, Japan, India and the UAE. He served as captain of Nepal’s national team, twice.
Shrestha joined the Al Ain Adventure team back in 2010, bringing a wealth of experience to the park.
He says his favorite part of the job is the unique combination of thrilling sports all in one location.
The forest growing in the world’s hottest sea
Al Ain Adventure Park has gained international recognition as a hub for sports professionals seeking to hone their skills in various disciplines.
Drawing athletes from across the globe, including surfing champions, rafters and Olympic kayak teams, the park has become a preferred training destination.
Each year, from November to March, slalom kayakers from Europe and Russia converge on the park for intensive training sessions. The park says it regularly hosts
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
When it comes to using a car service to get around town, to and from the airport or from one destination to the next, travelers looking for a high-end option have a myriad of brands to pick from. Based on my personal experience, I can tell you that I’ve come to rely on Blacklane.
Remi Lucidi, a sergeant in the French Army, died far from a battlefield. His body was found last week aside a Hong Kong skyscraper where he had been spotted near the rooftop.
Flying to the United Arab Emirates from the United States just got easier. Etihad Airways, one of the national airlines of the UAE, just announced new service between Boston and Abu Dhabi, beginning on March 31, 2024.
Emirates has announced it will reduce service between Dubai and almost half its destinations in the U.S. Flights to Boston, Seattle, and Los Angeles will be reduced from two per day to one, and daily flights to Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale will be reduced to five per week each. The total number of weekly flights cut comes to 25.
AirHelp, the online service that files complaints against airlines on behalf of passengers entitled to compensation for air delays or cancellations, knows a thing or two about air travel. Because it’s hard for the average person to understand air passenger rights and pursue a legal claim when they’ve been wronged, AirHelp is always going toe-to-toe with airlines and airports—and reveals once a year which ones that treat their passengers for the better (or worse).
With rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft taking over, you might be wondering where in the world it’s still possible to take a cheap taxi. Cabs aren’t dead, yet: These countries still heavily rely on them.
Often, when you’re traveling from one country to another on a connecting flight, the time spent in the connecting hub feels a bit like being lost in a no-man’s-land of travel—neither here, nor there. However, a growing number of airlines are working to reshape travelers’ relationships with extra-long layovers.
Early this morning, an Etihad Airways plane took off from Abu Dhabi en route to London—but there was a distinct sense of excitement surrounding this flight. Leaving at 2:05 a.m., flight 11 marked the return of the carrier’s Airbus A380, a superjumbo aircraft that had been phased out of service.
No one is more game for some last-minute, improvisational travel than a spy. In Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his merry band of fellow spies embark on—and abscond via—more modes of transportation than there are punctuation marks in the title, and they do it all on very short notice. We’re not just talking planes, trains, and automobiles, either—although there are plenty of each, with “Get me on that flight,” a refrain often heard—but also desert-traversing horses, off-terrain motorcycles, and an especially sleek water taxi. The travel writer in me can’t help but wonder—did I choose the wrong career for seeing the world?
Modern Bangkok, historical Hanoi and tourism-boom town Siem Reap — home to the world-famous Angkor Wat temples — are some of Southeast Asia's best drawcards, and see thousands of visitors every year.
Travellers can’t seem to get enough of the Middle East. Recent reports highlight strong tourism growth in many of the region's countries – and that's despite continued unrest and the travel restrictions that have come with it.