The Gulf

Part of Middle East. 2 stories.

Umbrella-shaped dragon blood trees on Socotra's Diksam plateau at golden hour, their dense green crowns lit from the side, with rust-red limestone ground and sparse scrub in the foreground and a hazy canyon and distant sea under a warm sky beyond.

Socotra Island: Planning a Trip to the Dragon Blood Tree Archipelago

Two flights a week, a permit only an operator can arrange and a season set by the monsoon: how to decide whether Socotra's alien landscape is a trip you should take, and how to plan it if so.

The Meridian Desk · 10 min read

The Dubai skyline at dusk with the Burj Khalifa rising above the city

Middle East

Dubai Without the Bling: A Smart-Budget Guide to the Gulf’s Showpiece

The city sells excess, but you don’t have to buy it. Here is how to see Dubai well on a fraction of the brochure price.

Priya Nair · 7 min read