Armenia
According to Countryaah, Armenia is a landlocked country in western Asia and, together with Georgia and Azerbaijan, forms the threshold to Asia. The country located in the Lesser Caucasus is today only a “remnant” of the once huge settlement area of the Armenians, which extended over large areas of Anatolia and Northern Persia. Today less than 1/3 of the ethnic Armenians live in the mother country. With the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Armenia gained its independence. The capital of the country is Yerevan. Due to its visa-free regime and great hospitality, Armenia has an increasing number of tourists. Find more details about the country in our Caucasus brochure.
Climate:
The mean altitude of the country is 1800 m and 90% of the area is above 1000 m. Overall, the climate here is continental, with hot, dry summers and cold winters with little snow. The two surrounding seas, the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, ensure a climatic balance and prevent even greater temperature fluctuations. Due to the differences in altitude in the individual provinces, there are small local microclimates.
Best travel time:
The best time to travel to Armenia is from the beginning of May to the end of October with warm, sunny days and mild nights. The winter is very cold in many places. The months of February to mid-April are suitable for ski tours and winter sports in the mountains.
Georgia
Georgia is a country located in West Asia. Georgia offers a multitude of different landscapes in a very small space. And the Georgians themselves are a proverbial hospitable people, whose culinary magic was legendary in Soviet times. Like Armenia, Georgia also has an eventful history. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country gained its independence. Georgia is slowly regaining its position as the former center for tourism in the USSR. With its high mountains, the Black Sea coast and its wine-growing areas, it attracts more and more tourists and globetrotters. Visa-free travel and good connections to Europe point the way in the tourism industry. Find more details about the country in our Caucasus brochure.
Climate:
Georgia offers a wide range of vegetation zones with a subtropical climate on the Black Sea coast, an alpine climate in the High Caucasus and a continental climate in the semi-desert in the east of the country. Relatively mild winters and warm, long summers with high humidity are typical of the coast. In the mountains, on the other hand, the climate is comparable to that of our Alps.
Best travel time:
Hikers and mountaineers come to the Caucasus from June to mid-September. Culture lovers visit Georgia between May and mid-October. However, the summers are very hot in the lower elevations. Winter sports fans go to the winter sports areas from April to mid-May. The annual grape harvest takes place from mid-August to October. This period forms the high season for tourism.
Saudi Arabia
Climate:
Saudi Arabia is one of the driest and hottest countries on earth. The low rainfall is even lower in the interior of the country, in the Rub-al-Khali desert it often does not rain for years. The desert climate causes striking differences in temperatures. Accordingly, maximum values of 50 degrees Celsius are reached in summer, while night temperatures can drop to below zero, especially at high altitudes in the mountains. On the coast of the Red Sea there are summer temperatures of up to 45 degrees, which feel uncomfortably humid due to the high humidity (up to 80%). Even in the winter months, temperatures of up to 30 degrees can be reached during the day.
Best travel time:
Due to the extremely high temperatures of up to 40 degrees in summer, the winter months from November to February are recommended for trips to Saudi Arabia. Then the daytime temperatures average between 23 and 27 degrees, the nights can be significantly cooler.
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates are scenically and culturally fascinating. With its artificial island, opulent hotels and buildings, it has a strong recognition value. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, is the second largest city in the country and an important industrial and cultural center. The country borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman. In addition to the magnificent Abu Dhabi or Dubai, the 7 other Emirates are also worth seeing. For example, Fujairah, located on the coast, where you will find first-class snorkeling and diving conditions, or Ras-al-Khamiah with its excellent terrain slopes and hiking routes in the wild Hajar Mountains.
Climate:
Subtropical, hot and dry desert climate is typical for the United Arab Emirates. In the warmer and dry months between May and October, maximum temperatures of 40-50 ° C are possible, in the second half of the year they still reach 22-30 ° C, whereby the nights in the desert can be very cold. Both in winter and at the beginning of summer, the country is covered by the sandy and dusty northwest wind Shamal. The coast of the Emirates has an extremely high humidity of up to 90%.
Best travel time:
The period between November and April can be regarded as particularly suitable. In the other half of the year, the intense radiation from the sun, high temperatures and the humid conditions in the country make traveling in the United Arab Emirates difficult.
Israel
So small and yet so multifaceted. The Holy Land is a melting pot of nations and the center of the three great world religions. But Israel’s geographic diversity is also impressive. It is bordered by three seas: the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and the Dead Sea.
Climate:
The climate can be roughly divided into two parts, the Negev desert in the south and the north of the country. The north has a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and mild, humid winters. The daytime temperatures in summer can reach up to 30 ° C and high humidity. In contrast, the Negev and Jordan Valley have a desert climate. Rain falls here very little or never. The nights in the desert are quite cool whereas the heat between March and October often reaches 40 ° C.
Best travel time:
Israel can be visited at any time of the year. However, temperatures in most regions are mildest in spring from March to May and in autumn from September to October.
Oman
Oman shows itself as a country from 1001 nights: the oldest market in Oman in Muscat, the most beautiful mountain village Misfat al-Ibriyin, the highest mountain Jebel Shams, the oldest and largest fortress in Bahla (UNESCO) and the contrasting Wahiba desert are there just some of the highlights the Arab country has to offer. The diversity and beauty of the Omani landscape, characterized by rugged mountains and lush green wadis, springs with crystal clear water, picturesque adobe villages, extensive terraced fields and endless dune formations deepen this impression and make Oman an exclusive travel destination.
Climate:
Northern summer temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius and, on the other hand, mild winters characterize the subtropical climate of Oman. The interior is characterized by a desert climate and hot summers of up to 50 degrees. In the south, the average tropical temperatures reach around 30 degrees in summer.
Best travel time:
The winter months with less precipitation between November and mid-March are recommended for trips to Oman, in contrast to the humid and hot summer months, pleasant temperatures of around 25 degrees prevail.