Cairo might not be your first port of call when you’re after a good night out in the Middle East, but after some tough years, it’s made a raucous comeback. Whether you’re looking to meet up with locals and fellow travellers bopping along to old-school beats or you want to get star-struck along the River Nile, it’s better with a beer in hand at one of these beacons for night owls.

There’s still plenty to do in Cairo after the sun goes down © Harry Green / Shutterstock

Cairo Jazz Club

Most underground bands in Egypt emerged after the 2011 revolution, which is when the long-standing (by Cairo standards) Cairo Jazz Club became the go-to place for a crazy night out. Despite its name, Cairo Jazz Club’s music choices span the spectrum from indie rock to hip-hop acts. No matter when you stop by, you’re bound to hear some of the best bands in town.

Shahrazad

To see the more traditional Egyptian entertainment of belly dancing, head to the hipster part of downtown Cairo near Talaat Harb St. The grungy-looking Shahrazad casino, with astral lighting and suave Arabic music audible from the street, might not look the part from the outside, but head upstairs to the first floor, where you can sit down, relax and order a Sakkara, the ubiquitous local lager, which comes with a bowl of lupin beans to munch on. Don’t get too comfortable because the performers often invite members of the audience to join in. Shahrazad is open seven days a week until dawn, so you might find that your morning plans are postponed after a visit here.

Pick your perch along the bar at Crimson Cairo © Crimson Cairo

Crimson Cairo

Hidden away on a back street on Zamalek Island, Crimson Cairo has an unbeatable Nile view from its rooftop terrace. Sip on a glass of red from local winery Omar Khayyam at one of its tables overlooking the riverbanks, which all have a bird’s-eye view of the city lights.

Cairo Cellar

Having been on the nightlife scene since Egypt was dusting off the monarchy, the Cairo Cellar is a royal reminder of the past in the basement of The President Hotel, on Zamalek Island. This retro-chic English-style pub with a giant cellar stuffed full of liquor and wine, and it’s the place to try the Cellar’s own gin.

The Tap

We hope you packed your dancing shoes because The Tap is going to put them to work. This is one of Cairo’s favourite spots to let loose, although the policy for getting in is not lax, so be sure to make a reservation. When you make it inside, let your ears adjust, as the music (often from live bands) can go from quiet to intense in no time. When the dancing session comes to an end, channel your inner Messi through a game of foosball, or get competitive at the arcade machine.

Enjoy a tanoura performance on board the Golden Pharaoh boat © Valerii Iavtushenko / Shutterstock

Golden Pharaoh Dinner Cruise

With whirling dervishes and baladi (traditional) dancers, The Golden Pharaoh boat is always pulsing with pounding music and authentic Egyptian atmosphere. This cruise down the River Nile, which can be taken off Nile St in Giza, is perfect for a low-key night out, as you sail in a loop between Zamalek and Giza. The 14m-long luxury craft looks royal from the outside and carries a long string of buffets full of Middle Eastern and Egyptian cuisine. There is a guaranteed tanoura dance afterwards, where a dervish performs a traditional folkloric dance wearing a colourful skirt while twirling in never-ending circles.

Zigzag

Downtown Cairo has a hot alternative music scene, and Zigzag is the host. Just around the corner from Steigenberger Hotel, the newly opened venue is been home to all sorts of beats: African, South American and electronic. While bands or DJs get set up, grab the nearest table and order one of the best mojitos in town. Though it’s almost always packed, the dance floor can always squeeze in a few more. Reserve via Facebook message and put on your best outfit.

Go for a traditional night out with tea and shisha at Khan Al Khalili © Peter Adams / Getty Images

Khan Al Khalili

For a local night out that could last until the wee hours, head to Khan Al Khalili, a centuries-old shopping area. Get lost amongst the souq’s lit-up alleyways and then eventually find yourself at Fishawi’s or around the corner from the Mosque of Sayyidna Al Hussein to one of the many multi-coloured stalls for basbousa (a semolina-based dessert), drizzled with extra sweet syrup, or pistachio mashed with whipped cream on top of kunafeh, a highly addictive dessert of shredded dough and cream cheese. A classic way to wrap up the night is with a cup of hot mint tea while playing a game or two of backgammon.

Make up your own night out on board a local felucca © Guenter Albers / Shutterstock

Get your own felucca down the Nile and plug in your playlist

If you want a more DIY night out, hire a felucca for an impromptu sail down the Nile. It will take a bit of preparation: you’ll need to buy a few bottles from Drinkies and make a playlist of your favourite tunes. Feluccas can be rented from locals across from KFC on Abu El Feda St in Zamalek by the hour, and the operator will do the driving while you take care of the rest. The open-top boats allow for the wind to breeze through and carry your revelry into the Cairo night.

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Uzbekistan’s gems have long been known to adventurous explorers. The Silk Road cities of Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva hold some of the world’s most exquisite Islamic architecture. Hectic bazaars, half-hidden desert citadels, silk workshops and the chance to glimpse the vanishing Aral Sea are all world-class draws, and the country is also a convenient launching pad for treks and travel within Central Asia.

The things that have put travellers off in the past – a complicated visa regime, deep-rooted Soviet-era controls and the country’s poor human rights situation – are starting to change, and change rapidly.

Uzbekistan’s new policies are making it easier to visit its stunning monuments, such as the Registan © Dinozzzaver / Shutterstock

As Uzbekistan opens its doors to travellers and the world, there has never been a better time to make that long-dreamed-of trip to the heart of Central Asia, before the rest of the world catches on.

Uzbekistan in context

With the death of Uzbekistan’s strongman president Islam Karimov in 2016, Uzbekistan has slowly but surely been coming in from the political (and tourism) deep freeze. Karimov’s reform-minded successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has instituted a number of important of changes. These have included reforms to its security services and securing a meeting with the US president in May 2018. A mood of hope and guarded optimism is tangible in Uzbekistan these days.

All is not perfect, of course. Human right violations continue, problems persist over alleged forced labour in the cotton industry and there remains no organised political opposition. But things are moving in the right direction. In the year following Mirziyoyev’s reforms, tourism numbers in Uzbekistan have jumped by 25%. As the country sheds its repressive past and mainstream travellers wake up to the architectural riches and Silk Road history of this fascinating country, tourist numbers are bound to keep increasing. This makes the time ripe to see the country now, while it’s still relatively crowd-free, yet easier to access.

Shop lit up at night in the atrium of Sher Dor medressa in Samarkand © Dinozzzaver / Shutterstock

Visas

Uzbekistan’s ambitious plan to institute visa-free travel – announced in 2017 – has been shelved until 2021, but the visa situation is still much easier than it was even a year or two ago. In 2018, Uzbekistan introduced 30-day visas that replaced the previous 15-day visa duration. Subsequently, visa-free travel was enacted for tourists from Israel, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey and Singapore.

The once onerous ‘Letters of Invitation’ are no longer required for citizens of more than 40 countries, including the US, Canada, EU nations, Australia, New Zealand, India and China. This means that getting a 30-day tourist visa is now a standard procedure, available in two or three days at embassies abroad. E-visas will come into effect from July 2018, starting with Indian citizens, with plans to roll this out to other nationalities.

Border Crossings

One significant development for travellers is that several of Uzbekistan’s long-closed border crossings with Tajikistan re-opened in 2018, including the once-popular Samarkand-to-Penjikent crossing. This means that visitors can once again use Samarkand as a launch pad for day trips to the Sogdian ruins at Ancient Penjikent, or for stunning multi-day treks in the nearby Fan Mountains, just a couple of hours away.

The opening of these border crossings also makes it much easier for completist travellers to make overland trips across all of Central Asia, where previously pricey flights and visa-processing issues would have caused hassle, delay and expense to a trip across the region.

Bukhara station: the high-speed train line linking Bukhara and Samarkand opened in 2016 © Julia Drugova / Shutterstock

New train links

Getting around Uzbekistan gets easier every year. High-speed trains now connect Tashkent to Bukhara and Samarkand (the latter section opened in 2016). The line will at the end of 2018 extend across the desert to ancient Khiva, offering a welcome alternative to the long drive across the Karakum Desert. Train routes also now avoid transiting through neighbouring Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, doing away with the need for visa checks. In 2017, the opening of a direct rail service between Tashkent and Andijon through the Kamchik Tunnel made getting to the Fergana Valley a lot easier, with fast and comfortable daily services.

In June 2017, a new train opened linking Uzbekistan with Astana in Kazakhstan, adding additional travel routes for visitors throughout the region, as well.

Flights

Direct air connections between Tashkent and Dushanbe (the capital of Tajikistan) re-commenced in 2017 for the first time in 25 years, marking a major thaw in relations between the two countries. In 2018, Turkish Airlines started twice-weekly direct flights between Samarkand and Istanbul, meaning you no longer have to route through Tashkent to get to Tamerlane’s gleaming historic capital.

Flights between Tashkent and Kabul also started in 2018 and direct flights to neighbouring Ashgabat are in the pipeline, reconnecting Uzbekistan with neighbouring Turkmenistan for the first time in over a decade. All across Central Asia, Silk Road threads are being retied, connecting ancient trade routes and opening up travel options across the region.

Along with scrapping the black market, due to inflation Uzbekistan introduced a 50,000 som banknote in 2017 to aid cash-carrying © Megan Eaves / Lonely Planet

Money

In 2017, Uzbekistan’s black market was abolished, literally overnight. No longer do travellers have to surreptitiously trade US$100 notes in badly-lit bazaars with shady groups of men in tracksuits. Now you can simply walk into a bank and receive the same exchange rate as the open market. With the bank and market rates equalised, it finally makes sense (for the first time in years) to use ATMs in Uzbekistan. Another travel headache soothed.

Communications

Communication apps like Skype, Viber and WhatsApp started working again in 2018, after being ‘unusable’ for three years. Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites also work fine here, which is nice for travellers who want to grab that Insta-perfect shot of the sunset glowing pink over the gleaming tiles of the Registan.

Welcoming people: performers demonstrate traditional Uzbek music and dance in the ancient city of Khiva, soon to be connected by high-speed rail © Christophe Cappelli / Shutterstock

Relaxed atmosphere

Equally tangible is the change of mood inside the country. No longer are Uzbek police and immigration officials to be avoided at all costs. Bribery has been cut down everywhere, from traffic cops to airport customs officials. A more relaxed vibe is being felt all across the country. You can even take photos of Tashkent’s stunning metro stations for the first time since their Soviet-era construction.

Though it’s important to acknowledge that Uzbekistan still lags behind some neighbouring countries, particularly regarding human rights, change for the better is definitely afoot. There is a sense of optimism that travellers will respond to Uzbekistan’s efforts to reform and open itself, and we hope that positive change can continue through Uzbekistan’s continued welcoming attitude to people of all walks of life.

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New Year’s Eve has been and gone and it doesn’t seem like there’s much to look forward to. Right?

Wrong. There are loads of destination-based activities that are perfect to explore at this time of year and they’re sure to help wash away those winter blues.

Wildlife watching in Antarctica

January and February are the perfect months to visit Antarctica. The continent is experiencing summertime, though don’t be fooled into thinking it will be warm – it won’t, Antarctica never is. But it is at least light.

January is the height of the austral summer, bringing warmer temperatures and up to 20 hours of sunlight every day, penguins are hatching eggs and chicks are feeding. In the late summer months of February and March, whale-watching is at its best, penguin chicks are beginning to fledge and adult penguins are ashore molting.

Soaking up the sun in Miami

The beginning of a new year is the height of the tourist season in Miami. Expect fair weather, crowds of visitors, higher prices than usual and a slew of special events including the Art Deco weekend. February is the last hurrah for northern US residents needing to escape the harsh winter. It brings arts festivals and street parties such as South Beach Wine and Food festival, as well as warm days and cool nights.

Adventure sports in Peru

Cuzco’s human history is Peru’s biggest tourism drawcard, but there’s more on offer. Locals and visitors alike are waking up to the adventure-sport possibilities of a region perched on the eastern edge of the Andes, where you can drop from breathtaking snowy altitudes to the suffocating heat of the Amazon jungle at dizzying speed. While Cuzco’s trekking opportunities are already well known, its biking and rafting routes are now gaining the recognition they deserve. There are extreme sportspeople who have been to Cuzco more than once and never visited Machu Picchu: they’re too busy biking, hiking, running rivers and climbing.

Partying in Taiwan

Shang Yuan, or Taiwan’s lantern festival, is well worth planning your trip around. In 2011 the event falls on 17 January to celebrate the last night of Chinese New Year and it’s full moon.

Celebrations begin with participants releasing lanterns into the night sky. In the capital Taipei, Shang Yuan-related activities include a 15-day festival in Wenxin Forest Park – where giant floats depicting the Chinese New Year animal and other effegies are lit up from within. (Read more about this in January’s Lonely Planet magazine.)

Safari in Namibia

With only a car window separating you from the surrounding white plains, a thermos of early-morning coffee and cameras ready, there are few places that can match the wildlife prospects of dawn in Etosha National Park. Just one day of wildlife watching at a single waterhole can produce literally thousands of sightings, which has justifiably earned Etosha the reputation as one of the best wildlife reserves in the world.

If you have the time to spare, don’t overlook northern Namibia’s other highlights, which run the gamut from lofty plateaus and art-laden caves to hulking meteorites and dinosaur footprints.

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Cowboys and miners, plus a few mountain men, were the first to eke out a living in Arizona after the Spanish. The Old West history remains current in Arizona, where cowboys still ride the range and old-timey saloons still serve the road-weary traveller. If you’re willing to brave a little dust and tumbleweeds, you can practice your lasso technique in the shadow of a towering saguaro, poke around old mining towns and drive dusty roads with a cinematic red-rock backdrop.

Wrangling at a Wickenburg dude ranch

Let’s be honest. You’re more likely to play golf, get massaged or sip cocktails than rope yourself a steer at a dude ranch (aka ‘guest ranch’). But many, like the Flying E Ranch, do focus on horseback riding, cookouts, line dancing and other cowboy/girl fun. When planning, be aware that many ranches in the desert lowlands close in summer. To plan your dude ranch adventure, see the website of the Arizona Dude Ranch Association (www.azdra.com).

Practicing your fast draw at the OK Corral, Tombstone

The famous shootout at the OK Corral took place in 1881, during which the brothers Earp and Doc Holliday gunned down three members of the Clanton cowboy gang. The fight lasted about half a minute, but its place in Western lore was enshrined forevermore. Fights are reenacted at 2pm (with an additional show at 3:30pm on busy days). Also check out the Boothill Graveyard for some twistedly poetic headstones.

Saloon-hopping on Whiskey Row, Prescott

Before a devastating fire in 1900, 40 drinking establishments supplied suds and entertainment to rough-hewn cowboys, miners and wastrels on Whiskey Row. The Prescott scene has calmed down since the 1800s, but there’s always a party to be joined within its scrappy saloons. The chamber of commerce prints its own ‘Prescott Pub Crawl’ handout, and there’s live music at clubs downtown every night of the week.

Driving through John Ford country, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Monument Valley is the iconic landscape of the American West. Become the star of your own Western on a 17-mile loop (on Hwy 163) past cinematic red rocks, sheer-walled mesas and grand buttes in Navajo Country. It’s a dusty, bumpy ride but well worth it.

Exploring abandoned Vulture Mine

Saguaros, cattle guards and a handful of cyclists mark the lonely drive from Wickenburg to the 147-year-old Vulture Mine. Town founder Henry Wickenburg discovered gold nuggets here in 1863. The mine itself spat out gold until 1942, but today it’s no more than an embalmed ghost town. A self-guided tour loops past the main shaft, the blacksmith shop and the Hanging Tree, where 18 miners were strung up for stealing chunks of ore filled with gold.

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If you’re ready to saddle up for more Arizona adventures, be sure to check out our new, fully-updated Arizona travel guide.