United Arab Emirates

We lived in the UAE. Most visitors see the Dubai skyline and a desert safari with dinner, then fly home. What we remember is different: nights camping in the dunes at Liwa, where the Empty Quarter begins, a farm near Al Ain growing vegetables in the desert, the mangroves on the edge of Abu Dhabi.

If you only have a few days, start with Abu Dhabi. Keep Sir Bani Yas for when you have more time. It's an island off the western coast where giraffes and cheetahs live in a wildlife park, and the water looks like a screensaver.