Natasha Amar

Your guide to the best time to visit Dubai that suits your travel style.
While news of its record-breaking summertime temperatures travels around the globe every year, Dubai truly has transformed into a year-round destination in recent years. Its many indoor attractions are just as enjoyable as going on a desert safari or chilling at a beach club. In fact, it’s easy to forget about the brutal heat when you’re shopping at local boutiques at a mall, exploring the homegrown coffee scene at cool ...

Nuanced and diverse, Dubai’s cultural scene offers rewarding explorations–if you know where to look.
Often mistakenly labeled as a city with no soul, perhaps by visitors who dare not venture beyond its swanky shopping malls, observation decks, and luxury hotels, Dubai’s robust culture scene is every bit as deliciously diverse, vibrant, and dynamic as you’d expect from a city home to nearly 200 nationalities.
Art galleries, immersive theaters, and creative spaces thrive among commercial and in...

Your guide to being culturally respectful in this diverse and cosmopolitan city.
Dubai’s vibrant culture, a city home to over 200 nationalities, is shaped by the beliefs, languages, traditions, customs, cuisines, festivals, social norms, and ways of life of its diverse population. Held together by the values of tolerance and mutual respect, its nuanced richness might not be at once obvious to the first-time visitor who might rightfully worry about navigating its unspoken rules. Use this etiqu...

Considered one of the most expensive cities, Dubai may not be an obvious budget destination for travelers but with these tips, it can be.
While Dubai certainly is one of the most expensive cities in the world, its wide range of experiences and accommodations means there’s plenty to do for all visitors, even those on a budget.
If you wish to explore Dubai on a low to mid-range budget, a little planning can go a long way to creating an itinerary that allows you to experience the best of the cit...

An interactive map about Dubai's attractions to visit in spring, by day and night.

Dubai’s love for diverse cultures shines brightest in its vibrant and endlessly interesting culinary landscape. From street food spots cherished by insiders and homegrown restaurants where the city’s chefs are crafting a new culinary narrative through bold, experimental concepts, to celebrity chef-helmed fine-dining establishments offering indulgent experiences in luxurious settings, here’s my insider guide to navigating the city’s remarkable dining scene.
Celebrity chefs
Dinner by Heston Blu...

A land of diverse languages, faiths, festivals and customs, India and its cultural tapestry beguile many visitors – and can challenge them, too.
Sights such as the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Ajanta and Ellora Caves in Maharashtra, and the Khajuraho Temples in Madhya Pradesh bring to life this country’s illustrious history. Celebrations like Holi, the festival of colors, and Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering, offer a chance to immerse yourself in millennia-old traditions and expe...

There’s something undeniably romantic about a long train journey. Far more than a means of transportation, these trips are a rare invitation to slow down and travel with intention around the world. From engineering marvels that wind through mountains and lush valleys to luxurious sojourns that offer a taste of the historical grandeur of iconic trains, these journeys celebrate the spirit of adventure.
While some of the following routes reveal breathtaking destinations often inaccessible by oth...

There’s something undeniably romantic about a long train journey. Far more than a means of transportation, these trips are a rare invitation to slow down and travel with intention around the world. From engineering marvels that wind through mountains and lush valleys to luxurious sojourns that offer a taste of the historical grandeur of iconic trains, these journeys celebrate the spirit of adventure.
While some of the following routes reveal breathtaking destinations often inaccessible by oth...

Coming to terms with unexplained infertility has not been an easy journey for Natasha Amar. But on a trip to Bhutan, time with a Tibetan Buddhist master allowed her to explore meditation, rituals and life’s deeper meanings, leading to a renewed perspective.
My right hand spins the golden prayer wheels outside the temple in a series of slow, intentional movements as I shift my shoulders slightly to adjust the weight on my back. Think hopeful thoughts, I remind myself with every step around the...

Dubai has mastered the art of having a good time every night of the week. Here, you can be mesmerized by flamenco dancers, let your hair down to samba at a fiesta, admire jaw-dropping aerial acts or sway to ’70s jazz, all while enjoying a sumptuous dinner at the city’s finest restaurants alongside views of the Burj Khalifa.
Whether you’re after an experience worthy of a birthday celebration or simply want to toast your holiday, here’s where to go for the most magnificent dinner shows in Dubai...

From 19th-century air con to a robot-made museum, Dubai’s buildings map its stylish rise. By Natasha Amar

Tucked away on the eastern part of the Great Himalayan Range between Tibet, an autonomous region of China and the Indian states of Sikkim, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, is the kingdom of Bhutan, known locally as Druk Yul, or ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’. Often referred to as the world’s ‘last Shangri-La’, Bhutan wears its deep-rooted cultural identity with pride while taking a careful, nuanced approach to embracing modernization. With a rich cultural heritage, spectacular landscapes, warm, kin...

While growing up in Dubai in the early 1990s, our family's culinary adventures were mostly limited to shawarma and falafel takeaways, dining at Indian and Pakistani restaurants, or American fast-food chains.
Today, as a travel writer living in Dubai, I’m completely in awe of its wildly exciting dining scene filled with innovative restaurants, avant-garde concepts and bold chefs keen to show off their creative genius in a city where original ideas are favored and quickly accepted over old-fash...