NATURE RESERVE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

High rise hotels, man-made islands and glittering shopping malls are the popular images of Middle East resorts.

So a whole series of islands off the coast of Abu Dabhi devoted to a nature reserve will therefore come as a bit of a surprise to many.

The Desert Islands development was the inspiration of  the late Sheikh Sayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, launched just two ago, and already providing a haven for a wide variety of animals, birds and plants.

And on one of the islands, allowing easy access to view this sanctuary, is the Anantara hotel, a short flight or drive away from Abu Dabhi airport but a world away from the urban sprawl.

From here, visitors can take a specially designed zero-emission bus to tour the islands, and see the wildlife. There are Arabian oryx with spectacular horns, hyenas, gazelles, cheetahs, many birds. An Arabian Wildlife Park is in the process of re-wilding some caracal lynxes. A special area for giraffes has a viewing platform made from recycled materials . Everything is aimed at being as environmentally sound and natural as possible.

It provides a completely different experience to that which is usually associated with the region, both on the islands and in the surrounding waters, and is already attracting growing numbers of environmentally conscious visitors. So far, not many have come from the UK but additional, carefully planned hotels are in the pipeline that will undoubtedly start to attract British nature lovers. For further details go to www.desertislands.com

Top, a cheetah and her cubs; above, the Arabian-style Anantara hotel; above, not-to-be-stroked caracal lynx kitten.

ALL ABOARD THE ENVIRONMENTAL WAGON

"It's the environment, stupid" might well be the catchphrase for tourism, as everyone tries to promote their environental credentials (see above).

And this has seen a major rise in the variety of train and ship holidays on offer for next year at this season's major travel trade fairs, with train trips now going for the long haul as well as the short, and ships steering their image to a much wider audience than the senior-citizens of old.

Rail Australia is offering great journeys across the continent by first class rail; Canada has its luxury Rocky Mountaineer train; the Blue Train is South Africa's answer. In Europe, the network is expanding as fast trains cover the lines, with lots of new passes to make booking easier. Go to www.raileurope.com for more information.

Russia is aiming to attract more British visitors with river cruises that will open up the country (www.vodohod.com/eng). The lure of the South Seas is embraced by small ship cruises around the Yasawa Islands of Fiji (www.ewaterways.com). And a new ship going along the Douro river in Portugal takes port lovers close to source (www.titanhitours.co.uk/rivercruises).