Nils Lindhorst
Travel Designer
I am Nils Lindhorst, Senior Travel Designer at Take Memories. Since the beginning of 2023, I have been planning trips to the Orient – from Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates, through Jordan to Egypt and Morocco. It all began about twenty years ago with my first trip to Morocco, and since then, the region has never let me go. For Oman, our main destination, I even lived there temporarily and traveled to other countries from there.
It is this Thousand and One Nights feeling that has attracted me magically since my childhood – the hospitality of the people, the vastness of the deserts, and a cuisine that I fall in love with over and over again.
On my bucket list
Lebanon
At the top for me is Lebanon. I am fascinated by this dense history in a small space – traces of Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans, along with Byblos as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and Beirut with its mix of art scene, coffee culture, and nightlife. One of my closest friends was Lebanese, and even as a teenager, I almost traveled there with his family – that didn't happen back then, but the longing has remained.
My next trip
Oman: Rub al-Chali & Hawf
Next, I'm going to Oman, where I will meet our local partners and check out new hotels. What I am particularly looking forward to is our Oman expedition to the Rub al-Chali, the largest sand desert in the world – a real adventure where you are in charge. And I want to follow in the footsteps of our founder Philip Eichkorn and travel from Salalah across the border to Hawf, one of the few guided day trips we offer to the Yemeni border town.
About Nils – How the Orient conquered my heart
It all started with the tales from One Thousand and One Nights. As a child, I went to travel agencies and had catalogs for the most remote regions handed to me – Africa, Latin America, Asia, and again and again the Orient. I flipped through them and dreamed, and something about this region captured me even back then.
In my youth, football was added to the mix. I had friends from Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, and through them, dreams became something tangible. Then, twenty years ago, my first trip to Morocco – and the spark that still burns today. Through Jordan and Egypt, I eventually made it to the Arabian Peninsula, the Emirates, and Oman.
What continues to excite me are mainly the encounters. The warmth with which one is welcomed, often by people who have just met you. Along with the landscapes – the endless dunes of the Rub al-Chali, the mountainous region of Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams, the High Atlas in Morocco, the coastlines. And the cuisine. Eating is inseparably linked to traveling for me, and whether Egyptian, Moroccan, Omani or Saudi – I have experienced the most beautiful moments of this region at the shared table.
Places that particularly excite me:
Egypt – History and a table full of strangers who became friends
The pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the City of the Dead of Saqqara – this millennia-old foundation still impresses me today. But the moment that has stayed with me the strongest took place in a small restaurant in the center of Cairo that specializes entirely in Koshari, the Egyptian national dish. We were eating with our guide when an Egyptian family at the neighboring table struck up a conversation with us. We pushed the tables together and ate together, talking about God and the world, and they repeatedly expressed how happy they were that we were visiting their country. This connection of ancient history and such a spontaneous, genuine encounter – that is Egypt for me.
Saudi Arabia – a night in the Hisma Desert
The Hisma Desert is reached from Tabuk, and many only go in for a day. We stayed overnight there with our Saudi guide. We spent a whole day driving through this barely explored rocky landscape in an off-road vehicle, without encountering a soul. In the evening, our guide made a campfire and cooked Kabsa, a traditional Saudi rice dish with chicken, which we ate together with our hands under a starry sky that is rarely seen. The next morning, we noticed a small camel farm a few hundred meters away. We walked over, met the camel herders – men from Sudan – and were spontaneously invited for breakfast. Sitting on the ground, in the midst of this vastness, we ate together. This mix of isolated landscape and unplanned encounter made the place particularly special for me.
Morocco – Marrakech with all senses
Marrakech is a city where one can get lost – in the far-flung souks, at the Djemaa el-Fna with its street performers, storytellers, and the constant ebb and flow of sounds, smells, and people. What has stuck with me the most is a street food tour with a local guide. We began a bit outside the old town and sampled Moroccan cuisine: traditional sweets, tea, and for the first time in my life, fresh avocado juice. The centerpiece was a Tangia, the Marrakech specialty – lamb with preserved lemons, slowly cooked in a tall clay pot for hours. We visited places where tourists hardly ever go, and talked with our guide not just about God and the world, but about dishes, spices, and flavors. As an amateur cook, this was a small celebration for me.
Oman – Shuwa in Misfat al Abriyeen
The journey there was already an adventure: an adrenaline-fueled off-road trail through the mountains, which I recommend to anyone who considers themselves a safe and daring driver and for whom a little thrill is part of traveling. At the end, we were greeted by Misfat al Abriyeen, an ancient mud village at the foot of Jebel Shams. A cook from the village was already waiting for us, and together we prepared Shuwa, a dish that is special for occasions in Oman. The lamb is rubbed with spices and oil, wrapped in palm and banana leaves, wrapped in burlap, and slowly cooked overnight in a sealed pit until it almost falls off the bone by itself. I even got to help out. The next day, we sat together and ate what we had prepared the day before. Knowing that I was involved in this slow, traditional preparation made this meal unforgettable for me.