These destinations are the ultimate in medical vacations – consider getting a cosmetic procedure and then going on a wildlife safari afterwards…

These destinations are the ultimate in medical vacations – consider getting a cosmetic procedure and then going on a wildlife safari afterwards in South Africa. Or heading to Dubai for healthcare in one of the most luxury vacation places there is.

  1. Surgeon and Safari, South Africa

    Order dental, ophthalmic, orthopedic, infertility treatment, hair transplants and cosmetic procedures in South Africa as packages that include accommodation, flights and even adventurous safari packages. Or you could recuperate in a luxury hotel in Cape Town or Johannesburg. This is a very popular option for a quick nip/tuck before seeing the animals and some clever people have nicknamed it the beauty and beast option!

  2. Egypt

    If you’re planning any surgical operations here you’ll probably want to do the sightseeing first as the cultural sites here are often crowded and the weather hot. Or you could elect to go to any of the comfortable, quiet and luxurious stays at Egypt’s Red Sea resorts. Medical and health treatments and color or chromatherapy are common here and the low cost makes it feasible to rent a luxury villa in the year round warm climate.

  3. Dubai

    The Dubai Healthcare City will open in 2010 and be the largest international medical center between Europe and Southeast Asia. It is slated to include a branch of the Harvard Medical School and will turn this luxury vacation paradise into a prestigious foreign clinic as well. Stay tuned.

  4. Israel

    Israel’s modern facilities and leading physicians have become popular particularly with close European nations such as Bulgaria and Cyprus where certain procedures aren’t available. American travelers are also common visitors. Israeli medical facilities cater to both Jewish patients and people from some nearby countries and specialize in both male and female infertility, in-vitro fertilization and high-risk pregnancies.

  5. Malta

    Malta is attracting an increasing number of medical visitors thanks to a strong medical heritage, high quality healthcare modeled on the British system and an English speaking population. Malta is part of the European Union and British Commonwealth and a number of private hospitals within Malta have developing medical tourism, especially for UK residents.

  6. Turkey

    Come to Turkey for IVF treatment, plastic surgery or even therapeutic spas. Costs here are significantly lower than Europe or the United States and if you just want a relaxing vacation you could engage in geothermal resources. Kusadasi is the place to go for the limestone pools of Pamukkale. There gorgeous thermal spring waters line a cliffside terrace above the town. They have been used for therapeutic purposes since Roman times and were extensively used for bathing until recently. But the human sweat, body oil, soap and shampoo damaged the natural pools and they are now closed. You can wade through the main track to get through to the top but as many nearby hotels have thermal pools fed by the springs, strip off in those for some relaxation.

  7. Dead Sea, Israel

    This is a do-it-yourself vacation. Check yourself into a resort or hotel on the Dead Sea and enjoy the remarkable health-giving properties of the waters. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth (more than 400m below sea level) and its waters are ten times saltier than the ocean. There are mud and thermo-mineral springs and the climate and filtered sunlight make it a natural spa second to none. Come to rejuvenate, recover and relax or to seek cures for skin disease, arthritis, rheumatism and respiratory problems.

  8. Moroccan Hammam

    Pack your bath lotions and strip off for the ultimate in scrubbing and pummeling. You’ll never have felt cleaner by the time you get out of these public baths. It’s a real social occasion too with families and groups meeting to chat and talk.

  9. Jordan

    The Kingdom of Jordan has plans to become the health vacation destination of the Middle East. Growth has already doubled for elderly visitors, particularly from the Sudan, Iraq, Libya and the Gulf States who come here for heart and neurological surgeries, kidney replacements, orthopedic and orthodontic operations and medical follow-ups.

  10. Bath houses, Tunisia

    Like Morocco, hammams or bathhouses are an important part of the culture. They are segregated and you pay your three dinars for a complete scrub down performed by a large Tunisian man or woman who will thwart any efforts at modesty. The dead skin is then washed off by soap and buckets of water.