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The third leg of Simon Reeve's journey around the Tropic of Cancer takes him from the waters of the River Nile to the edge of the Indian Ocean in Oman.

At the spectacular ancient ruins of Abu Simbel he meets Nubians struggling to maintain their culture following their displacement by the damning of the Nile and the formation of the vast Lake Nasser in the Sixties.

On the edge of the desert he meets a Bedouin leader called Ali the Lion, who explains how his people are being forced from their traditional nomadic lifestyle by a seven-year drought that scientists believe is caused by global climate change, one of the greatest challenges facing the Tropics.

Reaching Egypt's remote southern coast Simon dives in the pristine coral reefs of the Red Sea before crossing the water to Saudi Arabia.

Despite the kingdom's strict religious culture, Simon finds a more surprising side of Saudi life, as he meets young men from the Jeddah Boyz car gang who love to pimp their rides, modifying and personalising their expensive cars.

At the Jeddah Raceway Simon tries a few tricks in a borrowed Porsche 911, and learns that the authorities are keen for disaffected young Saudi men to let off steam by playing with cars rather than joining militant groups.

Simon then heads to the capital Riyadh with his female guide to discuss high heels, underwear and women's emancipation in a flash shopping mall.

Further east across the desert Simon discovers stalled building projects in Dubai, the surreal and spectacular mega city in the sand. But, as well as absorbing the glamour, he meets some of the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from India and Bangladesh who travelled to Dubai in search of work, and hears their horrifying stories of hardship and exploitation.

Crossing the border Simon arrives in his last stop: Oman – which could not be more different from its brash neighbour. In the ancient city of Niswa goats are still traded in the livestock market and, amid temperatures of 40C, Simon takes a dip in ice-cold mountain pools.

The government of Oman is keen to protect and promote its wildlife and, at the most easterly point in the Arabian peninsular, Simon finds rare giant green turtles laying eggs on a beach and watches baby turtles hatching and heading into the surf on their own epic journey.