RED SEA
The Giza Pyramids have inspired travelers to come to Egypt for thousands of years. Each year millions of people visit Cairo, Luxor, and the Nile Valley to see the temples, tombs, and monuments left behind by the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. Visitors are also drawn to the stunning architecture and rich history of medieval Islamic Cairo and the legendary Greco-Roman legacy of Alexandria.
However, despite all of this history along the Nile Valley, the areas to the east along the Red Sea and in the Sinai Peninsula, have become a booming destination in their own right. This coastline has grown into a popular beach destination for tourists passing up the wonders of the Nile Valley for the calm blue waters of the Red Sea, white sand beaches, and coral reefs teaming with sea-life.
Coastal towns like Hurghada, Marsa Alam, and Ain Sukhna have grown into thriving resorts that offer the beautiful beaches and nearly year-round warm temperatures. Off the coast, several coral islands attract scuba divers and snorkelers and the Eastern Desert visitors can now enjoy this imposing landscape on camping trips and quad bike tours.
The Sinai Peninsula also offers access to the crystal waters of the Red Sea as well as the historic expanses of the peninsula’s interior. Sharm El Sheikh is a thriving resort town with beautiful beaches, thriving nightlife, and protected natural areas nearby that offer beautiful coral and sea life.
Further north in Dahab and Nuweiba the atmosphere is more relaxed, but the beauty of the Red Sea is just as accessible. From both places, it is easy to access the interior of Sinai, where the Bedouin who have controlled these mountains for thousands of years show visitors the secrets of the desert as well as Sinai’s history including Mount Sinai and the monastery of St. Katherine.
After visiting the Giza Pyramids and Islamic Cairo and traveling south to take in the ancient monuments at Luxor and along the Nile Valley, there is still much to do in Egypt. In the west, the striking beauty and unparallel calm of the Sahara Desert offer the opportunity to experience the rich hospitality and unique culture of the Bedouin, who have called it home for millennia, but east Egypt’s long coastlines along the Red Sea and the Sinai Peninsula also have much to offer travelers.
DAHAB:
a coastal village in the middle of the eastern shore of Sinai, is now a booming diving community. It offers a range of accommodations from hostels for budget travelers to luxurious full-service resorts. All of this is located right on the water, tucked between the purple mountains of Sinai’s interior and the crystal waters of the Gulf of Aqaba with the shadowy mountains of Saudi Arabia visible across the water in the distance.
In the central part of Dahab, there is a well-established strip of restaurants and hotels the allow travelers to lounge by the water while enjoying the full restaurant service. Further north the vibe is more relaxed and less developed and a few miles out of town in either direction are resorts offering more exclusive privacy. All of these places organize trips to the many impressive diving and snorkeling locations nearby.
Through any of the hotels or countless tourism shops, it is easy to organized diving trips or safari trips into Sinai’s interior. Quad bike excursions, camel rides, and day trips to St. Katherine and Mount Sinai deep in the middle of the peninsula are all popular.
About 60 kilometers north of Dahab is the town of Nuweiba, which is even more low-key. Most of the accommodations here consist of simple huts on the beach with a restaurant nearby. They provide the ultimate in relaxation and also the easiest access to excursions to Sinai’s interior.
SHARM EL SHEIKH:
Located at the southern point of the Sinai Peninsula, Sharm El Sheik and Naama Bay in the neighboring bay are the premier beach spots in Egypt. They both have developed from nothing thirty years ago into booming beachfront hotspots that offer year-round sun and booming nightlife.
Organized on a single main road between the water and mountains behind, these resort areas offer countless accommodation options, cafes, restaurants, and bars.
They are also near some incredible diving locations and every hotel organizes diving and snorkeling trips. European tourists flock here year-round, especially in the fall, winter, and early spring before the summer heat gets too intense. Just a few miles away from Ras Mohammed National Marine Park, a marine nature preserve that offers some of the most diverse and plentiful sea-life available to divers the world over.
HURGHADA:
Hurghada city is far from Cairo by 6 hours driving and from Luxor by 4.5 hours driving. It is the biggest city on the red sea. Hurghada airport make it easy to travel to the city from worldwide and from Egyptian cites, there are many ways for travel from/to Hurghada from other cites in Egypt by flight with Egypt Air, ferry boat that sails between Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh or the transportation companies in Hurghada that leave to Cairo, Luxor, Marsa Alam, Alexandria etc which make the city easy to reach from anywhere.
The Hurghada city is divided into three partitions, El Dahar area is the old area in Hurghada and it has the old market and Bazaars in Hurghada, the biggest Masjid in Hurghada and church. The second area called El Sakala and this one consist of many Bazaars, Cafes, discus, Hurghada Marina, Hurghada port which ferry boats leave to Sharm El Sheikh and Saudi Arabia. The newest area is the Touristic Road that takes place in front of the hotels, there are many Bazaars, cafes, and discus along the road.
RED SEA MAP
POINTS OF INTEREST :
- Dahab
- Sharm El Sheikh
- Sinai
- Hurghada