• Blue Hole

    Unmissable

    A coral shaft around a hundred metres deep, reachable from the beach in fins.

    SinaiDahab, South Sinai

    4.8Ratingour own rating€€ Mid-rangeDiving / snorkelling
  • The Nile at Aswan

    Gharb Soheil Nubian village

    Off the beaten track

    Indigo houses, a dune behind them, and a culture that is nothing like Egyptian.

    AswanGharb Soheil, west bank

    4.5Ratingour own rating€€ Mid-rangeNile view
  • Wadi Degla Protectorate

    A dry limestone canyon on the edge of Maadi: an old sea floor, now a protected area.

    CairoMaadi

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning
  • Mount Sinai

    Two ways up: the camel path, long and gentle, or the staircase the monks cut in the rock.

    SinaiSaint Catherine, Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue
  • Nabq Protected Area

    A protected area between Sharm and Dahab, where the mangroves stand with their roots in the sea.

    Sharm el-SheikhSharm el-Sheikh, Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning
  • Fjord Bay

    A deep bay closed in by mountains, south of Taba. The word fjord is a stretch.

    SinaiTaba, Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • Giftun Islands

    Two islands of sand and coral off Hurghada, reached by boat, for the day.

    HurghadaHurghada

    €€ Mid-rangePaid entry
  • Hamata and its islands

    A fishing harbour south of Marsa Alam: mangrove on the shore, islands a few kilometres out.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaHamata, Marsa Alam

    €€ Mid-rangeDiving / snorkelling
  • Ain Sokhna

    The Gulf of Suez, about two hours from Cairo: freighters on the horizon and a day by the sea.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaAin Sokhna

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • Wadi El Rayan

    A desert depression filled with the Fayoum's drainage water: two lakes and dunes.

    FayoumWadi El Rayan

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • Whale Valley

    Unmissable

    Skeletons of whales with legs, left in the sand exactly where they were uncovered.

    FayoumWadi El Hitan

    €€ Mid-rangeUNESCO
  • Sannur Cave

    Off the beaten track

    An alabaster cave at the end of a quarry track, opened by a quarry blast.

    FayoumBeni Suef

    €€ Mid-rangeBooking advised
  • Bahariya Oasis

    An oasis that Cairo coaches reach in a day: palm groves, hot springs, black-capped hills to the south.

    The oases and the Western DesertBahariya, Western Desert

    €€ Mid-rangeSunset
  • Dakhla Oasis

    Palm groves under a pink escarpment, and a mud-brick quarter called al-Qasr.

    The oases and the Western DesertDakhla, New Valley

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning
  • Farafra Oasis

    A small town, a palm grove, hot springs, and the road north into the White Desert.

    The oases and the Western DesertFarafra, New Valley

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • Siwa Oasis

    Our favourite

    A desert depression with salt lakes, a palm grove, and a mud-brick fortress in the middle.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    €€ Mid-rangeSunset
  • Lake Burullus

    Off the beaten track

    A fishermen's lagoon between the Delta and the sea, with next to nothing laid on for visitors.

    The Delta and the north coastKafr el-Sheikh

    €€ Mid-rangeSunset
  • El Nabatat Island

    Our favourite

    A whole island turned into a botanical garden, a few minutes by boat from the corniche.

    AswanNile, Aswan

    €€ Mid-rangeNile view
  • Kharga Oasis

    An oasis of offices and fields, strung with temples and forts along an old caravan road.

    The oases and the Western DesertKharga

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue
  • Orange Bay — Giftun Island

    Unmissable

    The turquoise water over white sand that earned the place its nickname: the Egyptian Maldives.

    HurghadaGiftun Island, off Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • A parrotfish over a dense coral reef in clear blue water.

    Eden Island

    An island beach where the reef starts a few metres out — the snorkelling is better than the setting.

    HurghadaOff Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • Buggy Desert Safari

    Quad bikes in the desert, a stop in a Bedouin village, mint tea and sunset.

    HurghadaDesert west of Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • The camel waits, saddled, between two legs of the ride.

    Safari Sahara Hurghada

    The full desert day: quad, buggy, 4×4 and camel, from morning to sunset.

    HurghadaDesert west of Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • Ras Abu Galum

    Off the beaten track

    A reserve reached by camel, where the mountain drops straight into the reef.

    SinaiBetween Dahab and Nuweiba, South Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeDiving / snorkelling