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Sinai

Dahab laid-back and cheap, and behind the coast the mountain, the monastery and the canyon.

The other Red Sea, the one you do without a resort: Dahab laid-back and cheap, Nuweiba and Taba further up the Gulf of Aqaba, Ras Sudr for the wind. But Sinai happens inland as much as on the water, and every place here comes with its own constraint: Mount Sinai is climbed in the dark and you sit out the last of the night at the top; the highest point in the country, Mount Catherine — a little over 2,600 metres — is not climbed without someone who knows the massif; St Catherine's monastery admits visitors in the mornings only; the Coloured Canyon takes a 4x4 and a guide. Two habits pay off everywhere: have it confirmed the day before that access is open, and never go into the desert alone or in a saloon car.

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Pyramids, temples, museums, mosques, Coptic churches

Monuments & sites

  • Saint Catherine's Monastery

    A sixth-century monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai, lived in without a break since Justinian.

    SinaiSinai

    € BudgetUNESCO

Feluccas, desert, diving, markets, cruises

Outings & activities

  • 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

  • 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

  • The Blue Lagoon

    A shallow lagoon at the end of a track, where the sea becomes a turquoise pool.

    SinaiNorth of Dahab, South Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view

  • Ras Shitan

    Palm huts at the water's edge, facing the Saudi mountains.

    SinaiNuweiba, South Sinai

    € BudgetSea view

  • Serabit el-Khadim

    Off the beaten track

    A temple of Hathor perched at 800 metres, at the end of a two-hour climb.

    SinaiSouth Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue

  • Ras Sudr

    A shallow lagoon and wind every day: the kitesurf spot closest to Cairo.

    SinaiRas Sudr, North Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view

Egyptian, street food, fine dining, brunch

Restaurants

  • Bamboo benches spread with striped mattresses and cushions, set right on the sand facing the sea.

    Dahab's seafront tables

    Eating with your feet in the sand, a metre from the reef, watching divers come back.

    SinaiAssalah, Dahab

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • Rugs on the ground, copper coffee pots and small cups

    The Bedouin tables of Saint Catherine

    Bread baked under the sand, wood-fire tea and mountain stew.

    SinaiSaint Catherine, South Sinai

    € BudgetWhere locals go

  • The tables of Nuweiba

    Grilled fish and Bedouin salads on mats, facing Arabia.

    SinaiNuweiba, South Sinai

    € BudgetSea view
  • Rows of grilled minced-meat fingers on the grill, in the smoke.

    The tables of Ras Sudr

    Fish and grills on the Gulf of Suez coast, two hours from Cairo.

    SinaiRas Sudr, Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view

Parks, gardens, beaches, reefs, walks

Nature & downtime

  • 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

  • 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

  • Mount Catherine

    Egypt's highest summit, in the same granite massif — a long day's walking, and no steps.

    SinaiSaint Catherine, Sinai

    €€€ High endBooking advised

  • Coloured Canyon

    Our favourite

    A sandstone corridor with yellow and purple walls, and passages you take sideways.

    SinaiNuweiba, Sinai

    €€€ High endBest 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

  • 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

  • The Blue Lagoon

    A shallow lagoon at the end of a track, where the sea becomes a turquoise pool.

    SinaiNorth of Dahab, South Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view

  • Ras Shitan

    Palm huts at the water's edge, facing the Saudi mountains.

    SinaiNuweiba, South Sinai

    € BudgetSea view

  • Serabit el-Khadim

    Off the beaten track

    A temple of Hathor perched at 800 metres, at the end of a two-hour climb.

    SinaiSouth Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue

  • Ras Sudr

    A shallow lagoon and wind every day: the kitesurf spot closest to Cairo.

    SinaiRas Sudr, North Sinai

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view

Specialty coffee, historic ahwas, rooftops

Cafés & tea houses

  • Cushions and low benches under hanging fabrics

    The cafés of Assalah

    Our favourite

    Cushions set at the water's edge, where a whole day passes without you noticing.

    SinaiAssalah, Dahab

    € BudgetSea view

Souks, fair-trade crafts, concept stores

Shopping

  • The bazaars of Masbat

    Bedouin jewellery, textiles and dive gear, along the promenade.

    SinaiMasbat, Dahab

    € BudgetHandmade

Bars, pubs, clubs, lounges — local rules flagged

Nightlife

  • A wood fire on the sand at night, hands held out to the flames.

    Assalah evenings

    Campfires, acoustic music and cushions by the water: night in Dahab.

    SinaiAssalah, Dahab

    € BudgetSea view