4 best day trips from Sharm El Sheikh

Day trips compared

The day trips

95 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by car

1.Dahab

A laid-back former Bedouin village on the Gulf of Aqaba with a seafront promenade of cafés and dive schools. Its Blue Hole and Canyon are among the Red Sea's best-known dive and snorkel sites, and the town is popular for windsurfing and kitesurfing.

Getting there

Taxi, organised tour or bus

Best for

Solo travellers, Budget, Quiet stays

220 km · About 3 hours by car

2.Mount Sinai and St Catherine's Monastery

Tours leave late in the evening for a night climb of Mount Sinai (about 2,285 metres) by camel path and the 'Steps of Repentance' to watch sunrise from the summit, then visit St Catherine's Monastery, one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the world, at the foot of the mountain.

Getting there

Organised overnight tour

Best for

Culture, First-timers

150 km · About 2.5 hours by car

3.Coloured Canyon

A narrow sandstone canyon near Nuweiba whose walls are streaked in red, yellow and purple, walked on a short hike of about an hour. It is usually combined with a Bedouin lunch and sometimes with Dahab.

Getting there

Organised jeep tour

Best for

Families, First-timers

110 km · About 2 hours by car and boat or camel

4.Ras Abu Galum

A protected area north of Dahab reachable only on foot, by camel or by boat, with remote Bedouin camps, sandy coves and excellent snorkelling on reefs few people visit.

Getting there

Organised tour from Dahab

Best for

Quiet stays, Couples

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Shared microbuses run along the main road between Nabq, Sharks Bay, Naama Bay and the Old Market; they are very cheap but informal, with no fixed stops.
• For trips over about 285 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask