Set on the Red Sea at the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, the area called Sharm el-Sheikh has some of the globe’s best scuba diving places. With its crystal clear warm water, the underwater world is spectacular. It has thousands of species of fish including colourful reef fish, sharks, barracudas, Morays as well as huge walls of coral, caves and shelves. The SS Thistlegorm is nearby and considered the best wreck dive in the world, and there are many more.
For serious divers, there are dive safaris that take people far away from the crowds to the best diving areas for a really great dive. This costs about the same price as daily diving from the resorts. There are other water sports available such as para-sailing, wind surfing and kite-surfing, boating and canoeing. With the mild, sunny climate and excellent beaches, Sharm el Sheikh is a good place to visit in 2013 for an inexpensive beach holiday or quick getaway.
There are three protected natural areas including the Nabq Protected Area with some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the world. It contains sand dunes, wild animals and mangrove forests. Ras Mohammed Natural Protected Park where there is excellent diving and St. Katherine National Park are the two other protected areas.
Camel Trekking
The land side of this beach resort has miles of cleanly swept sand dunes and desert. Its austere beauty can be appreciated on the back of a camel. Visitors go to Coloured Canyon and the base of Mount Sinai. Along the way travellers see hidden valleys and oases. The camels are especially bred by the owners and offer the ride of a lifetime over the desert. After watching the spectacular sunset, a barbeque dinner is prepared and entertainment in the form of music and dancing is provided by the locals. At midnight, visitors watch the night sky in awe never believing there could be so many brilliant stars.
Sharm Old Town
Visitors take a taxi or bus to the Sharm Old Town, which is called Sharm El Maya, to see the old market. There are luxury hotels in the area, but the market has not been developed for tourists, and the vendors love to see tourists coming, so they can charge their highest prices. No problem, visitors just need to haggle away and expect to pay about half of the original price. If it seems like too much, they can just walk away. The vendors will most likely call them back. The experience offers an enchanting time in another era.
Saint Catherine’s Monastery
One of the two oldest working monasteries in the world, the original building dates from the sixth century and contains the remains of the martyr Catherine of Alexandria. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and well worth a visit for anyone staying in Sharm el-Sheikh. It is believed to be the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments and there is a living bush on the grounds that is purported to be the burning bush Moses saw. The monastery’s library also has the second largest collection of manuscripts and codices in the world after the Vatican Library.
Nightlife
The Na’ama Bay area is fully developed for tourism and, in 2013, offers excellent casinos, discos, and nightclubs. It has a promenade that runs the whole length of the seafront and is planted with flowering bushes. Along this walkway are restaurants, shops, boutiques, bars and nightclubs that keep the party going until early morning.
Conclusion
Sharm el Sheikh has plenty on offer for anyone visiting in 2013 on holiday, and there are lots of excellent deals around too! After a quick search for Sharm el Sheikh holidays, I found a range of excellent deals for 5 star hotels and flights included. If you get tired of lazing by the pool or relaxing on the beach, then there’s lots of diving, camel trekking, exploring and partying on offer!
