• See
• Buy
• Drink
• Get out

Sharm el-Sheikh (شرم الشيخ, also transliterated as Sharm ash Shaykh and popularly known simply as "Sharm") is a well-known port and resort town at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, popular with package holiday makers and divers.

[edit] Understand

Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Arab world. But there are also some very good reasons to visit it if you are not the common tourist, who likes to lay on the beach all day. It is one of the finest diving spots in the world and a trip into the desert is an unforgettable adventure.

The Sinai Peninsula is a remote desert mountain range. The rocky mountains are parted from the deep-blue sea by a flat desert strip. This combination of desert and sea is an incredible sight and makes you believe you are on a different planet.

About 40 years ago, Sharm el-Sheikh was nothing but a small fishing village with about 100 citizens. When Sinai was occupied by Israel Sharm el-Sheikh started to develop as a tourist destination (like the rest of the peninsula). Israelis evacuated Sinai following the signing of a peace agreement between the two countries. Since the 1980's the Egyptians have been continuing the development of Sharm where the Israelis left, but in a much slower pace. Sharem's 100 grew into a bustling 10,000 population. There is now a nice promenade, a Hard Rock Cafe, one of the most modern hospitals in Egypt and so on.

[edit] Orientation

Na'ama Bay part of the city is the center of nightlife and dining: most of Sharm's clubs, cafes, restaurants and shops are here.

[edit] Get in

See Sinai for information on the Sinai visit pass, which allows visa-free travel for up to 14 days.

[edit] By plane

Sharm el-Sheikh Airport (Template:IATA) (Template:ICAO) is the largest in the Sinai and receives planeloads of charter tourists daily in the winter high season. The only airline for local flights is EgyptAir. Your travel agent may have trouble booking flights with them but they can also be booked via Expedia or Travelocity.

For departures: timetable shows only nearest 1-2 hours, makes you watch over the row of check-in desks for your flight number.

[edit] Airport cafes

Cafes after security check are: Sbarro (overcrowded), Cafe Europa' (on the back of the lounge, less crowded): sandwiches, coffee, Egyptian sweets; outlet of Caffè Ritazza international chain coming soon (also in Athens, Budapest, Madrid, Milan, London, Paris, New York, Stockholm, Zurich, Vienna).

[edit] Shops in the airport

After security check: Patisserie offers lucums, khalva and other Egyptian sweets.

[edit] By boat

International Fast Ferries [1] runs fast boats to Hurghada on the mainland Red Sea Coast, currently running four times weekly. The ride takes 1.5 hours and costs 250/450 LE one-way/return for foreigners. Warning: this ride is notoriously bumpy and prone to cancellations.

[edit] By car / By bus

Sharm el-Sheikh can be reached by driving down the eastern coast from Eilat (Israel) via Nuweiba and Dahab, or via the western coast from Cairo. There are daily buses for both routes. It is 6 hours' drive from Cairo. The drive is interesting with beautiful scenaries, throughout the route.

[edit] Get around

[edit] By Taxi

In Sharm, most taxis are old Peugeots from 1980s, comfortably fitting 7 passengers (they have two rows of passenger seats behind a driver). Now, this has been changed and all Taxis are modern model either Hyundai or Chevrolet..

[edit] By Bus

There is a bus station in Sharm which will take you to other cities at a cheap price. A taxi driver will be able to tell you where it is.

[edit] See

• Excursions to St Catherines Monastery, Mount Sinai, Petra, Cairo, Luxor and Jerusalem are available from Sharm, as well as desert safaris by jeep or quad bike and numerous watersports and diving activities.[2]

A visit to the desert is highly recommended. Various trips to the Bedouins, the beautiful Coloured Canyon and beyond to Mount Sinai. The more adventurous should try to find a private guide, who takes them for a few days into the mountain desert with a camel. You will walk through hidden valleys, rest at secret oasis and during the night you sleep under a breathtaking firmament.

An unusual sight and a bit exotic for a westerner are huge fans pumping fresh air to street cafes and terraces near hotels.

[edit] Do

[edit] Diving

The Strait of Tiran and Tiran Island [in the distance] seen from Na'ama Bay north of Sharm el-Sheikh [Photo: Rolf Palmberg]

Diving is the main activity in Sharm el-Sheikh. When you dive into the warm water of the Red Sea and leave the remote desert behind, you will enter a world full of life and colours.

• The reefs of Tiran and Ras Mohammed are known as two of the best diving-spots in the world. They can be reached by boat from Sharm within two hours. Ras Mohammed is the name of the southern most point of the Sinai peninsula. There, the current of the Gulf of Aqaba meets the Gulf of Suez. Due to the increase of plankton in the water the amount of fish is incredible. Huge schools of Barracudas, Sharks and Murrays can be seen there every day.

The disadvantage of its popularity is that you may find up to 20 boats at the same reef. If you take a daily-boat you may enjoy your dive in the company of fifty other divers.

• Smarter divers book a diving safari. This way you avoid the crowds at the popular spots and have the possibility to dive beautiful reefs way beyond the reach of any daytripping boats. The overall costs of a diving safari does not exceed daily diving and it saves you a lot of stress.

Reputable operators include:

• Camel Dive Club. [3]

• Emperor Divers. [4]
• Enigma Charters. [5]
• Oonas Dive Center. [6]
• RedSea Diving College. [7]
• Diving Ocean. [8]

[edit] Horseback riding

[edit] Quad bikes

There are dozens of operators who seem to use just the same route, length and sequence of stops: when you drive, you meet many groups who follow just the same route as yours. There are several really shaky pieces of the route, very much like a washboard.

Wear a long-sleeved shirt; shoes are safer than sandals. Expect all your wear (and skin) to be covered with grey dust.

2 hours of riding is just enough for a non-professional rider; expect several stops along the way. It's ideal to start your ride at 4pm or later--to catch a sunset and ride back when air is not that hot.

At departure point, choose a bike in the beginning of the motorcade: being one of the first allows to drive faster, and results in less dust.

[edit] Para sailing

Para sailing is very enjoyable. But, for a less than 5 mts ride, they charge 260 pounds for 2 persons and 220 pounds for one person.

[edit] Camel trekking

The best place to do this is in the Sinai desert on a tour with the Sinai's on their own bred camels. After this you can look up at the desert stars at midnight after having a homemade meal cooked by the Sinai's themselves.

[edit] Buy

• <buy name="Sharm Tickets" alt="Buy your party and excursions tickets in Sharm" address="Marine Club Buildings, Hadaba, Sharm El Sheikh" directions="" phone="0103451290" url="http://sharmtickets.com" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">Get your party, aquaparks, go karting, and excursions tickets -- simply call or visit our website and have your tickets delivered to your hotel</buy>

[edit] Eat

Guava fresh juice is a must-try, excellent in any cafe.

Alcohol (including beer) is available in restaurants and street cafes.

[edit] Mid-range

• IL Mercato, [9]. A very nice place with more than 200 restaurants and coffee shops

[edit] Drink

• <drink name="Black House" alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" hours="" price="" url="">Second famous venue after Pacha club. Presumably owned by Russians.</drink>

• <drink name="Ministry of Sound Red Sea" address="Pacha/Sanafir hotel" phone="+31624930603" fax="" hours="23-03.45" price="" url=""></drink>

• <drink name="Pacha club" address="Sanafir hotel, Naama Bay" phone="+20(69)360-0197-8" fax="" url="http://www.pachasharm.com/">One of the most famous dancing clubs.</drink>

• IL Mercato : a very nice place with more than 200 restaurants and coffee shops www.ilmercatosharm.com

[edit] Sleep

Some hotels are in Naama Bay itself. Frequently, their hotel area is crossed by a pedestrian street, so the beach may appear across the street from the hotel building--obviously that can affects isolation even when using a hotel's pool.

Others are quite far from Naama Bay, so you either are tied to their all-included ration, or need to pay for taxi for every dinner in Naama (although taxi is inexpensive from most of hotels).

[edit] Mid-range

Restaurants: Horizon Bar overlooking the sea; terraces next to the pool both serve dishes from the main restaurant where the breakfast is served. Caesar salad is fine; lentil soup is not spicy and pretty good (if you like lentil soup). Pizzas are quite rubbery. Cucumber soup cold and strange. There's also an Indian restaurant, not reviewed by wikitravellers yet.

Breakfast: 6:30AM-10:30AM; buffet is not refilled after 10AM. Good choice of traditional breakfast meals; custom-made omlettes and fried eggs; coffee is American only; cocoa is made of instant. Whole fruits are not served, but all components for fruit salad are.

[edit] Splurge

The only Five Stars Plus resorts are:

• Grand Rotana Resort & Spa, [10]. About ten minutes from the airport.

[edit] Get out

• Mount Sinai — a holy mountain known for the ancient Monastery of St. Catherine.