Taba (Egypt)
Taba is located on the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba in the south of the Sinai Peninsula on the border with Israel. The city occupies an area of only 1 sq. km. Until 1989, Taba was an Israeli enclave. Now it belongs to Egypt again, the borders are open here, when you pay the tax, you can easily get to Israel. This is a quiet place with hotels on the coast and sandy beaches that are surrounded by mountain ranges. Holidays here are more suitable for families. In the coastal waters near the coral reefs you can go diving. Underwater visibility in these places reaches 30 m. When diving, you can see turtles, rays, moray eels and colorful fish. The most popular dive sites among divers are Canyon with a maximum dive mark of 40 m, Picasso reef 200 m from the shore, where huge coral towers grow from the bottom, and one of the most beautiful reefs of the Egyptian coast, Ben Coral, which is home to almost all the coral fish of the Red Sea. In addition, from Taba you can go diving in Israeli Eilat.
According to PROGRAMINGPLEASE, 8 km south of Taba, 250 m from the coast, there is a small rocky Pharaoh Island or Coral Island. Here on the rock are the ruins of an ancient fortress, which was built in 1115 to protect the pilgrims traveling from Jerusalem to the monastery of St. Catherine. Now only the tower of the fortress, which houses the museum, has been completely preserved. The island can be reached by boat. Also coastal waters are good for diving.
Marsa Alam (Egypt)
The town of Marsa Alam is located on the coast of the Red Sea, 300 km south of Hurghada. This is a young but very promising resort. The main attraction of Marsa Alam is the pristine coral coast of the Red Sea. Here, crystal clear water, the richest underwater flora and fauna, which attract divers from all over the world.
Several good dive spots are located along the coast. They can be reached by land. But mostly Marsa Alam used as a starting point for one-day and multi-day dive safaris on ships. During one-day dive safaris, you can visit the most famous reefs of the Red Sea – Elphinestone (Elphinestone), Abu Dabab (Abu Dabab) and Samadai (Dolphin House). Elphinstone Reef is famous for its high chance of encountering sharks. Abu Dabab is a group of 7 reefs that are very different from each other.
For multi-day dive safaris, Daedalus, Rocky and Zabargad reefs and two separate reef systems far out to sea – Shoal and St John’s Reef are available. But it must be remembered that Zabargad is a nature reserve and the number of ships visiting it is limited. In addition, there are restrictions on the qualifications of divers. Restrictions are constantly changing, so you need to check in advance if you are going there.
Nuweiba (Egypt)
Nuweiba is a popular resort on the east coast of the Sinai Peninsula, it is located 185 km north of Sharm El Sheikh. It is a port city with a ferry service to Jordan. The resort area of Nuweiba stretches along the coast for 30 km, it can be divided into 3 parts – the city port, the city itself with bazaars and souvenir shops and the tourist part of Tarabin (north of the city center). The port part of the city is not suitable for a beach holiday, because the water here is dirty, the main recreation area is located in Tarabina. Most of the hotels are located here, which are surrounded by palm groves. Dolphins swim in the coastal waters of Nuweiba and many travel companies offer “swimming with dolphins”.
The beaches of Nuweiba are surrounded by coral reefs that are sure to please divers. The most popular dive sites are Ras Mamlah and Ras Abu Gallum, they are located within the Ras Mohamed National Park. To dive in these places, you must obtain permission from the local authorities. Here you can swim along the coral walls with soft and hard corals and see barracudas and rays, as well as small fish, diving depth reaches 35 m. To the north of Nuweiba are the dive sites of Maaganand Devil’s Head. Maagana – a 35-meter wall covered with hard corals, where Napoleon’s wrasse, stingrays and groupers are found. Devil’s Head is interesting for its canyons, this is a great place for snorkeling and underwater photography.
Nuweiba is also the most popular departure point for jeep and camel safari in Egypt. In the vicinity of the city, you can ride through the dunes and go to the Colored Canyon or the Ain el-Furtaga oasis. Colored Canyon was named so because of its multi-colored stone and sandy rocks (their color varies from white to bright red), which were painted as a result of long-term oxidative processes. The length of the canyon is 5 km, its height is 25-30 m, and in some places it reaches 40 m, the width is from 2 to 10 m. the wind “carved” bizarre “patterns” in the local rocks. Colored Canyon is a popular hiking destination. Excursions to Mount Sinai (mountain of Moses) are also arranged from Nuweibawhere tourist routes are laid. Many climb this 2285 m high mountain to meet the dawn. It is said that the tablets of the law with the ten commandments were handed over here. 3400 granite steps lead to the top of the mountain. Two-thirds of the way can be traveled by camel. Here is the “Source of Moses”. According to legend, it was in it that Moses turned the brackish swamp water into drinking water. Between the mountain of Moses and the mountains of Katarina and Safsafa at an altitude of 1570 m is located the monastery of St. Catherine. It was built in the 6th century. A three-aisled basilica rises in the labyrinth of monastic buildings.
