Egypt - Sinai - Dahab |
 30 votes |
Probably the best place to stay in Sinai: less touristic than Sharm-El-Sheikh, but not too quite - guests are mostly independent travellers.
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Usually you do not need a visa for Sinai. If you plan to travel around the country get the stamp at the airport into your passport for USD 15. If your are staying only in Sinai without Ras Mohamad National Park you get into the queue not buying the stamp! We stayed in Pinguin Village in Dahab for about EUR 10 per night sea view room with fan only, even in august it was okay. Before you check in, have a look into Bishbishi Camp opposite the road. Its a pleasant palm tree garden with different room standards. (belongs to Penguin) I found the place recommended from Lonely Planet, and we did not make bad experiences as a member in Globo was writing about. Anyway there are plenty Hotels around to change. By the way: Jimmy the manager arranged our pick up from the airport by taxi for EUR 20 wich is okay, and just perfect after I have seen Sharm el Sheikh.
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| Favourite spots: |
Coloured Canon: near Nuweiba - we rented a Toyota car at the Hilton Hotel in Dahab for about EUR 40 per day, the better way is to join a tour in a 4-wheel - we stuck in the sand 5 km before the canon in the midday heat. The place is about 15 km away from the main road and quite difficult on a normal car!!! St Catherine Monastry, Moses Mountain: (probably the most touristic highlight there) - its definitely worth to rent a car to go by your own (km get extra charged the car was in total around EUR 100, gasoline is dirt cheap) the road to the monastery is superb. Don’t forget passport and driving licence. Take a whole day time to do some walks in the amazing dessert on the way or dry to get to the villiges nearby. We have always taken the people hitchhiking on their way home, so it gets more easy to fing the places. We arrive at 4 pm on the monastery without any other foreigners around (very surprising), asking friendly is opening doors... we could enter after the visiting hours.
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| What's really great: |
On our way back the sunset between the colourful rocks was breathtaking! So I recommend to take your time their instead climbing Moses Mountain with thousands of tourists. By the way: there are Bedouins on top serving tea and snacks as well as simple mattresses to spend the night (the walk up takes about two hours) What else? Snorkelling: if you still not have a dive certificate, go snorkelling best to take own equipment from home and plastic shoes to walk in the water is also recommendable. Diving: all places are shore dives, my 1st time experience, and I did not liked it!
Everywhere its crowded, the top places as CANON or BLUE WHOLE are packed with up to twenty jeeps each, at least 4 divers or snorklers even tourist busses are there.
I wish you will make your own - better experience, if you are going there.
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| Accommodations: |
Plenty along the beach and the central road of dahab in different categories. Actually its a good idea to stay in a guesthouse along the mainroad, because they may quiter than along the beach walk, they are cheaper - and another reason: most of your day you are out anyway! - The "Penguin" for example is devided in "Village" (along the beach), and "Bisbishi" across the road, which is actually not more than a 100 meter away, but definitely a pleasant stay.
The prices on their website are negotiable (of course)!
http:// www.penguindivers.com/index2.html
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| Other recommendations: |
DIVING: In SharmElSheikh I were asking around for the best offers to the Thistlegorm ship wrack:
100 USD for a trip (one day/ two dives), egyptian visa is required - plus USD 15, plus NP fee USD 5 plus equipment USD 25 ... AND they told I need to go at least for one extra dive with them, to prove my experience which is charged extra of course:
USD 20 for the dive and another USD 25 for equipment again...
Are the crazy ???
Most of cafes, bars and restaurants along the beach signing the pricelists out in EUR or USD mostly 100% more expensive than Dahab...
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Published on Tuesday October 19th, 2004 by esfahani
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