A personal history of Dahab, Sinai |
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Hello, it's Said with you. I'm often asked what it is that makes Dahab so special to so many people. Well, it's hard to explain, but let me tell you at least what I love about Dahab...
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16 years ago, I came from the Sinai Desert to Dahab. I fell in love with the sea and became Dahab's first Bedouin to learn to Scuba Dive. What an amazing experience! Dahab is often described as a diver's paradise - the most relaxed location in the Red Sea, with perfect conditions for learning to dive. For me though, the best thing about Dahab is the people. It's an amazing mix of people here, sharing their travel experiences with one another and learning about the world and its adventures. We have divers, freedivers, yogis, climbers, deep desert trekkers, windsurfers, photographers, academics studying the Bedouin culture and language. It's a wonderful thing to be born into the quiet life of the desert, and to find yourself surrounded by so many talented people with such different travel experiences.
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| Favourite spots: |
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Abu Helal for diving in Dahab. Gabr el Bint on the Camel Diving Safari. Jebel Sirbal for sunrise and sunset. Wadi Gnai for Rock Climbing. Ras Mohamed for the Boat Diving. Ras Abu Galloum for Overnight Camping. Jebel el Guna for Yoga, fresh air and the moon rise.
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| What's really great: |
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Camel Diving Safari - Gabr El Bint
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The combination of diving in the Red Sea and trekking the Sinai desert.
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| Sights: |
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El Guna Plateau (on the way to St Catherine)
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So many. For me it's the quiet places - away from the big tour groups and often accessed by camel. Fortunately these places are still very easy to find in the Sinai.
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| Accommodations: |
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Bedouin tent - just in case you get stuck for a room!
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Dahab has everything from basic Bedouin camp to 4 and 5 Star Resorts. Most of the big resorts are in the new area of Dahab (medina), but for me the life is in Masbat Bay (often described as Assalah in guide books). This is the old Dahab, the original Bedouin village. I work with the people I know best:
* Crazy Camel Camp - for traveling on a budget (from 6 euro per night)
* Mirage Village - on the beach and Bedouin camp style, but high quality building (from 35 euro per night)
* Nesima Resort - 4 star resort with swimming pool (from 44 euro per night)
All of these places are Bedouin owned, clean and very friendly. There are also some apartments and even some Bedouin houses that you can rent. Most of these are for longer stays, but some apartments you can get for just 1 or 2 weeks on holiday.
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| Nightlife: |
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A night in the wadi with Bedouin dinner cooked on the open fire
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Well, for me there's nothing like heading out to the Canyon to watch the full moon rise. Or a night in one of the desert wadis with dinner cooked on the open fire. For the more traditional kind of nightlife: Tota & Blue Beach, or pick up a few beer from Adam's bar and head round to a friend's.
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| Hangouts: |
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The Wadi at Desert Divers
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Desert Divers - my place! I started Desert Divers just over 3 years ago, so that all the divers and adventurers would have a nice calm place to relax and enjoy the Dahab life. It's a place to chill out with Bedouin tea or a fresh juice in the day, plan your next safari or talk about the one you've just been on. You'll find a nice mix of people here, from many different countries. I like to say, Whatever your adventure, we want you to feel at home in the Sinai!
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| Restaurants: |
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Bedouin tea and coffee - you'll need the Bedouin to find this!
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There are so many here:
* For breakfast - Tarbouche (delivers the best breakfast in Dahab on his bicycle. Ask anyone for his phone number.)
* For real Bedouin food - dinner in the wadi
* For pizza & pasta - Eldorado
* For a special night out - you really can't beat Three Fishes (some people will remember it as Lock Bahtita, which means 'all mixed up'!)
* For veggie - Carm Inn
* For a quick snack - the koshary man (Ali) who pushes his cart up and down the beach around 11am every day
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| Other recommendations: |
If you have time (5+ days), it's great to get deep into the Sinai Desert. Even after I fell in love with diving, I still felt the need to return to the desert. My top 4 places for amazing desert safaris:
* El Guna Plateau & Canyons of El Hashem
* El Rummlah (Serabit El Khadem) - my home
* Jebel El Tih - the only place for deep desert safaris in the summer months because you trek from oasis to oasis
* Jebel Sirbel - especially for the climbers. Even just driving through Wadi Ferran is a nice experience.
There are so many places to discover in the Sinai - you just need the time :-).
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Published on Thursday May 18th, 2006 by sina
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