Top Things to do on the Egyptian Red Sea

 

The Red Sea is incredible and definitely worth visiting while in Egypt.  It’s full of white sand beaches with plenty of diving and snorkeling opportunities.  There are few tourists and it’s extremely affordable, so what’s not to love?  There are a couple of fair sized cities to stay in; Hurghada which is south east of Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh which is on the peninsula east of the Suez Canal.  There are multiple ways to get to Hurghada from Cairo but I chose the bus which is about a six hour ride that cost 3 USD.

Hurghada is a gorgeous beach town full of restaurants, night clubs and white sand beaches along the Red Sea.  My hotel was very inexpensive, around 14 USD per night.  Hurghada is also world renowned for scuba diving if that’s your thing, it’s definitely worth checking out.

 

Next place you should go is Sharm El Sheikh.  You can take a ferry or fly.  I had to fly because the ferry was sold out the entire week I was there.  If you want to take the ferry you may want to book it in advance.  The flight cost around 100 USD and took about an hour.  The hotel I stayed in was right on the beach at Naama Bay and it cost around 18 USD.

Sharm El Sheikh is known for it’s incredible coral reefs and palm-tree lined promenade.  It also has some incredible white sand beaches, clear waters and casinos.

 

Sharm El Sheikh is also surrounded by the Sinai mountains.

Saint Catherine’s Monastery is wonderful day trip you can easily do from Sharm El Sheikh.  It’s about a 3 hour drive, you can hire a taxi or rent a car.  I rented a car for around 15 USD per day.  Saint Catherine’s Monastery is a Unesco World Heritage Site at the foot of Mount Sinai.  It was built around 550 AD and is one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the world.

 

Saint Catherine’s is supposedly the place that Moses saw the burning bush and the summit of Mt Sinai, which is behind the monastery, is supposedly where Moses received the 10 commandments.  There are two ways to the top, you can hike up the steps of repentance or ride a camel, either way you must be accompanied by a Bedouin guide.

 

 

Another great option as an excursion from Sharm El Sheikh is visiting Petra.  You can take a ferry from Nuweiba across the Red Sea into Aqaba and then either take a bus or hire a taxi to take you to Petra.  I highly recommend visiting Petra if you have the time!