Egypt Guide
Sinai
Ras Mohammed
At Sinai's southernmost tip is the not-to-be-missed RAS MOHAMMED peninsula, fringed with lagoons and reefs. Covering 480 square kilometres, it was declared a nature reserve in 1983, then Egypt's first marine National Park in 1989, and is home to a thousand-odd species of fish as well as 150 types of corals. Bordered to the west by the relatively shallow Gulf of Suez and to the east by the deep waters of the Gulf of Aqaba, it has strong currents throughout the year, making the waters very rich in nutrients. The age of this amazing ecosystem is evinced by marine fossils in the bedrock dating back twenty million years; on the shoreline are newcomers only 75,000 years old. Though the area is chiefly one for divers, there are calmer reefs for snorkellers to have a great time as well. The park is also home to terrestrial species such as foxes, reptiles and migratory birds such as the white stork.
Just over ten percent of the national park is accessible to visitors from sunrise to sunset, but you will need a full Egyptian visa and not just a Sinai-only one (they check). The €5 is usually included in the cost of excursions by Jeep or boat from Sharm el-Sheikh. Various trails – accessible by regular car – are marked by colour-coded arrows. The blue one leads to Aqaba Beach, the Eel Garden, the Main Beach and a Shark Observatory 50m up the cliffside, which affords distant views of the odd fin. Purple and then red shows the route to the Hidden Bay, Anemone City and Yolanda Bay, while green signifies the way to the Crevice Pools and the Mangrove Channel, where children can safely bathe in warm, sandy shallows. Divers head by boat to sites such as the Shark Reefs off Yolanda Bay (the place to see sharks, barracuda, giant Napoleon fish and manta rays), and the Mushroom or the wreck of the Dunraven, out towards Beacon Rock. There's no dive centre at Ras Mohammed, so you need to visit on an organized dive.