Sharm El Sheikh

Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Sharm El Sheikh is an international resort on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt.  It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. It is under the juristiction of the South Sinai Governorate.

Recently, the location, climate, rich natural world and quality developments being constructed in Sharm El Sheikh have contributed to a rise of tourists visiting this area.

Sharm El Sheikh is situated in the bay of Naama Bay. From the south west of the city you will find the border of the national park of Ras Mohammed. In the north east, you can discover - Nabq National Wildlife Refuge. The north west section is covered from the wind and weather by the ridge of the famous Mount Sinai. In the south east quarter you will find the Red Sea.

Not far from the shoreline of the city is the Island of Tiran.

At 80 km from the city (as the crow flies) is the hill of Moses (the second highest peak of Mount Sinai, after St. Catherine's Mount). Within an hour's bus ride along the Gulf of Aqaba - you can find Dahab, then the border town of Taba, and finally the Israeli port of Eilat.

The climate in this area is excellent. In January-February, the night temperature drops to +15°C and sometimes has quite a fresh wind.  However, in  the afternoon, the sun shines brightly and numerous visitors head for the beaches, to sunbathe and swim. In summer (June-August), temperatures reaches +40°C, but low humidity (about 4%) makes it possible to cope with the heat.
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The water temperature in the sea does not fall below 20°C even in the winter.  In summer it rises to +28 degrees celcius.  Rainfall in Sharm El-Sheikh is extremely rare, and the air is dry and warm all of the time.

The city has historically been built up through the construction of many different developments. Between the developments, there is a main road -  Prospect Peace Road, which connects the sprawling areas of this coastal town.  

The resort of Sharm El Sheikh consists of several areas, built along the coast, around the main bays: 
 
1) Sharm El-Maya is located on the south west side of the resort and is famous for its sandy beaches, hotels and Old Market/Old Town.

2) Hadaba Um Sid

3) Hay El Nour

4) Roweysat

5) Tower

6) Naama Bay, which is the most famous tourist area in Sharm El Sheikh.  Unofficially it is the centre of Sharm El Sheikh - a kind of Arabic 'Las Vegas'.  Here life is on the go virtually around the clock.  It has a number of luxury hotels, shopping centres, casinos, sports facilities, diving centres, restaurants and nightclubs.  Almost all of the beaches in Naama Bay are sandy. 

7) Gardens Bay

8) Coral Bay

9) Sharks Bay

10) Ras Nusrani

11) Nabq Bay is a few kilometres to the north east of Naama Bay, in the direction of Nabq National Park, opposite Tiran Island. At one time, there was a rumour that Saudi Arabia, together with Egypt had an idea to  to erect a huge bridge from the coast of Saudi Arabia to Egypt (via the Island of Tiran). According to the geographical location, the bridge would have started from the side of the island in the Nabq Bay area. Consequentally many investors rushed to the area to construct both new hotels and accompanying infrastructure.

The President of Egypt froze the construction of the 'great bridge' and decided to keep Sharm El Sheikh as a European resort. Indeed, the city is completely different from typical Egyptian cities, reminding us more of European resorts.


Since Sharm El-Sheikh is wedged between two national nature reserves, the area which can be occupied has been limited to a strip of about 30 km, along the coastline.  At present, almost all parts of the coast are suitable for construction.  There are upmarket hotels here and areas are being reserved for the construction of new residential complexes.  However despite this availability of land, the city continues to grow deep into the coast, towards the mountain range.

The most famous areas of Sharm El Sheikh are; Hadab, Old Town, Aida, Tower, Mercato, Delta Sharm, Hai al-Nur, Riviera, Hi Salam, Chrissy, Naama and Nabq Bay.

There are also a lot of new residential areas: Gold Charm, Sun Shine, Sunny Lake, Montaza, etc. 

Typically, houses in the city are built in the form of apartments in small complexes or luxury villas centred around landscaped areas.  These complexes benefit from all types of  modern infrastructure, including; shops, restaurants, swimming pools and gardens. Investors appear not be afraid to invest large amount of money in the infrastructure of this city.  As a result, Sharm El Sheikh is changing every year.

Тransport in and around Sharm El Sheikh 

Sharm El Sheikh has its own international airport.  It is the largest airport in the Sinai region. From here you can travel via air to the other resorts on the peninsula - Dahab, Taba and Nuweiba.

Main roads

Most of the roads in the Sinai region lead out to the tunnel - Ahmed Hamdy. All the roads are maintained in a good condition and are well equipped for motorists. Sharm El Sheikh has a car rental service and you can access most places on the peninsula in a car. 


Approximate distances to places of interest: 

    * Dahab - 100 km (1 hour by car) 
    * Monastery of St. Catherine (2 hours by car) 
    * Coloured Canyon - (3 hours by car)
    * Nuweiba (2 hours by car)
    * Taba - (3 hours by car)
    * At-Tur -  90 kms (1 hours drive) 
    * The tunnel under the Suez Canal - 360 km
    * Cairo - 500 km (6-7 hours by car) 
    * Alexandria (9 hours by car)

Luxor and Hurghada are also popular trips for tourists visiting the African continent. However, these destinations can be extremely tiring by car. There is a ferry service to Hurghada from Sharm El Sheikh and Luxor is a 3-4 hours drive from there.


Urban transport in Sharm El Sheikh is mainly by taxis, which move around the city without a schedule.  However, one does not normally wait for more than 1-2 minutes to catch a taxi.

It is easy to rent a car or a light scooter in Sharm El Sheikh and the traffic police are quite amiable with foreigners.


Domestic air services to and from the city are frequent. There are approximately 10 flights to Cairo per day as well as flights to Hurghada, Luxor and other cities.
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