|
Safaris in Dahab
 So
you want to go on Safaris in Dahab, there are mainly two forms
of safari. Either you go by camel or you go with the jeep safari.
witch one you like is a personal preference but my recommendation
is not to go on a long camel safari if you are not used to camels
because to be honest it can be a very unpleasant experience if
you do it over a long time.
You have a few places where you have to go by camel (or you could
use boat) like Ras Abu Galum because the road out there is impossible
by car. So it takes around 2 hours to get there by camel one way.
I did this before and i don't have the experience in riding a
camel so i was not able to sit for about 2 days. It can be very
uncomfortable if you are not properly trained and a few end up
walking back. So before you set of on a long camel journey make
sure that you know what you are up to and that you are properly
trained for this.
Here is a list of a few places that is popular for safaris, but
be warned that there are many different ways of spelling the names
of some of these places since some of them are Arabic.
Colored Canyon
 The
colored canyon is famous for its spectacular colors you find in
some of the areas. The canyon is basically composed of this red
ish sand stone, but in some areas it goes into different gradations
like a rainbow from red to yellow and all the way to purple. The
canyon itself is about 2 meters wide and bout 5 meters deep and
it last for as long as maybe 500 meters. It has a sandy ground
that is quite comfortable to walk on. All in all the colored canyon
is a nice sight it is quite dull at times if your not really into
rocks, but it has some areas were you cant help feeling that its
a spectacular piece of scenery.
White Canyon
 The
white canyon is a good trip for many reasons. First i can start
with the negative part to get that out of the way. The entrance
is well to be honest a bit dangerous, for me its ok. I used to
be a mountain climber and even for most young people its not even
worth mentioning, but there are a lot of people who might not
have strong legs or might be a bit scared of heights will have
a bit of a problem just so you are warned. You start of walking
down the white stone that is covered with fine sand that makes
it a bit slippery and it goes down like this for three plateaus.
Its about 6 meters from the top to the bottom, its not really
dangerous, but if you are not comfortable with heights it can
feel like it is.
When you are down you have a nice trip. The whole canyon including
the sand is almost completely white. The best part about this
trip is to take off your shoes and the cold white sand will make
it feel like you are walking in water. The white canyon is about
the same length as the colored canyon about 500 meters to walk,
but you will have lots of shadow down here so even on a hot day
this is very comfortable.
Back
To Top
Ain Hodra Oasis
 This
is one of those places that not single person in Dahab knows how
to spell, but everyone know where it is. There are many Oasis
closes to Jebel Musa (Mount Sinai), but this is probably the biggest
one in the area. It is an underwater well inside a cave where
the Bedouin people extract water for sale in Dahab and other places.
Like many of the oasis its not an industrial site, but a historical
source of cultural growth and this is the home of many Bedouin
families. They live and work here, create art and sell it. Its
a green area, but if you think that an oasis looks anything like
it does in old cartoons you are in for a big surprise. It is an
interesting place, but the place is dirty and many of the people
are poor so don't go off thinking that this is a Disney picture
of an oasis. This is a sight if you are interested in seeing something
real and a completely different culture. People might be pour,
but no one is starving, they are good at taking care of each other
and much more so than most of us in Europe.
Ras Abu Galum
 Very
good place for all you snorkelers out there. Its also an important
place in Bedouin tradition. Ras Abu Galum has for many years been
a port of trade with huge significant to the Bedouins in this
area. It has surprisingly one of the biggest faunas and you can
find 2000 different plant species. Many of these plants are rare
herbs and spices and export all over the middle east. For most
tourist this is a fact, but not really an important fact.
For the tourists this is more famous as the best place in the
world to relax. There is not that much here facility vise, like
there is no proper restaurants or any resorts at all, but there
are beautiful beaches. You usually get food served in one of the
Bedouin huts down at the beach and its usually included in the
trip. This is a semi popular spot for diving, but its also one
of the best places for snorkeling. The corals here are so well
preserved and they are everywhere. Most important is that it has
very calm conditions, good visibility and most of it is so shallow
that you can enjoy it all from the surface this is what makes
this such an excellent site for snorkelers.
To get to Ras Abu Galum you have two options, one being camel
and the other being boat. I think the camel ride is good, but
it is a bit long it takes about two ours each way and you ride
the camel your self. Riding a camel is quite easy, you basically
have one rope for left and one for right, but it doesn't really
matter what you do because the camel will follow the crowd no
matter what you do. You have a small rope you can whip it with,
but they will only speed up for about 10 seconds before they go
back to their slow pace.
The boat ride can be organized, but its usually a bit more costly.
The boats usually take up to 20 people and are not that common
to use unless there is a big group. The ride out there can be
a bit choppy at times so personally i recommend the camel for
this trip.
Mushroom Stone and Jaba Machroon
 Mushroom
stone is not really a place you go to by it self. Its more common
to have it as part of a package trip. As you might guess its a
massive rock shaped like a mushroom in the way that its narrow
at the bottom and goes out quite big at the top. Jaba Machroon
is a mountain with several holes in it so you can go inside the
mountain and look out the holes. The Jaba Machroon is quite an
interesting sight and is recommended.
Blue Lagoon
Blue Lagoon is pretty much the same as Ras Abu Galum, but its
a bit further away and there is literally nothing there. The place
is good for romantic getaways were you can sleep under the stars.
You will find nothing of electric, computers or any other thing
that reminds you of civilization. The lagoon is beautiful and
is an excellent place for snorkelers people have seen Manta Rays
here and the coral is stunning. This one is a bit to far away
to use camel so I recommend going by boat.
Back
To Top
Wadi Ganai
 This
has been a popular spot for Egyptian tourist for many years. Its
a national park and its around 20 minutes by car from Dahab center.
Here you can find a few restaurants where you can eat and relax.
I would bring some snorkeling gear a few bucks and take a whole
day in Wadi Ganai doing nothing but snorkeling, eating smoking
shisha and just take full advantage of the fact that you are on
vacation and have nothing better to do.
You can enjoy many different dive sites in this area from the
surface since the best corals are in shallow water and everything
can be enjoyed from the surface. If you want the hotel can arrange
a taxi for you and you can go out there in the morning, stay there
all day and it will cost you next to nothing.
Closed and Double canyon.
These trips are not that popular and unless you have a die hard
passion for canyons or rocks in general i dont really reccomend
these trips. The closed canyon is a canyon that is closed in the
end so you walk 30 minutes til you reach the end and then you
start walking back. Double canyon is two canyons that are overlapping
each other like the number 8. You walk from one point til you
gone around and you end up where you started.
The Dunes
The Dunes have a certain charm that you don't get to see dunes
in many other countries. You can come to Egypt and see interesting
rock formations or beaches, but you can find that in most countries,
but dunes are pretty much reserved for deserts. Its a long stretch
dune with fine powdered sand that just takes the breath away.
I wouldn't go there just for the dune, but try and make a trip
that you combine with the Dunes.
The Blue Desert
 The
Blue desert is a very uncommon tourist attractions because not
many companies are allowed to enter the area. So if you get to
do this you are in for a treat. The Stones contain a material
that gives the rocks an intense blue color. Its a big area covered
with these stones and it looks like its taken from a science fiction
movie and it really makes you think that there is more to a desert
than what meets the eye.
Back
To Top
Salah El Din Castle
Salah El Din Castle is one of the forgotten treasures of South
Sinai. It is unbelievable that this location has not caught the
eyes of the tourists yet because its a massive castle. It is built
in 1115 as a way to get taxes of the Arab merchants in the area.
It also served a purpose to offer protection to the pilgrims going
between Jerusalem and The Saint Catherine Monastery located close
to Dahab. The castle was conquered by Salah El Din in 1170.
Salah El Din is a famous historical character in Arab history
and is most famous for regaining Jerusalem from the Crusaders.
The Crusaders took Jerusalem creating one of the biggest blood
sheds in history and Salah El Din offered the crusaders a peaceful
retreat when they knew they were defeated after days of battle.
The castle was abandoned soon after the conquest, but was taken
by the Ottomans later on and rebuilt. They built bath houses,
kitchen and barracks for the troops.
The castle is located on Pharao Island and except for the historical
value it is also a great place for snorkeling.
Arranging The Trips.
I created this list of sights in Dahab because of otherwise a
complete lack of information about the safaris in the area, but
if you wish i can arrange trips to these places for you. Some
of these trips are complete day trips while others are small excursions
where you can customize the trip your self depending on what you
want to see. If you are interested please contact me for further
information.
Back
To Top |
