For fans of watersports and all-year sunshine, the northern Red Sea is a
godsend. Within a five-hour flight of the UK, you can explore some of the
world’s most beautiful coral reefs and fulfil those Lawrence of Arabia
fantasies in the desert. There are coral-covered shipwrecks, dolphins and,
for the adventurous, current-swept offshore reefs where sharks appear from
the depths. Politically stable and practically crime-free, it’s somewhere
luxury holidays can be had at mid-market prices.
Inevitably, the Red Sea Riviera is in danger of becoming a victim of its
spiralling popularity. Towns are getting crowded, while many of the best
places to dive or snorkel can be inundated with boats. To get the most from
the sea that Jacques Cousteau dubbed the “corridor of marvels”, you have to
find a place where you can enjoy its subtle rhythms in space and
tranquillity. You have to find your own private Red Sea.
Sharm el Sheikh
Although coastal Egypt has a more cosmopolitan ambience than, say, Cairo or
Luxor, a civilising Muslim influence has prevented Sharm from descending
into disco depravity. Still, the area around Na’ama Bay comes to life at
night, when you can explore the neon bazaars or smoke a leisurely shisha
pipe while taking in the evening parade.
Sharm is the big centre for watersports around the Sinai Peninsula. Every
morning, a flotilla of day boats leaves port in a race to be first to the
prime sites around the Strait of Tiran, to the north, or Ras Mohammed, to
the south. The best sites typically involve a boat journey of 1-2 hours,
though there are closer locations suitable for student divers, snorkellers
and trips on a glass-bottomed boat.
One way to beat the crowds is to find a resort with sea access that is closer
to the reefs you want to visit. Several top-end resorts have cottoned on to
this and occupied a headland called Ras Nasrani (“Head of the Christians”),
a 20-minute drive north from Sharm’s bustling centre. Of these, the best is
the Four Seasons, set on a sloping cliff overlooking Tiran Island. With its
Arabian Nights design ethic, ornate gardens and acres of Carrara marble, it
is an oasis of serenity.
Guests ride a funicular railcar that trundles up and down the hill. And it has
its own jetty, where you can be picked up by boat and spirited to the
superior diving and snorkelling sites around Tiran. Dive early in the
morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the Sharm fleet.
Book it: a week at the Four Seasons Resort in Sharm el Sheikh
costs £749pp, B&B, with Mosaic
Holidays (020 8574 4000), based on two sharing and including charter
flights from Gatwick or Manchester and transfers. From November 21 to
December 12, the price falls to £559pp.
Aqaba, Jordan
Overlooked by the hordes who descend on southern Sinai, the port of Aqaba is a
secret shared by true Red Sea connoisseurs. King Abdullah is a keen diver,
and it was at his request that a Lebanese freighter, the Cedar Pride, was
scuttled in 1983 to create an underwater playground. Today, the wreck is
swathed in Jordan’s famously colourful soft coral and is rated as a
world-class dive.
Aqaba’s tiny stretch of Red Sea coast has surprisingly varied diving and
snorkelling close to shore. The water is clear, the currents are generally
benign and you can relax in the knowledge that local dive operators have
struck up an agreement to give each other space, so you should always be the
only group of divers on a given site.
Despite the recent bombings across the gulf at Taba, Aqaba is viewed by the
travel industry as one of the world’s safest destinations. Tourism in Jordan
has never been targeted by terrorists, and crime levels are among the lowest
in the world. The port also serves as the ideal base for visiting Petra, the
ancient Nabatean city carved into the russet sandstone hills. A two-hour
drive from Aqaba, Petra is one of the world’s most alluring ancient sites —
as mysterious as Angkor and as visually stunning as Luxor.
For those in search of total solitude, a ramble around the desert landscapes
of Wadi Rum is strongly recommended. Just an hour from Aqaba, this imposing
mosaic of mountains and sand dunes was used for the key sequences of David
Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. The best hotel is the five-star Mövenpick, which
combines Arabic design flourishes with western treats — notably the
excellent steaks and ice cream.
Book it: Aquatours
(0870 442 3288) can arrange holidays based on daily scheduled flights with
Royal Jordanian via Amman or weekly charter flights from Gatwick to Aqaba
with Air Astraeus. A week’s trip starts at about £700pp, including flights,
diving, accommodation and breakfast, rising to £832pp if you fly with Royal
Jordanian.
Hurghada
On the face of it, Hurghada is not a likely setting for a contemplative
holiday. A fishing port, it mushroomed in the 1980s and now has an
ever-expanding strip of resorts running 20 miles along the coastline. It
doesn’t seem to have a definable centre, but there are certain confined
stretches that seem to be more popular with the rabble, depending on what
the club of the week is. Most of the diving and snorkelling takes place
around the islands of Giftun and Abu Ramada, with their satellite patch
reefs. For all its crowded chaos, Hurghada is the ideal base for diving the
famous shipwrecks of Sha’ab Abu Nuhas.
Last year saw the opening of The Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh, a supercool all-suite
resort 30 minutes south of Hurghada airport. Set in 48 acres of palm-filled
grounds, it has a large beach (watch out for the jellyfish) and a determined
emphasis on privacy. Each of the 84 suites is judiciously spaced from its
neighbour, while sunken marble baths overlook private open-air walled
gardens. The six royal suites have outdoor dining areas and swimming pools.
In common with other five-star developments in Egypt, it offers remarkably
good value, offering genuine luxury for a small fraction of what you’d pay
at an “elite” destination.
Book it: seven nights at the Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh costs about
£640pp, B&B, based on two sharing, with Mosaic
Holidays (020 8574 4000), including direct flights from Gatwick or
Manchester to Hurghada on Monarch (with upgrades to premier-class seats for
£139) and transfers.
Marsa Alam
The southernmost part of coastal Egypt was named the “deep south” by diving
pioneers who led safaris there in the 1980s and 1990s. You’ll find some of
the most perfect reefs here, but with the opening of a new international
airport at Marsa Alam, the wilderness is slowly being tamed. Even so,
there’s still time to get a taste of what these desolate shores were like
before the Egyptian tourist board realised there was life beyond the
pyramids.
For a taste of desert life, try the tented camp at Marsa Wadi Lahami, an
hour’s drive south of Marsa Alam. Although resorts are starting to spring up
in the area, this humble camp has a distinct advantage because it has direct
sea access. Several nearby plots were bought for development, only for the
owners to find that a shallow, flat reef top covered in spiny urchins ran
out for hundreds of yards, making it impossible to launch boats or even swim
comfortably.
The tents are surprisingly cool and stay motionless even during the mini
sandstorms that pass through in March and April. Facilities are rather basic
compared to the other establishments mentioned here, but when it comes to
finding your own space, the Western Desert must be one of the biggest
beaches on the planet. There’s a real sense of camaraderie with your fellow
campers, and delicious Egyptian meals are served, public school-style, from
big baking trays. Watch out for the supersweet desserts.
Marsa Alam is a good option for non-divers, as the local operator, Red Sea
Diving Safari, has a lot of experience with desert tours and even has its
own geologist.
One of my greatest pleasures is to lie on the sand after dinner with a cool
Stella (Egyptian beer, nothing to do with the Belgian brand of the same
name) and watch as the sun sets over the mangroves, reflecting a brilliant
gold over the lagoon. Then, once darkness has fallen, you get one of the
best shows in the Middle East as the stars come out and the sky becomes a
marvel to match the Red Sea itself.
Book it: Oonasdivers
(01323 648924) is the UK agent for the camp at Marsa Wadi Lahami. A week
costs £750pp, full-board, including charter flights from Gatwick to Marsa
Alam and transfers; there is no single supplement, and the price includes
six days’ diving. For those who dislike tents, it is possible to upgrade to
a nearby Madyafa guesthouse.
Live-aboards
Live-aboard boats represent the ultimate escape. The best dive sites are often
offshore reefs beyond the range of smaller day boats, so the best way to
visit them is to join a cruise. The boats are 12- to 22-berth vessels, so
there’s a greater sense of intimacy than on the typical Caribbean cruise.
You can have the popular sites to yourself by planning an early dive before
the shore-based rabble arrive. The Red Sea experience is reduced to a simple
but comforting mantra — dive, eat, sleep.
Each live-aboard has its favoured sites, but they generally fall into the
following categories: northern charters around the Sinai Peninsula and the
Gulf of Aqaba, departing from Sharm; offshore-island charters, which depart
from Hurghada; or “deep south” charters out of Marsa Alam, taking in the
remote reefs of the Fury Shoal and Zabargad. The northern one is best for
inexperienced divers (you should have a dozen dives before considering a
live-aboard trip).
The danger with liveaboard holidays lies in placing yourself in a confined
space with complete strangers for six days. At worst, it could be Big
Brother with seasickness, but a shared love of diving almost always ensures
a degree of harmony.
The good news is that Egyptian boat-owners are engaged in an arms race to see
who can operate the best live-aboards. The result? Better boats at lower
prices. At the moment, the standard-bearer is probably Hurricane, a
steel-hulled, 118ft vessel based in Marsa Alam. It has a bar, DVD players in
every cabin and a hot tub on the sun deck.
Book it: six nights on the Hurricane costs £850-£1,150,
depending on the itinerary, with Tony Backhurst Scuba Travel (01483 271765,
www.scuba.co.uk). The price covers flights from Gatwick, transfers, full
board on the boat (including soft drinks, bottled water, tea and coffee) and
all diving.
Red Sea unwrapped: everything you need to know to book an independent
dive trip
IT’S HARD to beat the value of an all-in dive package from a tour operator,
but if you are looking for total flexibility, arranging independent holidays
is becoming increasingly easy.
THE FLIGHTS
The Red Sea resorts have been opened up by direct charter flights, so there’s
no longer any need to change planes in Cairo before heading to the coast.
Charter flights to Sharm el Sheikh leave from Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle
and Gatwick, while Hurghada is served from Manchester and Gatwick. If you
book ahead, expect to pay £250-£300; for last-minute booking, say for travel
in the next few weeks, return fares drop as low as £80.
For details, call Charter Flight Centre (0845 045 0153, www.charterflights.co.uk),
Flightline (0800 541541, www.flightline.co.uk),
Thomson (0800 000747, www.thomsonflights.com),
or Explorers Tours (0845644 7090, www.redseaflights.com
).
THE HOTELS
Websites devoted to the area’s many hotels are already appearing. The best is
probably www.goredsea.com, which
covers all the main towns, though it features only a limited number of
hotels. Others to try are www.red-sea.com,
www.redseavdc.com and www.sinai4you.com.
Four-star hotels with large pools and a dive centre nearby start at £40 a
night; or you can book through a UK-based company such as Hotels.com (0800
169 9417, www.hotels.com) or Laterooms.com (0161 831 3828,
www.laterooms.com), which both have doubles in upmarket resorts from £30.
THE DIVING
The website www.goredsea.com has
excellent dive-site information, including maps. Or pick up Lonely Planet’s
comprehensive Diving and Snorkelling Guide to the Red Sea (£12.99), or Guy
Buckles’s The Dive Sites of The Red Sea (£20.99).
Highly recommended is the Camel Dive Club
and Hotel (00 20 69 360 0700) in Sharm el Sheikh’s Na’ama Bay. Until
December 14, then between January 10 and March 10, a four-day dive package
costs £240, B&B, with two boat dives per day; the price includes
tanks and weights. A learn-to-dive course with the same accommodation costs
£316.
Two other good outfits are Emperor
Divers (00 20 12 234 0995), which has dive centres across the region;
and Sinai Divers, which has centres
in Sharm, Dahab and Hurghada. Dives cost about £35 per day; a week’s Padi
open-water diving course starts at £450; and a week’s live-aboard starts at
£350 (excluding drinks and gear).
