Sinai Region Dos and Don'ts

You have to be vewry fit for the 2.5 hour uphill walk in sand to get to Mt sinai the the 500 odd steps up to 18 inches high! If you want to enjoy the experience when older or not fit hire a camel for about $25AUD then have a local pull you up the steps for a small sum. All this is done in the dark but the walk down is relaxed and in daylight. Many hundreds of people go daily so don't expect a romantic lone desert climb. Lots of food and drinks stops that help the local economy. A mush have is a hot chocolate at the top. yum and thaws your very frozen hands!!

Sharm El Sheikh is a fantastic and interesting place, with lovely hotels and lots of places to eat.

The locals will hassle you a lot to buy things from their shops so you need to hone your bargaining (or ignoring) skills before you go! Pretending you don't understand English helps when you're walking down the street. However, your problem will more likely be that you can't resist buying the local souveneirs. They are lovely and reasonably priced.

Sharm El Sheikh has been built for tourists, so there are many international restaurants with good food. If you are proned to 'Delhi belly' on holiday be careful in Egypt. I got a very painful stomach upset (apparently a bacterial infection) that lasted most of the holiday (with no respite even with local medicine!). My mum also got sick both trips she took. Having said that it really didn't spoil my holiday!

Thinks to do: Quad biking in the desert, Boat / snorkling at Ras Mohammed National Park, Arabian night in the desert, Coach trip to Cairo. This trip is quite expensive but shows you everything you would want to see in Cairo and you get a night in a really nice hotel!

In general, the people in Egypt are really nice and have a good sense of humour. As a blonde female, I didn't get any of the usual hassle from local men - just a few marriage proposals...Lol!

You'll enjoy it here if you go!

-Avoid the sneaky bastards out on the street who try get you to come for day trips on Camels, Quads and any other form of dessert transport.
-You can make good use of the local duty free shop:)
-Taxi drivers can be crazy...
-The go-karting track is quite cool.
-Enjoy Sharm, it is a nice place with a 99% good weather guarantee:)
-Crown Plaza Hotel is a good place to stay, although I'd recommend eating dinner somewhere else...

Awesome diving is to be had here, the most amazing colours and fish. Also be careful of eating any local fish - as tempting as it is, they pump raw sewerage out into the ocean and you can end up getting really sick. If you do get sick head to the pharmacy, as the Doctor owns and runs the phartmacy, so they can sell you antibiotics over the counter - they are really really cheap!

Brilliant place to kick back, unless you're a diver.

The dive shops are on the beach (such as it is). We walked fifty feet with our gear, floated it out to the edge of the reef (another 150 feet), geared up and dropped off the edge of a 60 foot shear reef wall.

All the restaurants are within walking distance and the variety and price ranges suit anyone.

Friendly people, good food and great diving (you have to dive the eel garden. Accommodations are iffy in some spots. Cheap isn't necessarily better. Search around for deals and you'll do fine.

Highly recommended.