Sharm El-Sheikh Excursions

Sharm el-Sheikh, or ‘The Land of Peace’ is a popular tourist destination that has a lot to offer its visitors, be it swimming or snorkeling among the natural marvels of the crystalline sea, or exploring the hidden historical sites of the blazing desert. Some of these are:

Mount Sinai

According to the Old Testament, Mount Sinai is where Moses received the Ten Commandments, which is why this is of great religious importance to Muslims, Christians and Jews. The ascent to this Mount takes 2 to 3 hours by foot or camel, and travelers start in the middle of the night so they can catch the sunrise from the peak, which is truly breath taking.

St. Catherines Monastery

At the foot of Mount Moses lies St. Catherine’s Monastery, constructed by Emperor Justinian (525- 565 AD). It is a magnificent setting for antique works of art including Moses’ Burning Bush, and the library has the world’s second largest collection of illuminated manuscripts after the Vatican.

Serabit el Khadim

One of Sinai’s most important archaeological sites is Serabit el Khadim,where the Pharaohs in the 3rd century would dispatch mining expeditions to extract turquoise, then used for carving scarabs on and pulverizing it to use as pigment to color objects. This practice continued even after the 12th century when a temple was built in honor of the goddess Hathor, the Mistress of turquoise. Today ruins of Hathors rock cut chapel and several carved stone slabs with inscriptions attract holidaymakers to this site.

Ras Mohammed

The first and most famous park in the Red Sea region is the Ras Mohammed National Park. Accessible both by land and sea, this natural beauty comprises of granite mountains, fossilized corals and sand dunes, and boasts the most beautiful coral reefs in the world, home to 1000 fish species.

Abu Galum Protected Area

This natural wonderland has it all; granite mountains, narrow coastal plains running parallel to gravel beaches and splendid coral reef below. The Bedouin culture with its handicrafts is worth seeing.

Colored Canyon

This truly magnificent and awe inspiring natural wonder boasts of dramatic sandstone walls streaked naturally reds, purples, magentas, yellows and gold, enclosing the visitor in a labyrinth of spectacular colors. This natural maze of color is truly peaceful.

Feiran Oasis

Feiran Oasis has a lot of religious importance for Muslims, Jews and Christians, because custom has it that Moses and his group went through here. Here you will find the ruins of many ancient churches. Built in the 4th century, the Seven Girls Monastery in the middle of the palm tree filled oasis is worth visiting. The rock Moses supposedly struck with his staff to draw water lies at the Western entrance.