R is for Ras Mohamed…from above!

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve taken a lot of flights recently between Cairo and Sharm el Sheikh. And my favorite thing about this short trip is the view over Sinai, especially as we begin our descent near Sharm. The image above shows Ras Mohamed National Park, the oldest national park in Egypt – and one of my favorite places in Sinai! Although most popular for its snorkeling and diving opportunities, Ras Mohamed is also home to mangroves and wadis hosting a variety of desert plants and animals. The area is also an important stopover for migrating birds, particularly raptors, storks, and pelicans.  Egyptians pay only a LE 5 entrance fee per person and LE 10 per car. Camping overnight is allowed in one designated area and does not cost extra! Ras Mohamed is a short drive from Sharm el Sheikh and makes an excellent day trip. And summer is only a few short weeks away…

Read more:

Wikipedia – Ras Muhammad National Park

Egypt Tourism Authority – Ras Mohammed National Park

F is for Fjord, a False Fjord that is!

About 10 km south of Taba in south Sinai is the famous fjord – a place I have been wanting to visit since my first trip to Sinai all those years ago. Well, we finally made it last weekend! Above is a photo looking out to sea. We enjoyed a delicious picnic lunch under that arisha (sunshade). And then a few refreshing snorkels around the reefs. My husband took a wander around the mountain and through some nearby wadis…and came back with two big bags of trash. The area needs some assistance with rubbish removal, as does all of Sinai, but all in all, the fjord is a lovely place to spend a summer afternoon by the sea!

Below is a photo (not mine) of the fjord from above. There is a small rest stop and cafeteria at the top of the mountain behind the fjord which boasts spectacular views!

Photo by Sarah Othman, flickr.com, CC BY-NC-SA

Fjords are inlets of sea water surrounded by high cliffs and mountains. True fjords were created by glaciers. But the differences between the Scandinavian use of the word fjord and the English use has led many inlets around the world to be inaccurately labeled as ¨fjords¨. These ¨false fjords¨ are not formed by glaciers melting and moving, but rather they are inlets formed by river erosion or some other natural activity. Not sure who first called this particular inlet a ¨fjord¨ in English…and I´m not sure what it is called in Arabic. We should have paid more attention to the signs! Anyone know?

T is for Temples

The only pharaonic temple in Sinai is Serabit el-Khadem – Temple of Hathor, Lady of Turquoise. The temple dates back to 1964 – 1136 B.C. and is surrounded by ancient turquoise mines and beautiful scenery. Reaching the summit of Jebel Serabit involves a several hour trek so be prepared!

Learn more:

The Temple and Mines at Serabit el-Khadim in the Sinai by Jimmy Dunn

E is for Ecolodge

Egypt is home to several ecolodges, each with its own unique style. You can stay at an oasis ecolodge in Siwa, Dakhla, or Bahariya. There are several ecolodges along the Red Sea coast near Marsa Alam. Aswan and Wadi Natrun also boast ecolodges. And, of course, there’s Sinai – where Basata, an ecolodge on the coast between Taba and Nuweiba, is a well-known getaway for adventurous Cairenes. There are also two ecolodges located in St. Katherine’s Protectorate – one of them being Mt. Sinai Ecolodge, pictured above.  We just returned from a gorgeous weekend at the lodge! And a fantastic hike to the top of Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa). It’s a great time to visit Sinai – we pretty much had the summit to ourselves.

A is for Alexandria

Alexandria is a city on the north coast of Egypt, along the Mediterranean Sea. Alex, as it is often referred to in English, is the second largest city in Egypt. This is a picture of the wall between Montazah and Ma’amoura beaches that I snapped a few years ago when staying at the El Salamlek Palace Hotel.

W is for Wadi El Gemal National Park

A glimpse into Wadi el Gemal National Park

Wadi el Gemal (Valley of the Camels) was declared a protected area in 2003 and was the location for the recent Characters of Egypt festival that we attended this past weekend (more on that later). I am already planning a return trip to this beautiful park!

Located along the southern Red Sea Coast of Egypt Wadi El Gemal National Park encompasses some of the most endangered habitats and wildlife, both marine and terrestrial. The Ababda, the dwellers of this region, are an ancient people with a rich and colorful heritage which is also endangered. The park is also known for “the emerald mountain” which was the only source of emeralds within the Roman Empire. The ancient sites which were used for hundreds of years exhibit a wealth of antiquities ranging from roads to watering stations, outposts, residential settlements, temples and others. More info here.

Well worth a visit, this park also boasts amazing park rangers! They are knowledgable, passionate, and available to guide visitors through the park while providing information about the local people, flora, fauna, geology, and more! And if you are interested in discovering more about the plants in the area, I highly recommend Tamer Mahmoud’s Desert Plants of Egypt’s Wadi el Gemal National Park.

Check out these resources to learn more about the park:

Egypt Today: The Land of Plenty – Wadi el Gemal National Park shelters rare populations of falcons and foxes

Discover Wadi el Gemal National Park (PDF): Sites of Interest from the Mountains to the Sea

T is for Taba

Taba – as seen from Salah el Din’s fortress on Pharoah’s Island, just south of the city. Located in Sinai, Taba lies on the border with Israel. The Sinai peninsula was returned to Egypt after the peace treaty with Israel was signed in 1979. However, Israel felt that Taba lay outside the jurisdiction of the Camp David Accords and it took 10 years before control of Taba was returned to Egypt. Today, it is a popular holiday destination for both Israelis and Egyptians, as well as foreign tourists. Many Egyptians traveling from Cairo stay at Taba Heights, a huge resort complex.

(And if you happen to find yourself in Taba Heights and would like a paperback copy of my book, head to the Sea Club store at the dive center.)

S is for Sporting Club

Sporting clubs are the place to be – for those who can afford the fees – on weekends, after school, and especially on holidays like the one coming up (6th of October). The clubs offer various sporting facilities and training – swimming, football (soccer), tennis, water polo, gymnastics, weight lifting, track and field, karate, squash, hand ball, and more! This is a photo of one of the entrances to the Ma’adi Sporting and Yacht Club, which opened in 1921. While I much prefer swimming in the sea, I do miss sipping the LE 1 lemon juices in their green gardens!

B: Buildings

This is a pretty typical example of the newer apartment buildings in Degla, Ma’adi – constructed sometime in the past 10 years or so. This building is located on Road 199, a street lined with these tall buildings. And, as you can see, they’re built pretty close together. Years ago, we looked at several flats in this area when we were shopping for a place. I remember liking the design/floor plans of many of them but couldn’t deal with such small balconies and the lack of sun and sky. In fact, that may have been what led us out of Ma’adi altogether!

Sinai Safari Slideshow

Photos and video by yours truly.

Music by Dahab from their Spirit of Sinai album, CC-BY-SA-3.0.

Video released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license (which is slightly different from the CC license of this blog).