3 tours you should take when you visit Dahab, Egypt!

Last time I was in Dahab, I did a whole lot of NOTHING. Yup… I got trapped in the relaxing allure that is Dahab and lost track of time. It is a little beach town situated on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt with crystal clear beaches. It has come a long way from it’s dirt road hippie days to a perfect sized paved town today with some of the best beaches and dive sites in the world. This time it was a bit different though because I didn’t visit alone. I went for a week with my boyfriend. It was his first time visiting and he was as excited as I was the first time I visited. I knew this time we wouldn’t just spend the week by the beach… I knew I wanted to do some of the tours I skipped last time I was there. I was happy last time I was there I did nothing, because now the 2 of us would be doing the tours together for the first time. I will be writing about our time in Dahab later, but for now just want to share with you 3 tours you should take when you visit Dahab, Egypt with King Safari Dahab.

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WHITE & COLORED CANYON TOUR

The White & Colored Canyon Tour takes you by 4×4 Jeep Safari to 3 very beautiful places in one trip. You usually spend the whole day over there leaving at 8 am and getting back before 6 pm. We saw the beautiful colored and white Canyons, and the Oasis of Ein Khudra. This was my first time visiting any type of canyon and I was dissapointed. The rock formations left here are amazing and breath taking. What makes it crazier is that while you are walking through the canyons you can’t stop thinking that millions of years ago this used to reside beneath the Red Sea. The hikes are easy and am sure anyone can do them. The most adventurous thing is climbing into the canyon by rope using some of the rocks as steps. In between the two canyons the journey takes you through the desert and you encounter many sand dunes and the driver makes it a real safari roller coaster going up and down side to side. Also between the hikes you stop for a few hours at a beautiful Oasis in the middle of no where for an amazing home made lunch.

PRICE – 150L.E. ($25) includes transportation to & from along with lunch.

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ST. CATHERINE MONASTERY & MOUNT SINAI TOUR

The St. Catherine Monastery & Mount Sinai tour takes you to the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments and the oldest monastery in the world. We took the sunrise trip which meant we had to leave Dahab around 11pm and make the 2-3 hour hike up the mountain before the sunrises. The hike up is an exhausting one, but can be done by just about anyone in decent shape. It’s done at night so the views are kept a secret by darkness and the only light thrusted upon you is that of a million stars above. We didn’t bring a flash light, but I would highly recommend it, if you don’t you will be tagging along with others who have one so you can know where you are going. I would also recommend to bring warm clothes because the temperatures drop tremendously on the way up. Once you reach the top you are still left in the darkness waiting for the sun to rise. When it finally does rise you see the stunning views from the summit of Mt. Sinai. It is then that every curse and drop of exhaustion is worth it. On your decent you are able to see everything you didn’t see on your way up! Once you are at the bottom you then spend about an hour or two waiting for St. Catherines Monastery to open. I must admit the wait is even more exhausting then the hike, because after you are done you really just want to go home and be in bed. Then once you are able to visit the monastery you are disappointed because it takes all of 5 minutes to walk through it and they don’t even allow you to take photos. Aside from that bit of disappointment this tour is amazing because the views from the top make it all worth it.

PRICE: 120L.E. ($20) includes transportation to & from along with admission fees. 

BLUE HOLE SNORKELING TOUR

The Blue Hole Snorkeling Tour takes you to one of the most popular diving locations in the world. The Blue Hole is a submarine sinkhole (a kind of cave), around 130 meters deep. It is a few kilometers outside of Dahab and offers an amazing look at marine life. This is nice for a day trip from the bay of Dahab. I enjoyed my time here, but must admit was disappointed with the amount of people that were there. I know that has nothing to do with the tour, but it was a bit overwhelming. It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that people started leaving that you can really enjoy the beauty of the Blue Hole. I also didn’t know until I got back that it is the MOST DANGEROUS DIVE SITE in the WORLD (the photo on the bottom right shows makeshift tomb stones for those who have perished there). Kinda crazy to think that you are snorkeling there, but this shouldn’t keep you from going because unless you are diving you have nothing to worry about. To take a break from the snorkeling and swimming you can enjoy some tea and food at the many shops and cafes at the cliff of the mountain.

PRICE 25L.E. ($4.17) includes transportation to and from along with snorkeling gear.

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KING SAFARI DAHAB

 

When you arrive in Dahab you will have many options to buy tours from. I highly recommend King Safari Dahab, because the people behind it are not only nice, but charge some of the cheapest prices for the tours they offer. I hope when you visit Dahab you take these 3 tours, because honestly they were all great and will make your time in Dahab more memorable then just the beach.

Have you been to Dahab, did you take any of these tours? If not do you plan on doing any of these tours?

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Disclosure: King Safari Dahab gave me the St. Catherine Monastery & Mount Sinai tour and the Blue Hole tour for free but they did not request that I write a favourable review or include a photo of their store front. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.