Coral walls
Dropping into the deep.
patano — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pangalia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · patano — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Unknown — CC BY-SA 3.0 · patano — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bernadette Simpson — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pangalia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Enas elshabrawy — CC BY-SA 4.0
Egypt's most famous nature reserve, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula where the Gulf of Suez meets the Gulf of Aqaba, declared a marine reserve in 1983 to protect its coral reefs and sea life from overfishing and building, and covering hundreds of square kilometres of land and sea. Its reefs rank among the world's finest dive sites, with coral walls dropping suddenly into the deep and schools of large fish, turtles and sometimes sharks; among the best known are Shark and Yolanda reefs. On land there are desert views and indented coasts, mangroves, a shallow salt lake, cracks in the ground left by earthquakes, and small beaches for swimming and snorkelling from the shore. At the entrance stands the Gate of Allah monument, built of huge concrete blocks. The entry fee for foreigners is a few US dollars and is usually included in boat and safari trips; it is about half an hour by car or reachable by boat from Naama Bay. The park closes at sunset, and overnight stays are allowed only in designated camping areas.
Dropping into the deep.
The famous dive reefs.
Landscapes ashore.
Southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, south-west of Sharm el-Sheikh
A boat is best for snorkelling the outer reefs; a car or safari suits those who want the land, the beaches and snorkelling from shore.