Sharm El Sheikh Travel Guide: Areas, Reefs, Weather and Day Trips

Sharm El Sheikh is a Red Sea resort city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in Egypt's South Sinai Governorate. It is best known for coral reefs that start a short boat ride from the beach, with Ras Mohammed National Park and the Tiran reefs as the two classic snorkeling trips. It is also the usual base for day trips into the Sinai desert and up to St Catherine's Monastery.

Key Takeaways

The city is spread over separate centers: Nabq, Ras Nusrani, Naama Bay, Umm Sid and Sharm El Maya, with the Old Market and Hadaba south of Naama Bay.
Flights land at Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (code SSH).
Average highs run from about 22°C (72°F) in January to about 38°C (100°F) in July, and the sea stays between about 22°C and 29°C all year.
Air travelers staying under 15 days in Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba can get a free entry stamp instead of a visa (UK government guidance); trips outside those resorts need a full visa.
The UK government notes that safety standards of Red Sea boats and dive operators vary, so book trips with a licensed operator.

Where Sharm El Sheikh Is and How the City Is Laid Out

Sharm El Sheikh sits on the coastal strip where the Sinai Peninsula meets the Red Sea. It is not one compact town but a line of resort areas along the coast. Naama Bay is the busiest center, with a sandy bay, a promenade, restaurants and many of the dive centers. The Old Market, often called Old Sharm, is south of Naama Bay and is the place for spice shops, cafés and the large Al Mustafa Mosque. Hadaba sits on the cliffs nearby, and Nabq is the newer hotel area to the north, closer to the airport.

Because the districts are spread out, most visitors move between them by taxi or hotel shuttle rather than on foot.

What to Do in Sharm El Sheikh

Snorkeling and diving trips

The reefs are the main reason people come. Boat trips leave from the marina in the morning and return in the afternoon, usually with lunch on board. The two best-known trips are the Ras Mohamed snorkeling trip by boat, which heads south to the national park at the tip of the peninsula, and the snorkeling trip to Tiran island, which heads north-east into the Strait of Tiran. Our Tiran Island guide explains which reefs those boats stop at.

Desert safaris

Inland from the coast, the South Sinai mountains start within minutes of the hotels. Quad bike rides, camel rides and Bedouin tea stops are sold as half-day trips, often timed for sunrise or sunset, such as this quad bike and camel safari in Sharm El Sheikh. Our desert safari guide compares the options.

St Catherine and Mount Sinai

The longest trip from Sharm goes inland to St Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Some visitors climb the mountain overnight for sunrise, as on the St Catherine and Moses Mountain trip.

Dolphin shows and dolphin swims

Sharm has a dolphinarium with shows and paid swim sessions in a pool. These are different from seeing wild dolphins at sea: wild dolphin trips run mainly from Hurghada and Marsa Alam, where spinner and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins live on offshore reefs and local rules limit boats around them.

The museum and the town

The Sharm El-Sheikh Museum holds a collection of Egyptian antiquities. The official ticket is EGP 200 for a foreign adult and EGP 100 for a foreign student. In the evening, Naama Bay and the Old Market are the two areas to walk around.

Weather and Sea Temperature by Season

Sharm is dry and sunny all year. The figures below are long-term averages: air temperatures from the World Meteorological Organization (data of the Egyptian Meteorological Authority, 1981–2010), sea temperatures from seatemperature.org.

Month	Average high	Average low	Average sea temperature
January	21.9°C (71°F)	13.5°C (56°F)	23°C (73°F)
April	30.1°C (86°F)	20.3°C (69°F)	23°C (73°F)
July	37.9°C (100°F)	27.8°C (82°F)	28°C (82°F)
October	31.9°C (89°F)	23.5°C (74°F)	27.5°C (82°F)

The sea is warmest in August, at about 28.8°C, and coolest in February, at about 22.4°C. Winter evenings are cool enough for a light jacket, especially on desert trips, while July and August are very hot on land.

Getting There and Entry Rules

Most visitors fly into Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (SSH). According to the UK government's travel advice, travelers arriving by air who stay less than 15 days at the resorts of Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba do not need a visa and get a free entry permission stamp at the airport. If you plan to travel outside those resorts, for example to Cairo, or stay longer than 15 days, you need a full visa, which is sold at the airport or online. The same guidance gives the visa-on-arrival price as 30 US dollars, cash only. The rules depend on your nationality, so check them before you fly.

Safety

The UK government advises against all travel to North Sinai Governorate and against all but essential travel to the northern part of South Sinai beyond the St Catherine–Nuweiba road, except for the coastal areas. Sharm El Sheikh is on the southern coast, outside those areas. The same advice warns that safety standards of Red Sea boat and dive operators vary considerably and that there have been serious quad bike accidents in resort areas, so it pays to book with an established operator, wear the safety gear offered and check what insurance covers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sharm El Sheikh better than Hurghada?

They suit different trips. Sharm has the closer and more famous reefs (Ras Mohammed and Tiran) and easy access to Mount Sinai. Hurghada is closer to Luxor for a temple day trip. For a calmer Sinai town nearby, see our Dahab guide.

Can I snorkel from the beach?

Many hotels have a house reef reached from a jetty, but the best reefs are reached by boat on a day trip.

How many days do I need?

Three days covers one Ras Mohammed trip, one Tiran trip and a desert safari. Add a day for St Catherine.

Which day trips can I book?

See all Sharm El Sheikh day tours, from boat trips to Cairo and Luxor excursions.

Cover photo: Naama Bay, Sharm el Sheikh by 74papa, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.