In case you are planning a vacation in Israel, The Sinai Desert is probably one of the locations you are considering to visit. My opinion of the Sinai Desert, especially in these terror haunted days, is that everything Sinai has to offer and much more can be found inside Israel – Eilat offers some magnificent beaches of the red sea, the food is better, and Israel is much safer than the Sinai desert.



The only expectance to that general rule is if you are pursuing spots for scuba diving. In that case, Sinai does have some of the most beautiful scuba diving locations around this part of the globe. Following is some information about the different cities and villages in The Eastern half of the Sinai Desert.

Naama Bay

Naama bay is the most southern scuba diving spot in the eastern part of the Sinai Desert. It is situated just a few kilometers from Sharm El-Sheikh (the largest city in the Sinai Desert), and is actually a wonderful location for those seeking to have a nice scuba diving vacation and have the rest of the family enjoy the vacation at the same time.

Naama bay is quite a civilized and “western" place compared to the rest of the villages and resorts, with many nice hotels as well as a well kept promenade, and market. Bare in mind that Accommodation prices in Naama bay are quite high.

Shark’s bay

Shark’s bay is a magnificent scuba diving spot with a nice resort. It is situated north of Naama bay – about a 20 minute drive from there.

Shark’s bay resort is a very good place to stay if you are a diver, but if you have non divers joining the trip they will probably find it to be boring. The Shark’s bay “hotel" offers very basic accommodations at comparatively high prices.

Dahab

Dahab (“gold" in Arab) is the central and largest city for the eastern part of Sinai. It will take you about 2 and a half hours to get there from the Israeli border (Taba / Eilat), but for those who really want to get to know Sinai, it is a must see spot. There are a number of scuba-diving spots next to Dahab (like “the blue hole"), and all Dahab’s diving clubs (about 5 in total) will point you in the right direction and give you season specific instructions.

In recent years, many of the big hotel chains have opened hotels in Dahab, so that there is a good variety of prices room types and for those looking for a place to stay in Dahab.

Dahab is also a very good place for those planning a family vacation, or a combination of a scuba diving and family vacation: you may hit the lagoons, while your kids enjoy the white sand or go on a camel ride.

Nueiba / Tarabin

Tarabin (frmarly Nueiba) is a small town situated about 1.5 hours from the Israeli border. The town is much smaller than Dahab, and gives a more laid back experience. Most of the tourists in Tarabin are not Scuba divers, but are rather people looking for a relaxing stay out on the beach. Since Tarabin is a rather small place, there are not many hotels there, although it does have some hotels at affordable prices.

Ras el Satan

Ras el Satan (Satan’s head) is a wonderful scuba diving resort and diver’s village with a beautiful beach. Thee are some very nice scuba diving spots next to Ras el Satan – you will get all the needed information in one of the two local diving clubs.

Taba

Taba is Eilat’s neighboring town, and the entrance gate for those coming to Sinai from Israel. Taba is home to the Hilton Taba hotel, and apart from the Hotel casino which is the only casino in Sinai, there’s not much to look for in Taba.

I hope you find the information provided a good starting point for your trip to Sinai, and If you intend to visit Israel don’t forget to visit: http://www.israel-travel-tips.com