Dahab

Dahab is a small oasis town by the side of the Red Sea. Dahab in Arabic means 'gold'. It lies about 100 km north east of Sharm, just off the Sharm - Eilat road that goes through the Sinai peninsula. Despite its size it is remarkably busy. The first thing that you notice is the profusion of beach side restaurants – open air with low comfortable carpeted sofas, cushions and music. The food is invariably good and reasonably priced. There is a large variety of menus to choose from. The nightlife is quite exciting. During the day the local Bedouins walk their camels up and down the streets of the town trying to tempt you to go for a camel ride (highly recommended). Gift shops abound ranging from leather goods and T shirts to more obscure services such as finger nail painting. Dahab attracts two main kinds of tourists – divers and young people either intent on an alternative lifestyle or something a little more adventurous.

Just to the north of Dahab lies a Bedouin settlement - Asilah - where the standard of life is a little more ‘biblical’. Camels and the floppy eared goat are common, semi desolate buildings, thatched huts, palm trees and a lack of women strike one. Just beyond the settlement the road becomes a track across the sand and stones of the desert. The scenery is imposing as the reddish hued mountains of Sinai encroach upon the blue sparkling water of the Gulf of Aqaba.

---