If ‘laid-back’ could be defined by a place, that place would be Dahab.
And if a definition of ‘luminous blue’ was required - Dahab too would fulfil that.
This small sea-side town sits some 80 km north-east of Sharm-el-Sheik and around 120 km south of the border with Israel, on the golden-sanded South Sinai peninsula of Egypt. It is world-renowned for its reef that attracts diving enthusiasts and is a popular location for dive training - as evidenced by its over sixty dive schools. The former Bedouin fishing village, with its idyllic setting is nowadays a popular destination for adventure enthusiasts and those looking for a mellow place to relax in hippie-style in year-round sun, with breath-takingly clear waters to dip into when the urge takes over.
Home to stunning translucent aquamarine beaches, with a view across the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea, to Saudi Arabia, Dahab also offers up furious winds at times, which of course brings in wind and kite-surfing fanatics. For anything water - Dahab is the place.
The backdrop, however, is the stunning golden mountains of the southern Sinai region which offers rock-climbing, hiking and also treks into Moses Mountain - Mt Sinai (2 hours away).
It is the perfect place from which to launch from for adventure-seekers, or those simply wishing to do the most famous recreation activity in Dahab - nothing (preferably with a good book, a beach chair and an umbrella, on the waterfront).
The most dangerous diving spot on earth is located in the reef at Dahab - Blue Hole. This spot is 102m deep and is considered extremely dangerous. Most of the diving though is accessible directly from the beach.
I arrived in Dahab with two vans full of friends who were excitedly headed across for a weekend of diving. My plan was to get high (hike into the Star Wars-esque Wadi’s and hills), and chill. Diving would come later, for me. Dahab and its natural wonders welcome everyone. It’s a place for everyone with an open mind and heart. The Bedouins in the Dahab area are called Muzeina. In the past they had a self-sustaining lifestyle which was based on fishing and traditional goat herds. Today they give Dahab much of its unique, relaxed atmosphere. The Bedouins are proud people with a strong sense of identity, having preserved their sense of community and their excellent hospitality. It is extremely important to the Bedouins to maintain their original traditions and ways of life. Sadly in some ways, this is being eroded as tourism shifts up the coast away from Sharm.
At night Dahab becomes a different beast - lights, music and cafe’s turn the sleepy town into a hub of activity. After a day of adventuring, myself and my work-mates were ready for food and drinks in one of Dahab’s many sea-view cafes. Drinks were cheap, with many two-for-one deals, and in a country where you cannot buy alcohol in a supermarket like back home in New Zealand, I was more than happy to down two Mojito’s thank you very much!
The main beach-front street also houses, besides hundreds of cafes, numerous shops selling clothing, beach attires, jewellery, bags, musical instruments, perfumes and other interesting things. This main street stretched for several kilometers and made for a wonderful early morning walk when no one was about, in order to watch the sunrise or catch a glimpse at least, of golden hour before the rest of Dahab woke up. I got the feeling that wasn’t happening early!
Image above: The main walking path that divides Dahab from the beach, goes for literally kilometers and is the perfect way to get some exercise in the mornings before sun-up. It is also a great place for cycling, running and roller-blading.
Some keen people though, and a few street dogs and cats, wandered lazily about as Dahab began to stir. Some keen divers were already in the water and a couple of joggers bounced passed.
I walked 15 km’s before coffee.
Hard-going for a girl addicted to caffeine.
I didn’t miss it in that moment, but when I did find someone who could make an ok latte, my plan was to make the most of it while I could.
I breakfasted on the water-front in a colour cafe strewn with vibrant rugs and cushions.
The waves outside crashed close to the white-washed windows letting in the warm Gulf breeze.
Cats of all ages and markings acquainted themselves with my breakfast and I, making it known they were happy to receive any small offering that might happen to fall onto the floor next to me. I obliged - knowing all well this wasn’t helping the cafe owner at all. I’m a sucker for a small cat.
Actually I’m a sucker for a big cat too.
The drive to Dahab from Cairo takes about 6 hours each way. It involves going under the Suez Canal by way of a tunnel, and through many checkpoints where you may or may not have your bags and travel documents checked (so always carry passport with you) and where you will travel under some seriously hardcore x-ray machines.
Images above (click in!): The view out the driver window; under the Suez Canal; sunset on the Gulf of Suez close to the canal. You can see big ships in the horizon.
I opted to leave the vehicle rather than remain inside as it went through the x-ray. It is vitally important to not photograph anything at all at these points when police or military are visible. Egypt is a heavily militarised country with police and military vehicles visibly present around strategic points in Cairo (particularly in the area where I live, as it houses the Israeli Embassy which was attacked in 2011). This gives a clear message that people must tow the line, but also adds to feelings of security - in a way … I think? It is hard to forget though, that in the Sinai, just a few hundred kilometres away, the Northern Sinai is a heavily conflicted area with travel there pretty much out of bounds.
Egypt and Israel have worked together in this area to tighten the reins on Jihadist insurgents, but it is still important to remember that many Egyptians do not support increasing relations with Israel and so therefore tensions remain somewhat high. It is an interesting region to say the least, especially heading through Sharm-el-Sheik and the massive walls around the city. One has to wonder why.
Apparently it's to stop people “wandering into the mountains”.
There are two ways to get to Dahab; the shorter way involves cutting through the bottom third of the Sinai Peninsula on a winding road that takes you near St Catherine, through the mountains, and the other skirts down the Gulf of Suez, around the bottom and up the Gulf of Aqaba, via Sharm-el-Sheikh - a flatter, longer but faster route. The latter also involving more checkpoints.
Anyway … with the Red Sea on our left as we headed home to Cairo after a weekend of gratuitous lolling about, and the rugged mountains of the Sinai on our right, I knew I would come back to Dahab, as two nights simply was not enough. The lazy rolling in of the waves, the sun, the cats, the dogs, the cafes and eateries, charming shops, walkways, buildings and impressive Queenstown-like mountains pushing up against the clear luminous blue of the Red Sea, had me feeling like this was a place I could spend more time in.
The call to St Catherine and Mount Moses is also strong and I will attempt to make this trip at some stage; sooner rather than later as a proper mountain fix is much needed. I am used to having autonomous access to mountains, lakes, rivers and nature - there's none of that in Cairo - at least none that makes me feel I can touch nature. I have become a couch-sitter. A watcher of the world outside my window. The urge to inhale exhaust fumes, in the name of exercise, is not big in this one, Obi Wan. Roll-on the next Dahab adventure so that I can exhale.
Click in to the images above to view full size.