Dahab Day Trip: Blue Hole, Three Pools & City Tour from Sharm

The two-hour drive up the Sinai coast rewards you with some of the peninsula's wildest mountain-and-sea scenery before Dahab announces itself with a relaxed, barefoot charm unlike anywhere else in Egypt. First stop: the Blue Hole, the collapsed sea cave that has become diving folklore worldwide.

Snorkelers need not fear its depths: a guided swim across the shallow, dazzlingly blue lagoon leads through the gap in the reef wall known as the saddle, where corals cascade down the outer face. Certified divers can pre-book the legendary descent instead. Continue south for a second snorkel at the gentler, brilliantly colorful Three Pools reef system.

Lunch is served at a beachfront restaurant on fresh catch and mezze, followed by a short camel ride along the shoreline and free time in Dahab town — haggle in the bazaar, sip fresh mango juice at a lagoon-front café, or stretch out watching windsurfers skim the bay. Return to Sharm by early evening.