Best things to do in Dahab

Dahab sits on the Gulf of Aqaba, and the things to do there split between the sea and the mountains: snorkeling at the Blue Hole a short drive from town, a quad and camel ride into the desert, and a night climb of Mount Sinai for sunrise with St Catherine's Monastery after it. For the pyramids, Cairo is a day away by plane. Each is explained below, along with the tour that covers it.

What is Dahab known for?

Britannica calls Dahab the only sheltered harbor along the Gulf of Aqaba. It is also known for the Blue Hole: in September 2025 Egypt's environment minister described the Blue Hole area as one of the most important diving sites in the world, in a statement published by the Environmental Affairs Agency.

At the sea

Snorkel the Blue Hole

The Blue Hole lies in the Abu Galum protectorate, declared in 1992, whose entry fees are now collected by electronic payment machines, according to the Environmental Affairs Agency (April 2026). Snorkeling means swimming at the surface with a mask, a breathing tube and fins. The Blue Hole is the first stop of our Blue Hole, quad and camel trip, 9.7 km from your hotel, about 14 min without traffic, with snorkeling gear, water and soft drinks and an English-speaking guide included; lunch is optional and not included. The listing names a meet-and-assist service rather than a hotel pickup, so confirm it when you book. See the Blue Hole page.

In the desert

Ride a quad into the desert

From the Blue Hole the same trip drives 9.7 km, about 14 min without traffic, to the desert for a quad bike ride; the quad is in the included list.

Ride a camel

The trip ends with a camel ride, also included, before the transfer back to your hotel. More desert days are on the desert experiences page.

In the mountains

Climb Mount Sinai for sunrise

Mount Sinai rises to 7,497 feet (2,285 meters) and has long been accepted in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition as the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments. Our Mount Sinai and St Catherine's tour is private, with an English-speaking guide; the mountain is 129 km from your hotel, about 2 h 6 min without traffic, and the climb is at night, for sunrise. The monastery's own guidance: visitors usually go up the Camel Trail, a longer and more gradual path, while the older Steps of Repentance, some 3,750 steps, are shorter but steep; the climb takes five to seven hours in all, a flashlight is needed at night, and temperatures differ greatly between day and night. The tour's listing gives no times, so the timing is confirmed when you book. The Mount Sinai from Sharm or Dahab guide compares the two starts.

Visit St Catherine's Monastery

The monastery was founded in the 6th century and, according to UNESCO, is the oldest Christian monastery still used for its original purpose. Its icons, some painted before the 8th century, and its manuscripts, mainly Greek and Arabic, are its greatest treasures, according to Britannica. It is open 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and closed on Fridays, Sundays and Greek Orthodox feast days; visitors may enter the church and the area next to it. On our tour the entrance fee is included; the monastery is 9.3 km from Mount Sinai, about 42 min without traffic, and the drive back to Dahab is 128.6 km, about 1 h 36 min. See the St Catherine's Monastery page.

In town

The Byzantine fort on El Mashraba hill

On El Mashraba hill in North Dahab, excavations from 1990 to 1993 uncovered a lighthouse inside a large fort with Byzantine foundations, surrounded by a wall, with rooms, a well and store rooms; there is an anchorage in the old part of Dahab. The site is on UNESCO's Tentative List. It is not on our tours, and our sources hold no visiting hours for it.

A day in Cairo by plane

Stand at the pyramids and the Sphinx

Cairo in a day by plane is private, with an English-speaking Egyptologist (a guide trained in ancient Egyptian history). You fly from Sharm El Sheikh, 89.3 km from your hotel, about 78 min without traffic, and the flights are not included in the tour price. In Cairo, the pyramids of Giza are 41.5 km from the airport, about 46 min; then come the Sphinx and the Valley Temple. Going inside the Great Pyramid is optional and not included.

See Tutankhamun's treasures at the Grand Egyptian Museum

After lunch at a local restaurant, the tour visits the Grand Egyptian Museum, 6.8 km from the Sphinx, about 11 min; its standard admission includes the Tutankhamun Galleries. On the way home, Dahab is 92.4 km from Sharm airport, about 74 min without traffic.

The Dahab day trips guide compares the three days, and every tour from the town is on the Dahab page.