Three Visits to Dahab

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Dahab Egypt - Michelin maps

Dahab sits on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, 80 km northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh on the bottom tip, 148 km south of Israel and Jordan, and across the Gulf of Aqaba from Saudi Arabia, whose desert hills are visible from the beachfront on sunrise and sunset.

Although sailboarders, kite surfers and jet skis have overrun the bay in recent years, a principal attraction of Dahab for tourists remains diving and snorkelling on the reefs which run close to the shoreline. It was this and the promise of a non-touristy resort that drew me to Dahab for the first time in 1991, just before the launch of Desert Storm on 17th January. While I had left the Sinai by the 17th, rumours of the looming war in Iraq and possible collateral attacks ran rife among tourists and locals alike.

Three Visits

I revisited Dahab twice more, in September and October 1995, while on a grand overland trip from England to Australia with my wife. We made our way to Dahab with fellow independent backpackers in September, crossing into Egypt from Aqaba in Jordan. And then we returned a few weeks later in October on a group truck expedition that we had joined in Cairo to help us travel through Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia.

After my first visit in 1991, I had raved about Dahab to anyone who would listen – which mainly meant my wife! I had loved diving on the reef, with its abundance and variety of colourful fish and coral. The sandy beaches were clean and lined with laid-back cafes and restaurants. And the locals were friendly and keen to practise their English and discuss life, politics and religion without pressing for the perennial Baksheesh.

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Twenty+ Years On

Is it wrong to want our favourite places to stay the same? Probably. It is over twenty years since I last visited Dahab. I have read tourists still flock there from all over the world. Aspects of Dahab’s villages and surrounds must have changed beyond recognition for this “old timer”.

Hopefully, the local people have benefitted from the increased tourism, and not just the international hoteliers and tour companies. And I hope the reefs have not been too damaged.

Of one thing I am sure, the sunrises and sunsets at Dahab will still be stunning!

© 2018 Robert Fairhead

This is an extract from the Travel piece with my joural entries published on Tall And True. A version of the extract is also posted on this blog (July 2018).

About RobertFairhead.com

About RobertFairhead.com

Welcome to the blog posts and selected writing of Robert Fairhead. A writer and editor at the Tall And True writers' website, Robert also writes and narrates episodes for the Tall And True Short Reads storytelling podcast. In addition, his book reviews and other writing have appeared in print and online media, and he's published several collections of short stories. Please contact Robert for further details.