Ras Mohammed and the Sharm el-Sheikh Reefs

Egypt'S First National Park, Protecting The Reef Walls Where The Gulf Of Suez And The Gulf Of Aqaba Meet: Shark And Yolanda Reefs, The Mangrove Channel And Some Of The Richest Coral And Fish Life Anywhere In The World, With Red Sea Water Clear Enough To See It From The Surface · Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai

At the southern tip of Sinai the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba meet, and the current that runs between them feeds the reef walls of Ras Mohammed - Egypt's first national park, declared in 1983, and one of the half-dozen places divers travel the world for. The headland drops almost vertically into deep water, so coral grows in sheets from the surface down past recreational limits, with anthias in clouds, jacks, barracuda, turtles and reef sharks working the edge. Shark and Yolanda reefs on the point are the famous pair, the second scattered with the cargo of a freighter that sank in 1980, including the much-photographed consignment of bathroom suites. Inland there is a mangrove channel, a salt marsh and a crack in the rock from an earthquake. Most visitors come on a day boat from Sharm el-Sheikh, which is forty minutes away; snorkellers get a surprising amount of it from the surface.

The headland at the southern tip of Sinai, about 20 km south-west of Sharm el-Sheikh, with the Tiran and Nabq reefs to the north, Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt

The park is open daily in daylight hours and charges an entry fee at the gate; whether private cars may drive in, and on what terms, has changed over the years, so confirm before planning to self-drive rather than taking a boat or a tour. Dive and snorkel day boats leave Sharm's marinas in the morning and return mid-afternoon, which is the normal way to see the reefs. The best diving on the point depends on current rather than clock, and skippers choose the drop time accordingly. The mangrove channel and the overland viewpoints are reached by road inside the park. Sinai travel advice differs between governments and between North and South Sinai and should be read for your own nationality before booking; the resort coast is routine for foreign visitors.

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