• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

The desert around Marsa Alam is hot, blazing, and silent, its emptiness belying a history as deep as a cave full of Red Sea Scrolls. This Egyptian fishing village on the southeast coast has so far avoided the hordes of sea divers that are thronging to the faux Moor domed resorts that have popped up around the northern shores of this long sea inlet that stretches nearly 2,300km (1,400 miles) south to the Indian Ocean. Cairo is 644km (400 miles) to the north of Marsa Alam, but it could be an eternity away as you stand in this flat, eerie land surrounded by pastel mountains colored pink, green, and yellow. Such serenity rudely evaporates as you mount the modern buggy with pneumatic wheels and race across the scrabble terrain. The tall, sleek sails harness brisk winds that propel screaming racers toward the gentle dunes at 48kmph (30 mph). It certainly makes a nice break from ogling hammerhead sharks in the shimmering bays.

Desert sailing is organized by an outfit called Red Sea Adventures, based in burgeoning Marsa Alam. It’s a 2-hour excursion into the Hamata desert that makes up part of the vast Arabian desert, an inhospitable plain that runs south into nearby Sudan. A jeep takes you out into the desolate dunes where a patch of plain with strong winds proves an ideal spot for sailing without currents or buoys. The only waves are the rippled mountains of sand in the distance. After some brief instruction and donning some protective gear such as a helmet and goggles, you lie feet first and prostrate as the buggy gathers alarming speed and carries you with ease. It is certainly more exciting than a local camel ride and induces more of a rush than a visit to the nearby emerald mines. The day ends with a tiny cup of tea brewed by the local Bedouin tribe known as Ababda. You look across the ancient landscape and think of how Caesar and Napoleon may have conquered this land but they cannot claim to have done it on a sail buggy.

Marsa Alam is itself a tropical town of palm trees and mangroves divided between an ancient market town and an ambitious modern expansion of new resorts and stores besieged by the relentless desert. Goats scamper amidst the dusty streets while dolphins leap in the glistening waters. —CO’M

Red Sea Adventures ( 20/123-993860;www.redseadesertadventures.com).

When to go: Year round.

Marsa Alam.

$$ Iberotel Coraya Beach Resort, Madinat Coraya, Marsa Alam, Egypt ( 20/65/375-0000;www.iberotelegypy.com). $$ Crowne Plaza Sahara Sands Resort, Port Ghalib, P.O. Box 23, Marsa Alam, Egypt ( 20/65/336-0000;www.ichotelsgroup.com).

262

Schiermonnikoog

Wadlopen: A Walk on the Sea

The Netherlands

Low-lying Schiermonnikoog is like the pearl in a necklace of islands known as the West Frisian Islands on the Netherlands’ northern shore. At 16km (10 miles) long and 4km (21⁄2 miles) wide, Schier, as it’s known to the locals, is the smallest of the inhabited islands in the Wadden Sea, and possibly the prettiest. But at low tide, something magical happens: The shallow sea actually disappears and you can walk all the way to the next island.

Mud flat hiking—wadlopen—is a wildly popular summer pastime around these parts. Hiking on these soggy surfaces lets you see up close and personal just how alive the mud flats can be, with worms, shrimp, crabs, and fish providing sustenance for a wide range of fauna. You can actually mud-walk from the village of Kloosterburen to Schiermonnikoog (8km/5 miles). If you’re game for a wadlopen, however, don’t even think about doing it alone—Dutch law prohibits self-guided mud-walking. Always go with a tour operator or outfitter (see below) and be sure to reserve a spot well in advance—fools sure do love company.

Since 1989, the whole island of Schiermonnikoog has been protected as a national park, a remarkable collection of habitats that range from birch forests to broad, white-sand beaches along the North Sea coast. In its salt marshes and wetlands you’ll find thousands of migratory seabirds, with plenty of gulls, terns, and spoonbills.