Middle East - Anthony Ham [157]
For something a little more glam, don’t miss the über-hip lounge at Little Buddha ( 360 1030; Na’ama Bay; 1pm-3am), where DJs spin those proprietary Buddha Bar sounds well into the night.
If you’re up for some serious clubbing, the most popular option is Pacha ( 360 0197, ext 300; www.pachasharm.com; Sanafir Hotel; admission Fri-Wed E£85, Thu E£155; 10pm-4am), which absolutely heaves on Thursday nights. International DJs tend to play Friday to Sunday, when a heftier entrance fee also applies.
Getting There & Away
Air
Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport ( 360 1140) is about 10km north of Na’ama Bay at Ras Nasrany. EgyptAir ( 366 1057; Sharm el-Sheikh; 9am-9pm), at the beginning of the road to Na’ama Bay, has at least 10 daily flights to Cairo (from E£400 one way) and thrice-weekly flights to Luxor (from E£470 one way). There’s also one daily flight to Alexandria (E£550 one way).
Microbuses charge E£2 to E£3 for the trip between the airport and Na’ama Bay or Sharm el-Sheikh; taxis charge E£20/40.
Boat
A luxury high-speed ferry operated by International Fast Ferries Co ( 360 0936, 012 791 0120; www.internationalfastferries.com; one way adult/child E£250/150) runs between Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, departing at 5pm each Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and at 6pm on Wednesdays from the port west of Sharm el-Maya. The trip takes 1½ hours, but can be cancelled or take longer when seas are rough, particularly in January and February. There is no student discount on tickets and you need to be at the port one hour ahead of departure time to organise your boarding ticket.
Ferry tickets can be bought from various travel agencies in town. They are also sold at the ferry office at the port on the days that the ferry runs, beginning at 3pm (two hours before departure time).
If you’re arriving by ferry, don’t be pressured into getting one of the overpriced taxis close to the ferry building’s exit. If you walk up the hill to the gates, you’ll be able to pick up a taxi for half the price (E£15 to the bus station, E£25 to Na’ama Bay).
Bus & SErVICE TAXI
The bus station is behind the Mobil Station, halfway between Na’ama Bay and Sharm el-Sheikh. Superjet has services to Cairo (E£80, seven hours) at noon, 1pm, 3pm, 7pm, 11pm and 11.30pm. The 3pm service travels on to Alexandria (E£100, nine hours); there’s also an East Delta Bus Co service to Alexandria (E£80) at 9pm. East Delta Bus Co has at least eight daily services to Cairo (E£60 to E£70, seven hours), starting at 7am and ending at 5.30pm. Buses to Suez (E£30 to E£35, five hours) leave at 7am, 9am and 10am daily.
East Delta Bus Co goes to Dahab (E£11 to E£15, 1½ hours) and Nuweiba (E£22 to E£25, 2½ hours) at 9am, 2.30pm and 5pm. The 9am bus then continues all the way to Taba (E£30, three to four hours). If enough travellers get off the ferry from Hurghada and want to transfer directly to Dahab, an extra service may be provided. For St Katherine’s Monastery, you’ll have to catch the 7.30am bus to Dahab and change there. To Luxor (E£110, 12 to 14 hours), there’s one daily East Delta Bus Co service at 6pm.
Service taxis congregate around the bus station and charge slightly more per ticket than the bus. A private taxi to Dahab will cost around E£200.
Getting Around
The prices of local taxis and microbuses are regulated by the municipality. Microbuses travel regularly between Sharm el-Sheikh and Na’ama Bay for E£1. A taxi costs E£15, with larger Peugeots being slightly more expensive.
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DAHAB
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Little Dahab has come a long way from its origins as a mandatory stopover on the overland hippie trail. Even though prices have crept up, the touts have multiplied, the promenade has been paved and a Hilton has opened further south, Dahab manages to cling to its ‘chill or be chilled’ roots. Based around a Bedouin village, backed by dramatic desert cliffs and fronted by unforgettable dive sites, Dahab’s laid-back