Middle East - Anthony Ham [527]
In the tourist towns of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, you’ll find plenty of small Bedouin operators who lead groups into the interior (Click here) on overnight, two- or three-day camel treks. Even more conducive to leaving the modern world behind is an expedition from one of Egypt’s Western Oases on a 4WD safari into the Sahara; such expeditions can be arranged in any of the oases, but Bahariya Oasis (Click here) and Siwa Oasis (Click here) are the most popular departure points.
Israel’s Negev Desert is less attractive than deserts elsewhere, but dusty jeep tours are possible (see the boxed text, Click here), while Desert Eco Tours (Click here) in Eilat runs some of the best Negev expeditions.
Diving
Put simply, the Red Sea is one of the world’s premier diving sites. For beginners, you’ll be blown away by this dazzling underwater world of colourful coral and fish life, extensive reef systems and the occasional shipwreck. Even snorkelling in these areas is a glorious introduction. For experienced divers, there are plenty of sites to escape the wide-eyed newbies and see underwater landscapes that are both challenging and exceptionally beautiful.
The best place to experience the Red Sea is from one of the resorts on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, with outstanding diving off Sharm el-Sheikh (Click here), Dahab (Click here) and, to a lesser extent, Nuweiba (Click here). Over on the Red Sea coast of the Egyptian mainland, Marsa Alam (Click here) is easily their match.
There are also Red Sea dive centres in Eilat (Click here) in Israel and Aqaba (Click here) in Jordan with good offshore sites, but if you’re travelling on to Egypt, it’s worth the wait – for our pick of the best dive sites in the Red Sea, see the boxed text, Click here.
Most dive centres offer every possible kind of dive course. The average open-water certification course for beginners, either with CMAS, PADI or NAUI, takes about five days and usually includes several dives. The total cost starts from around US$285; prices depend on the operator and location. A day’s diving (two dives), including equipment and air fills, costs US$65 to US$115. An introductory dive is around US$70. Full equipment can be hired for about US$20 per day. Essential reading for anyone planning on taking a course is the boxed text on Click here.
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UNDERWATER CRIMES
Most divers are natural environmentalists, which is hardly surprising given that the more pristine the environment, the better the experience for everyone. Indeed, responsible divers know well the unwritten rule of underwater exploration: look but don’t touch. But you’d be surprised what a small number of rogue divers get up to.
For a start, buying coral or shells, or removing objects from marine archaeological sites (mainly shipwrecks), otherwise known as looting, still happens. Then there are those divers who’d never dream of throwing their rubbish on the street, but don’t bother to carry their debris out with them – out of sight from land, perhaps, but not for the marine life that’s under threat from discarded plastics. Absurd as it seems, some people even think that the fish that comes for a closer look is hungry and can’t resist, despite everyone telling them that feeding the fish is a big no-no. Worst of all, a small minority of divers think it’s fun to ride on the backs of turtles.
Then there are those underwater ‘crimes’ that are more due to carelessness than greed. Whatever the motivation, the potential to damage the underwater environment forever is equally