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History of Sinai
he Sinai has borne witness to many visitors who have crossed the land in both directions. Bronze Age Semites from Mesopotamia mined copper and turquoise here some 8000 years ago. |
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Places to visit Rest of Egypt
Cairo Only an hour by plane or 6 hours by car or bus, the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Cairo and capital of Egypt is a must for all visitors to the country. The largest city in Africa, |
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 Mangroovy National Parks / Protected Areas |
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Nabq Protectorate
Nabq Protectorate is a 600sq km area of outstanding natural beauty, comprising mountains, dunes, wadi systems, alluvial plains and mangrove stands which support a diversity of flora and fauna.
Declared a protected area in 1992, the area of Nabq Protectorate follows the broad alluvial fan of Wadi Kid, whose source is high up in the mountains of South Sinai’s interior. At the top of Wadi Kid is the flourishing oasis of Ain Kid, with its many date palms; at its base, where it opens out onto the Gulf of Aqaba, lie many sand dunes, culminating at the water’s edge with the mangrove forests.
The Mangrove tree is a unique plant which thrives in marine environments. Its root system, visible above ground, filters salt from the sea water enabling the plant to survive. Any salt not removed by the roots is exuded through the leaves and can be seen as crystalline deposits on the underside of each leaf.
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Mangroves have important functions. They stabilize and extend shorelines through their sediment retention and create a unique habitat for the wildlife they support, which ranges from a variety of invertebrate and fish species to a number of different birds including herons, storks and ospreys on their migratory paths between northern Europe and Africa.
Inland in Nabq grows the rare Arak, a bush-like tree which grows sideways on the leeward face of dunes. The roots of the Arak are used to make natural toothbrushes, which are used by many people in the Muslim world.
Nabq Protectorate is also home to some Bedouin tribes, whose activities in the protected area include fishing and herding. The Bedouin have been engaged by the authorities to work with them to protect their natural heritage and several have been employed as park rangers. Today, many of the Bedouin assist tour companies by acting as guides in the park and arranging typical Bedouin meals for the tourist visitors to Nabq to enjoy. A visitor to Mangroovy cannot afford to leave without visiting the Protectorate. |
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Ras Mohammed National Park
Ras Mohammed is a small, arid peninsula at the very southernmost tip of the Sinai. First declared a park in 1983, the area it encompasses was extended in 1989 to take in the surrounding seas of the peninsula, which are rich in corals and fish species (over 1000 species), and it became Egypt’s first marine national park. The park now covers a 480sq km area.
Most of the peninsula is an exposed coral reef plate, which has been reclaimed by the land due to a fall in sea-level. As a result there are many marine fossils to be found here. There are a number of beaches worth visiting here, from where one can snorkel and many tour companies offer excursions by land. |
On land, in the park, lives a variety of wildlife including 3 species of fox, gazelles, the Ibex (in the mountainous section) and several types of wild cat. Many of these, are nocturnal, however, so unless you stay overnight in the park at one of the designated campsites, you are unlikely to encounter them. Animals you will see on land and by the water’s edge include many different bird species; some live in the vicinity including the Osprey and Sinai Rosefinch but many more pass through on their migratory path such as the White Stork.
Divers and snorkellers often visit Ras Mohamed National Park by boat, visiting the popular dive sites for which the park is so well-known such as Shark and Yolanda Reefs and Shark Observatory. The fantastic coral reefs here support a vast amount of marine life, indeed statistics tell us that there are more fish to be found per m² in the Northern Red Sea than anywhere else in the world! The reef fish are colourful and plentiful – as a diver, you can expect to see parrot fish, lionfish, moray eels and puffer fish amongst hundreds of others. The larger pelagic species which feed on the reef species include tuna, barracuda, groupers, and, of course, sharks. Species of shark known to frequent the waters here include White and Black Tip Reef Sharks, Hammerheads and Oceanic Whitetips, all of which are more plentiful in the summer months. Other shark visitors include whale sharks, tiger and leopard sharks.
A visit to South Sinai would not be complete without a visit to Ras Mohammed, whether by land or boat. |
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Abu Galum
A Managed Resource Protected Area, Abu Galum covers an area of approximately 400sq km. It is north of Nabq Protectorate covering an area between Dahab and the port town of Nuweiba.
The area is made up of craggy granite mountains, with a number of small sinuous wadis which plunge almost vertically into the sea. The wadis support plant and animal life; over 165 plant species are to be found in this protected zone, of which 45 are unique to the area. Among the fauna to be found here include the Nubian Ibex, Rock Hyrax and Red Fox. |
| Abu Galum is less visited than the parks of Ras Mohammed and Nabq, since it is further away from Sharm and less accessible. Some parts are only accessible by camel, using the Bedouins as guides. However, if you have the opportunity to visit the area, it will certainly be worth the effort. |
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St. Catherine (or Katherine) Protectorate
Covering the mountainous interior of South Sinai, St. Catherine Protectorate encompasses a vast area of some 4,350sq km. At the heart of this protected zone is the highest mountain in Egypt, Gebel Katherina, whose summit reaches 2,641m and the smaller, nearby Mt Sinai (also called Mt Moses) at 2280m. It is here that Moses is believed to have received the Ten Commandments from God and, consequently, the site has been a place of religious pilgrimage ever since. At the foot of Mt Sinai lies the monastery of St. Catherine, built in 527AD.
The Monastery contains ancient religious manuscripts and icons, which are second only in their religious and historical importance to those held within the Vatican in Rome. Within the Monastery walls lies a Byzantine Basilica, reputed to have been built directly on the biblical site of the Burning Bush. Visitors to the Monastery are permitted to enter the Basilica where they will be awe-inspired by its ornate interior, rich in works of art including a myriad of silver lamps hanging down from the ceiling. |
The Monastery and Mt Sinai are popular visitor attractions. Many people who visit Mt. Sinai, do so to climb the mountain overnight and then wait for the dramatic sunrise over the range of mountains. For others, the Monastery itself with its huge amount of artefacts is the main attraction. Certainly, visitors to South Sinai should make a trip out to St. Catherine’s and Mt Sinai.
The mountainous environment of St. Catherine’s Protectorate supports about 1000 plant species, representing some 40% of Egypt’s total flora. As with other protected areas within South Sinai, there is a significant amount of fauna in the area.
Other parts of the Protectorate frequented by tourists include the White Canyon and Wadi Feiran which can be visited by 4-wheel drive. |
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