Taba, Egypt
Bordering on three countries, the Egyptian resort town of Taba modestly carries out its mission as a border guard, offering tourists instead of loopholes and embankments picturesque bushes, azure sea surfaces and mountain ranges covered in lilac haze. This is a place for a quiet family holiday with children: there are no noisy discos and bars outside the hotel.
Proximity to Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia has become the reason for tourist attention to a cozy corner of untouched nature. It is easy and simple to rush from here on an excursion to the monastery of St. Catherine, to Mount Moses, to ancient Petra or to the Israeli city of Eilat. See educationvv.com for education and training in Egypt.
Since the resort is located in close proximity to the border, in Taba it is not recommended to walk around the city after dark. In addition, you should always carry your passport with you – in order to avoid unnecessary communication with the Egyptian police.
How to get there
Flight to Sharm el-Sheikh, then transfer from 3 to 5 hours, depending on the promptness of the driver and the number of tourists who need to be bred to hotels along the way. You can also arrive in Taba on your own by public transport, but this is a tricky business: only one bus a day goes from Sharm to the resort, it leaves around 9 am, but it’s better to check in advance, as the schedule changes slightly from season to season. From the airport to the bus station can be reached by taxi or minibus for about 5-9 EGP.
Hotels
Now on the territory of Taba, several luxurious hotels have been built, offering high-quality service and comfort. The beaches fringed with emerald gardens attract lazy guests, and the extraordinary coral reefs in sight make divers shudder. The reefs are in no way inferior to the underwater gardens of Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab. All this beauty is located very close to the shore, so bathers will need special shoes. One of the reefs is considered the most popular in Egypt.
The main contingent of guests of local five-star hotels are Israelis.
2 things to do in Taba
- Drink a cup of coffee with cardamom and sahlab, a thin rice pudding with fruit, in a small restaurant that crowns one of the mountains of the Sinai Pearl fjord (10 km south of Taba).
- Order a dish of lentils and beans called “falafel” (vegetable pancakes) for breakfast at one of the beach bars, before doing a jog along the beach.
Entertainment and attractions in Taba
Taba’s main “historical dish” is Pharaoh’s Island. The striking beauty of the island, which was once a Phoenician port, hides a lot of secrets of the life of the Egyptian Sultan Salah El Din (Saladdin). You can verify this by visiting the museum, which is open in the fortress daily from 9:00 to 17:00. Do not rush to leave the quiet backwater, because with the onset of darkness, the sky over the coast is painted with bright lights to rhythmic music. Photo frames promise to be unforgettable. An excursion to the island is a regular snorkeling on a yacht that costs 50 USD per person.
A day, or even more than one, can be devoted to exploring the Red Sea Riviera, a resort area on the Sinai Peninsula, which stretches along the Gulf of Aqaba. (You can get there by taxi.) A jeep trip for 50-70 USD to the Colored Canyon will give you not only visual, but also extreme pleasure.
By the way, excursions to Mount Moses and the Colored Canyon from Taba are much closer than from Sharm el-Sheikh.
Excursion to the monastery of St. Catherine
While in Taba, there is an opportunity to see the monastery of St. Catherine, which is the smallest diocese in the world. The main treat is the church and the chapel of the Burning Bush. On holidays, all 12 chapels dedicated to the Mother of God and patron saints open their doors to guests. It is worth taking care of a proper appearance when visiting a holy place.
Diving in Taba
Diving fans should go to the Pharaoh Islands (7 km from Taba), where boat trips are often arranged. A picturesque fortress built by the Crusaders in the 12th century is well preserved there. And the reef at the northern tip of the island is a real “delicacy” for diving gourmets. Another 8 km from the island of the Pharaohs is Fjord Bay, where you can also find many bright dive sites and no less colorful inhabitants of the resort – these places have long been chosen by hippies (obviously strayed from their own on the way to Goa).
There are three dive centers (Aqua Sport, Red Sea Waterworld and Werner Lau) that provide training courses according to PADI standards.
In general, there are many pretty grottoes and lagoons off the coast of Taba, so finding a decent place to dive there is not difficult.