Dahab vs Sharm el-Sheikh: Which Suits Your Trip?

Dahab vs Sharm el Sheikh comes down to the kind of holiday you want. Sharm el Sheikh is the bigger, more developed resort, with the main airport, large hotels, boat trips to Ras Mohammed and Tiran, and a busy nightlife area in Naama Bay. Dahab is a smaller, low-rise town about 85 to 90 km north, where most stays are small hotels, guesthouses and camps, the reefs start a few steps from the shore, and the desert and Mount Sinai are close. This guide compares the two side by side and shows how to combine them in one trip.

Both towns are on the coast of South Sinai and both have good reefs. The difference between Dahab and Sharm is mostly about size, pace and how you spend your days. Neither is a wrong choice, and the two are close enough to see both. From Dahab, the most common days out are the Blue Hole and Blue Lagoon snorkelling trip and the night climb on the Mount Sinai sunrise trip, both covered below.

Dahab vs Sharm el Sheikh at a glance

The table sums up the main points, which are explained below.

Size and feel: the main difference between Dahab and Sharm

Sharm el Sheikh is a resort city. Wikipedia gives its area as about 45 square kilometres and its population at around 77,000 in 2017. The number of resorts grew from three in 1982 to ninety-one in 2000, and international chains such as Hilton, Marriott, Four Seasons and Rotana run hotels there. Wikivoyage calls it the most developed and most cosmopolitan of the Sinai resorts.

The city is spread out: Nabq in the north with many all-inclusive hotels, Naama Bay in the middle with most of the clubs, restaurants and shops, and Old Market and Hadaba in the south. Moving between areas usually means a taxi or hotel shuttle.

Dahab is much smaller. Lonely Planet describes it as low-key, laid-back and low-rise. The town grew from a Bedouin coastal settlement into a place known for diving, windsurfing and independent travel. Most visitors spend their time along the seafront promenade between the Lighthouse, Masbat and Mashraba, which you can walk in an evening. The Lagoon area sits at the south end of town.

In short, the first thing to settle in Dahab vs Sharm el Sheikh is pace. Sharm feels like a large resort built for package holidays, and Dahab feels like a small seaside town. Wikivoyage‘s Dahab page notes that Sharm can feel very busy after time in Dahab.

The airport: Sharm is the gateway for both

Sharm el Sheikh International Airport (SSH) is the third-largest airport in Egypt and the largest in Sinai. It handles scheduled and charter flights, with many charters in winter. Dahab has no airport, so almost everyone heading to Dahab lands in Sharm first.

If you stay in Sharm, you are a short drive from the airport. Naama Bay is about 10 minutes away by car according to Wikivoyage. If you stay in Dahab, you add a drive of about 85 to 90 km north, which usually takes 1 to 1.5 hours depending on traffic and checkpoints. Check before you go. For all routes, including Cairo and Taba, see our guide on how to get to Dahab.

Entry stamp and visa

If you fly into Sharm and stay less than 15 days, you can enter on a free Sinai-only stamp. The UK government’s Egypt entry requirements say it covers stays at the resorts of Sharm el Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba. So both towns are covered.

The stamp does not cover St Catherine and Mount Sinai. For that trip you need a full Egypt visa, which you can get on arrival at Sharm airport or as an e-visa before you travel. Wikivoyage also says a visa is needed to leave the Sharm area, and lists Ras Mohammed among its examples. Rules change, so check before you go, and check your government’s current travel advice for South Sinai too.

Where to stay: resorts in Sharm, smaller places in Dahab

In Sharm, most hotels serve package holidays. Wikivoyage describes them as mostly three- to six-star all-inclusive hotels with very few budget options, plus private apartments and a youth hostel. Many resorts have large pools, slides, kids’ clubs and evening entertainment on site, so you can spend a whole week without leaving the hotel.

Dahab works the other way round. Wikivoyage says the town has lots of budget to mid-range accommodation and few upmarket places, with most of the larger hotels in the Lagoon area or further out. There are small hotels and pensions on the seafront, guesthouses and hostel-style places in Assalah, and a few locally run camps with simple rooms. Cafés and restaurants line the promenade, so eating out every evening is easy.

Beaches and reefs: boat reefs vs shore reefs

Both towns have good coral close by. The difference is how you reach it.

Sharm: Ras Mohammed and Tiran by boat

Ras Mohammed National Park is at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, about 12 km from Sharm. It was set up in 1983 to protect marine and land wildlife and covers about 480 square kilometres, most of it water. Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef are its best-known sites. North-east of Sharm, the Straits of Tiran have four reefs named after British cartographers.

Wikivoyage says boats from Sharm reach the Tiran and Ras Mohammed reefs within about two hours and that Ras Mohammed can be crowded, with many boats at one reef. So the best-known snorkelling and diving sites near Sharm are a boat ride away, usually on a full-day trip.

Dahab: walk in from the shore

In Dahab, the reef usually starts a few metres from the beach. You put on your mask and fins and walk in at the marked entry points. The Lighthouse reef is in town, and the Eel Garden is a short walk north. The Blue Hole, about 10 km north of town, is a sinkhole more than 100 m deep with a reef wall you can snorkel from the beach, no boat needed. South of town, Three Pools has calm lagoons inside the reef.

Further north, the road ends past the Blue Hole. Beyond it is the Ras Abu Galum protected area, which has no road, Bedouin settlements and quiet reefs, and the shallow Blue Lagoon. You reach it by boat, on foot or by camel along the shore trail.

For a full list of spots and how to reach each one, see our Dahab snorkeling guide.

The Lagoon and the wind

Dahab’s shoreline is mostly reef. The exception is the sandy, shallow Lagoon at the south end, with flat water and steady wind, which is why the windsurfing and kitesurfing schools are based there. Wikivoyage notes that Dahab gets wind on about 270 days a year.

Diving and snorkelling

Diving is the main activity in both places, and both have many dive centres. Sharm’s diving is mostly by boat: Ras Mohammed, Tiran and the SS Thistlegorm wreck, which Wikivoyage calls one of the finest wreck dives in the world but an advanced dive because of strong currents. For less crowded sites, Wikivoyage suggests a diving safari on a liveaboard boat.

Dahab’s diving is mostly from the shore. Wikipedia calls the town one of the most famous diving destinations in the world, with sites for all levels. You gear up on the beach and walk in. Deep diving inside the Blue Hole goes beyond recreational limits; snorkelling and normal dives stay on the outer reef wall.

For snorkellers, the practical difference is this: in Sharm you usually book a boat day, and in Dahab you can snorkel most days without one. On the Blue Hole, Abu Galum and Blue Lagoon trip (9:00 to 17:00), hotel transfers, a guide, a snorkel mask and the zodiac ride are included. The Blue Hole entry ticket is a protectorate fee paid on site in cash, so check the current amount before you go. You can check the time, what’s included and the current price on the trip page and book there on WhatsApp.

Nightlife and evenings

Sharm has the bigger nightlife. Most of it is in Naama Bay, where Wikivoyage lists clubs such as Pacha, Hard Rock Cafe and Little Buddha alongside many cafés and restaurants. If you want clubs and late nights out, Sharm has more choice. Wikivoyage advises checking drinks prices and any entrance charge before you order.

Dahab is quieter. Evenings are mostly dinner at a seafront restaurant, a drink at one of the beach bars on the promenade and a walk by the water. A bar or two stays open late, but there is no club scene like Naama Bay’s. Some visitors spend an evening at a Bedouin camp in the desert instead, with a fire and tea.

Desert trips and Mount Sinai

The Sinai desert starts right behind both towns, and desert trips are sold in both. Dahab is further north and closer to the canyons near Nuweiba, so desert days are a normal part of a Dahab stay.

Canyons and oases from Dahab

The Colored Canyon is a narrow sandstone gorge inland from Nuweiba, about 1.5 hours from Dahab by Land Cruiser. Its walls are striped red, yellow and purple, and in places the gap is only shoulder-wide. The White Canyon nearby is a pale sandstone valley, and the Ein Khudra palm oasis is close by.

The Colored Canyon, White Canyon and Ein Khudra trip runs from 8:30 to 17:00. It includes Land Cruiser transfers, a Bedouin guide and lunch. You walk on sand and rock with a few short climbs, so normal fitness and grippy shoes are enough. In summer the early start helps, because the canyon walls still give shade.

Mount Sinai and St Catherine

Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa) is 2,285 m high and sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. At its foot is St Catherine’s Monastery, built in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian. The surrounding Saint Catherine Area was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.

Most people climb at night for the sunrise. The Mount Sinai sunrise trip picks you up in Dahab at 22:00, climbs with a Bedouin guide and walks down past the monastery after sunrise. You are back at your hotel around 11:00. Transfers, the guide and the protectorate entry ticket are included. You need a full Egypt visa for this trip, plus warm layers, a head torch and your passport. Our Mount Sinai guide explains the routes and what to expect at the top, and our page on how high Mount Sinai is compares it with Egypt’s other peaks.

Getting from Sharm el Sheikh to Dahab

The road from Sharm el Sheikh to Dahab runs north through the mountains. It is about 85 to 90 km, and route planners give between about 1 hour and 1.5 hours by car. Police checkpoints along the way are routine, so keep your passport with you. Travel times vary with traffic and checks, so check before you go.

Your main options are:

1. Private transfer or taxi. The simplest choice. Many Dahab hotels and guesthouses can arrange a car from Sharm airport or your Sharm hotel. Agree the price before you set off.
2. Bus. East Delta and other companies have run buses between Sharm and Dahab, with few departures on some days. You need to get to the bus station in Sharm first. Check the current schedule before you travel.
3. An organised day trip from Sharm. Travel guides list Dahab as a day trip from Sharm, and trips with transport from Sharm are sold there.

Dahab Go trips start in Dahab. Hotel pickup anywhere in Dahab and the drive back are included, but Dahab Go does not pick up from Sharm. If you stay in Sharm and want to join a Dahab Go trip, the simplest way is to spend at least a night in Dahab.

Dahab or Sharm: who each one suits

There is no single right answer to the Dahab or Sharm question. When you weigh up Dahab vs Sharm el Sheikh, start from what you want to do on most days of the trip.

Sharm el Sheikh suits you if you want

• A short transfer from the airport and an all-inclusive resort.
• Big pools, slides, kids’ clubs and entertainment at the hotel.
• Boat days to Ras Mohammed and Tiran, or wreck diving on the Thistlegorm.
• Clubs and a busy evening scene in Naama Bay.
• A wider choice of international hotel brands.

Dahab suits you if you want

• A small town you can walk, with cafés and restaurants on the seafront.
• Snorkelling and diving straight from the shore, most days of your stay.
• Small hotels, guesthouses or camps rather than a large resort.
• Desert days, canyons and Bedouin evenings close by.
• Windsurfing or kitesurfing lessons in a shallow lagoon.
• Mount Sinai at sunrise as part of the trip.

Sharm’s resorts, with pools and kids’ clubs on site, make it the simpler choice for families who want everything in one place. Lonely Planet calls Dahab the Middle East’s prime beach resort for independent travellers, and it suits divers who like shore diving. Couples and groups can be happy in either.

How to combine Dahab and Sharm in one trip

You do not have to settle Dahab vs Sharm el Sheikh as either-or. The towns share an airport and are about 1 to 1.5 hours apart by road, so there are two easy ways to see both.

Option 1: stay in Sharm, then a Dahab day trip from Sharm

If you are staying in a Sharm resort, a Dahab day trip from Sharm gives you a taste of the town: a walk along the promenade, lunch by the sea and a swim or snorkel. It is a long day with about 2 to 3 hours of driving in total, so choose a day with nothing else planned. Check drive times before you go.

Full-day trips are harder to fit in this way. Dahab Go pickups are from hotels in Dahab, at 8:30 for the canyons, 9:00 for the Blue Hole and 22:00 for Mount Sinai, so it is easier to move to Dahab for a night or two.

Option 2: split your stay, or base yourself in Dahab

Another way is to split the week between a resort in Sharm and a few nights in Dahab. Or fly into Sharm, go straight to Dahab and use it as a base for the sea, the desert and Mount Sinai.

From a base in Dahab, a short stay can still cover a lot. If you only have one full day, the Dahab All-in-One day runs 6:00 to 19:00 on Mondays and Fridays only. It starts in the desert with a quad bike, a camel ride and Bedouin tea in a tent, then moves to the sea for a banana boat, a glass-bottom boat and a yacht cruise with snorkelling and lunch. Bring your passport and a copy, and closed shoes for the quad. The trip page shows what’s included and the current price, and you book there on WhatsApp.

A simple three-day plan from Dahab looks like this:

1. Day 1: Blue Hole snorkelling and the Blue Lagoon, 9:00 to 17:00.
2. Day 2: the Colored Canyon and White Canyon, 8:30 to 17:00.
3. Day 3: a free day in town, then the Mount Sinai sunrise trip with a 22:00 pickup. Keep the next day free to rest.

For longer plans, see our Dahab itinerary for 3, 5 or 7 days and the guide to things to do in Dahab. On every trip page you can check the time, what’s included and the current price, and book there on WhatsApp. There is no prepayment; you pay in cash on the day. The full list is on the Dahab Go trips page, and the All-in-One day is the quickest way to try both desert and sea if your time in Dahab is short.

Trips in this guide

More Dahab guides

Photo credits

• The Masbat promenade in Dahab with palm trees and seafront cafés — Jorge Láscar, CC BY 2.0
• Sunrise over the Red Sea from the beach in Dahab — Jorge Láscar, CC BY 2.0
• A white day boat moored off the coast of Dahab, with the mountains behind — Grand Parc – Bordeaux, France, CC BY-SA 2.0