Red Sea & Sinai by Betts Vanessa;

Author:Betts, Vanessa;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides Ltd

Places in Nuweiba

Lounging on the beach, swimming and snorkelling, and playing backgammon, billiards or dominoes are about all one does in Nuweiba itself. The wild dolphin, Oleen, which befriended Abdullah, a local deaf Bedouin, and became a rather dubious tourist attraction for a while, is no longer seen these days. There are plenty of enterprising local Bedouin who organize camel treks and jeep safaris into the magnificent interior for day trips and more extensive overnight safaris. Many visitors also make short trips to Petra in Jordan via the ferry to Aqaba.

Tarabeen

A 20-minute walk along the beach north of Nuweiba city lies the Bedouin settlement of Tarabeen, sprawled along a stunningly beautiful bay. Reminiscent of Dahab a decade back, there are traditional ‘camps’, Bedouin-style restaurants and a couple of hotels scattered about a dirt road alongside mini bazaars where shopping is relaxed and easy. However, since the outbreak of the first Intifada in late September 2000, Israelis, who made up over 80% of the tourism around Nuweiba, have virtually stopped coming. As a result, several camps and restaurants have closed, trash is washing up on the shores, and there is a tangible air of sadness in parts. Yet many camps are keeping standards up while the authorities are have recently been trying to smarten the beachfront up, and it’s easy to fall in love with the place. From the shore you can see the mountains of Saudi Arabia painted pink on the near horizon as the Gulf of Aqaba narrows towards the north, and as night falls tiny clusters of lights come on in villages across the water – it is utterly magical.

Nuweiba to Taba

Along the striking stretch of shore between Nuweiba and Taba where rugged red mountains twist and turn and pour down to the sea, there are several scatterings of Bedouin camps and tourist villages that offer respite and serenity away from the more trafficky resorts of the south. They all are accessible via bus or service taxi; simply ask the driver to drop you by the roadside at your desired destination. Some camps are dilapidated forgone attempts falling apart at the seams, others are gems and sensitive to their environs. Notable is Ras Al-Shaitan, which means ‘Devil’s Head’, an area named for a peculiar rock formation by the beach, 12 km north of Nuweiba. Here, a string of camps on the beach under an amazing virgin Sinai sky are kept busy by Israeli tourists, and there is excellent snorkelling just 20 m offshore. A downside is that the beach is stony in comparison to other places. Basata, meaning ‘simplicity’ in Arabic, is 23 km north of Nuweiba and the eco-lodge here is one of Sinai’s most popular get-aways for good reason – the beach is divine and ambiance perfect. Three kilometres north of Basata and 30 km south of Taba is Bir Sweir, where a 2-km-long swathe of soft sandy beach has numerous cheap camps all offering decent facilities (due to its popularity with young Israelis), a reef excellent for snorkelling, and the sun sets on the mountains of Saudi Arabia turning the sea pink.

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