With all the negativity in the world these past few weeks, I've been privileged to spend some more time in Dahab. You've probably never heard of this small Egyptian town halfway up the Sinai peninsula, but if you want an example of how multiculturalism can thrive, it's the perfect place. There's little money here, but there is happiness.
In Dahab, nobody worries about where you're from, what you look like, or the clothes you choose to wear. Egyptians and Bedouin live alongside the English, French, Germans, Russians, Swiss, Italians, and New Zealanders, to name but a few. Women wearing hijabs happily co-exist with those who prefer bikinis, and men can be found in jeans, shorts, and gallibayas. Beards optional.
Every time I go to Dahab, I immediately feel at peace, yet if I tell people at home I'm heading to Egypt, the announcement is usually met with gasps, looks of horror, and cries of, “Surely that isn't safe?” On the contrary – I feel safer there than I do at home in London. In London, I wouldn't walk alone on the backstreets at night, but in Dahab, I don't worry. The biggest danger is getting lost!
Of course, there are problems like any other place – the police can cause irritation, a rare rainstorm this year has brought flies, and there's a sugar shortage at the moment. Yes, there's a black market for sugar. But since the government allowed the currency to float freely, the black market for currency has disappeared. And over here, if there are problems then everybody helps each other to solve them. There's a real sense of community.
Common languages are English and diving. Most people speak both to some degree. Although things sometimes get lost in translation, as can be seen from a recent conversation…
“I'm looking for Eid. Can you help?”
“Eat? You want to eat? Ah, the restaurant is that way.” *Points*
“No, Eid. The person. His name is Eid.”
“You need to go that way for the restaurant.”
*Shakes head* “No, Eid. Brother of Salah.”
“Ah! Eid… He's on the roof.”
I love to visit each year, and it's the people and the culture that keep bringing me back, as well as the activities. So, I thought I'd post my highlights in case it helps anyone else who's thinking of taking a trip there…
First, there's the diving. Dahab has dozens of dive sites, and many of them are accessible from shore. If you have to pick a few, I'd suggest these ones:
Blue Hole – A natural sinkhole just a few metres offshore, the Blue Hole plunges 112 metres straight down. There's also a beautiful reef around the edge.
Canyon – This cavern has an easy entrance the view is spectacular looking up from the depths. There are often interesting creatures hanging around outside too – eagle rays, or even a whale once!
Eel Garden – Eels pop up from the sandy slope, burrowing back down as divers approach. If you're lucky, the trunk boxfish will also come to play with you.
Gabr el Bint – A beautiful coral garden, accessible only by boat or camel.
The Lighthouse – One of the easiest dive sites to get to, as it's right at the end of the high street. You can walk there from most dive centres, and it's great for night dives.
Islands – An undersea treasure trove of coral pinnacles just off the lagoon.
I dive with Sinai Divers, but are many dive centres in town, and safety is paramount here. If you need to buy diving gear, I'd suggest waiting until you get to Dahab because there's a huge choice and it's cheaper – I'd recommend the Mr. Amir at the Suunto shop (fixed prices in Euros) and Scuba Too just behind the lighthouse.
If scuba isn't your thing, there are plenty of other watersports available at the lagoon – windsurfing, wakesurfing, kitesurfing, and wakeboarding. My teacher is Franco from the Dahab Extreme Club at the lagoon, but there are similar clubs near most of the big hotels.
The food is another great thing about Dahab, helped by the variety of nationalities resident there – you can find excellent Indian, Chinese, Italian, and Thai food as well as traditional Egyptian fare. Here are my top picks:
Indian – Namaste (Lighthouse Road)
Chinese – The Kitchen (High Street near the bridge)
Vegetarian – Carm Inn (High Street)
Italian – Eldorado (on the promenade past the Coral Coast hotel)
Meat/fish – Ali Baba's (High Street near the bridge)
Egyptian – Not a restaurant, but the koshary made by Ali, who comes round with a hand truck each morning
Ice cream – Nirvana (High Street near the lighthouse)
For street food, there's a community market every Friday from 1 p.m. behind Sheikh Salem House.
If you're looking for something to do that doesn't involve water or eating, there are plenty of attractions around. Take a trip into the desert to look at the white canyon, or visit St. Katherine's monastery on Mount Sinai. If you fancy going a bit further afield, it's possible to visit Petra in Jordan by taking a catamaran across the Gulf of Aqaba, or you can get to Jerusalem by bus.
If you'd rather travel on four legs, there are plenty of horses and camels around. Horses can be found in town – I ride with Kamal, who stands at the back of the Dahabeya hotel, and camels are everywhere around the Blue Hole and Three Pools dive sites.
If you need to work, there's the CoworkInn at the Blue Beach Club hotel, which has plenty of friendly digital nomads in residence as well as good WiFi and a Snickers the cat who likes to help out 😉
And the sunset over Dahab, because it's beautiful, just like the rest of the town…
If you'd like to hear more about Egypt, the first book in my Trouble series, Trouble in Paradise, is set in an Egyptian town inspired by Dahab. Many of the anecdotes in there are true – I'll leave you to guess which ones…
*All photos are my own*
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