Gateway to an underwater world

When you arrive in Marsa Alam and travel to one of the hotels between El Quseir and Lahami Bay, the first thing you will want to do is relax and enjoy the sea. Diving down into the kingdom of the fish and coral in the Red Sea is a simply magnificent experience. There is more to discover in this wonder world than there is above the water. And if you want a change, you can always swap the waves of the water for those of the desert.

Snorkelling, diving and camels

As you travel to your hotel, you will see desert on one side and the beach and sea on the other, with occasional villages and resorts. The latter are all immediately beside the sea. So get your swimsuits on! Some resorts have not only a beautiful beach but also their own reef, often ideal for snorkelers. Coraya Bay is worth a mention. Or you can book a snorkelling trip; the one to Dolphin House is very popular. However, there is no guarantee that you will be able to snorkel with the dolphins. More often than not they just accompany the boats.

Experienced divers love the diving spots right down in the south. They are not overcrowded and the reefs are healthy. But further north, too, divers and snorkelers will find plenty of bays and sections of coast that are worth exploring. Stop where the seagrass grows and look out for sea cows. The plants are the staple food of these primitive mammals.

As well as the underwater world, there is the beauty of the desert to explore. You can go on foot, by quad bike or in the most traditional way: on a Bedouin camel. The Bedouins offer excursions including an evening meal – so you can step out across the vastness of the desert, swaying as you go. The rider's thoughts can roam free… and in the evening there'll be singing and laughter with the Bedouins round the campfire in the desert, as the Milky Way spreads its wonder over the barren landscape.