Dahab

Dahab is one of Egypt's most popular tourist attractions, offering a superb combination of excellent scuba diving and a quiet and laid-back attitude, popular with backpackers and a welcome contrast to the too crowded Sharm El Sheikh, 80 kilometers to the south. The Blue Hole, which is best dived from El Bells, a tight (but easy) opening to the outside wall, and the Canyon, a deep rock cleft on a gently sloping reef dotted with little coral bommies and vast numbers of fish, are both easily accessible from the shore.

Big stuff passes by seldom, but there's enough to see, and lounging in the Bedouin cafés is a peaceful way to pass the time on the surface. Masbat's center district is brimming with beach-front bars and restaurants (in a good manner) and affordable lodging, with larger hotels farther south in Mashraba. If you don't mind getting up early, day tours to Tiran, Ras Mohamed, and the Thistlegorm are available.

How to get there: Fly into Sharm and take an inexpensive taxi to Dahab. The ride is approximately 1.5 hours through some magnificent desert scenery, your accommodation or dive centre will be happy to arrange transfers.
Location: southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt