The Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea
Sinai is about contrasts. A desert interior full of history, where Moses received the Ten Commandments en route to the Promised Land, the Pharaohs found gold and searched for their gods, and where the Bedouins camp beside ruins of Crusader Forts. Christianity, Judaism and Islam know Sinai as a holy land and over the years prophets, saints, pilgrims and warriors have crossed this vast nothingness. Mount Sinai and St Catherine's Monastery at its foot are frequently visited.
The desert comes to an abrupt end at the Red Sea, where exquisite coral reefs provide a fine underwater playground for divers and snorkelers from around the world. The coral reefs along the Sinai coastline are among the best in the world and 'diving tourism' is the most recent catchphrase on the peninsula. The Red Sea has one of the highest amounts of marine life variety in all the tropical seas.
Visitors come to experience the simplicity of sun, sea and sand, surrounded by rugged mountains, history and modern Bedouin culture.

Things to do in Egypt
Diving
The Egyptian Red Sea offers some of the world's best scuba diving with superb visibility, countless varieties of hard and soft coral, and incredibly diverse underwater topography, with spectacular wall and shipwreck dive destinations. The Red Sea has an abundant and diverse fish life including various types of grouper, stingray, parrotfish, angelfish, butterfly fish and turtles. The comfortable water temperature (64-79F/18-26C) means that diving is popular year-round, however visitors should note that outside temperatures can reach 104F (40C) in July and August.
The Red Sea resorts of Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab are the most popular bases for divers; both are situated near the southern tip of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and offer easy access to some of the best dive locations including Ras Mohammed National Park and the Straits of Tiran.