7 Days in Sharm El Sheikh
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Travel advisory: Sharm el-Sheikh and the Red Sea resort strip are explicitly excepted from the Sinai’s do-not-travel zones and treated as normal, low-risk tourism, provided you fly in. Day 6 below crosses into the Sinai interior for St Catherine’s Monastery, which carries its own “all but essential” caution and needs the full Egyptian visa, so read that section carefully. Check your own government’s current advisory throughout.
A full week fits every major Sharm excursion without rushing: three dive days, Dahab, St Catherine’s Monastery, and a desert day. For a shorter version without the inland trip, see the 5-day itinerary .
Day 1: Arrival and Naama Bay
Land at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport (SSH) and taxi to your resort, agree the fare first, roughly EGP 150-300 for a Naama Bay run. Settle in at the beach or pool, then dinner on Naama Bay’s promenade, budget EGP 300-500 per person.
Concrete tip: exchange cash to EGP on day one, taxis and vendors want pounds even where resort restaurants take cards.
Day 2: Ras Mohammed National Park
A day-boat trip to Ras Mohammed, about 12km southwest, is the priority: a two-dive trip runs roughly $60-90 per person (about EGP 2,400-3,600 at over 40 to the dollar, verify both figures), snorkel-only around $35-50. Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef, plus the Yolanda wreck’s scattered cargo, are the highlights.
Concrete tip: book before you land, peak-season boats fill a day or more ahead.
Day 3: Straits of Tiran
Certified divers should book the Tiran reef chain, Jackson, Gordon, Thomas and Woodhouse, strong-current drift dives typically $70-100 per person for two dives. Snorkelers can usually join the same boats for around $40-55.
Concrete tip: confirm the site suits your certification level with your dive guide before committing.
Day 4: The SS Thistlegorm
A multi-hour boat run to the WWII cargo ship sunk in 1941, typically $100-140 per person for certified divers. Bedford trucks, motorcycles and two locomotives are still visible in the holds.
Concrete tip: departures run early, often before 6am, confirm your pickup time the night before.
Day 5: Dahab and the Blue Hole
Head 80-90km northeast, roughly 1-1.5 hours, to Dahab for the Blue Hole’s safe recreational reef, genuinely dangerous only for the untrained attempting its submerged Arch tunnel. Day trips including transport run roughly $40-60 per person, and Dahab’s laid-back atmosphere and cheaper food are a deliberate change of pace from Sharm’s resorts.
Concrete tip: ask for an early departure, the road trip eats into the day.
Day 6: St Catherine’s Monastery
The interior day: roughly 2.5-3 hours’ drive each way, organized-tour-only, typically $80-120 per person. St Catherine’s Monastery, built 548-565 AD, is the world’s oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2002. This route needs the full Egyptian visa rather than the free resort permit, since it leaves the Sharm/Dahab/Nuweiba/Taba strip.
Concrete tip: confirm the current visa and advisory situation for this specific route with your operator before booking, it’s the one day worth double-checking closest to your travel date.
Day 7: Nabq, desert safari, and departure
Choose between a Nabq Protected Area visit for its mangrove channels and wildlife, or a quad-bike desert safari with a Colored Canyon stop, both roughly $40-70 per person for a half-day. Use the rest of the day for Old Market shopping before your departure transfer.
Concrete tip: build in a buffer before your flight, Sharm’s airport can back up at peak departure times.
For where to base yourself across a full week, see our best places to stay guide, and our Sharm el-Sheikh travel tips page covers the etiquette and money details that come up most.