This is from January 2026
Logistics
Fly into Sharm el-Sheikh. Transfer about 1 hour. Shared minibus ~$30. Private taxi $50-80. $25 visa on arrival at Sharm; 30 days. Extendable, but involves Egyptian bureaucracy so it’s easier to fly out and in again if you want to stay longer.
Stay
- Eel Garden: quiet, near water, no scooters. Stay here.
- Avoid anything on the main road or at Asala Square. Avoid Lagona: hotels only.
- “Heart of Dahab” in a listing means trucks at 6am and papyrus salesmen before coffee. Avoid. You want a really quiet street.
- We managed to pay around $400/month for a decent place.
Food
- Alawahy (near Lighthouse): fresh juice, 50-80 EGP (~$1-1.50).
- Darwish fish market: pick your fish, they grill it. 200-300 EGP (~$4-6) for two.
- Alpha Hummus House: hummus, falafel, best baba ghanoush I’ve had, big portions. Cheap but super slow.
- El Masri: best meat in town. Kebab, kofta, shawarma. ~150 EGP (~$3), more than you can finish.
- Avoid high street restaurants. Mid quality and 2-3X the price.
INTERNET (bring a starlink…)
TLDR: bring a starlink. There is virtually no work-quality internet in the whole town.
3 towers for the whole town. No fibre.
Cafés and Airbnbs: fine-ish in the morning, dead after 7pm. Worse in wind.
SIM: Vodafone wins. $30-50 for 40-50GB. No real 5G despite claims. Slows BADLY in evenings. You can pick it up in the Vodafone shop in the centre.
Cowork (near Blue Beach Hotel): the only one. $10/day/person (this is A LOT for Dahab). It super sucks. One call booth. Bad chairs, bad lighting. Power and Wifi cuts during calls. Children walk in selling bracelets. Noisy af.
Strategy that sort of worked: Vodafone hotspot mornings, cowork for evening calls.
Verdict: bring a Starlink Mini. Non-negotiable. These things are $200 and it’s so worth it.
Diving
Planet Divers. Recommended.
Instructors:
Araby: very friendly, his instagram https://www.instagram.com/m.r_araby/
Hamdi: very calm and friendly, relaxed, adjusts to our needs, young
Karim: calm, friendly, detailed briefing; adjusts to your needs perfectly, would be perfect for beginners, but is also expert so could do more advanced dives too
Horses
Dahab Horse Riding Club. Arabian horses, well groomed, well trained. Well-desensitized to trucks and plastic bags
Beach rides with galloping. Whole-day desert trips to an oasis (start super early, before the idiots on the quads ruin everything with noise, fumes and dust).
Galloping kicks up stones into your face, so make sure to wear sunglasses that you’re okay with breaking or get good at parallel galloping. Thorny trees at head height.
Weather (January)
Windy. Sand in food, WiFi degrades, dive sites close.
Evenings cold. Pack for autumn, not summer.
Luggage
23kg everyday. 32kg diving gear.
Didn’t need: shorts, summer clothes, most of the books.
Should have brought: jacket, Starlink Mini.
Safety
Safe. Walked at night, partner walked alone. No issues. Real dangers: rental scooters ridden by children on the promenade. Sunburn.
Social
Hippies. Everywhere. Crystals, cacao, breathwork, star signs.
Easy to meet people.
Nobody can explain what they do for money.
Other Activities
St Catherine's Monastery
Windsports
Okay-ish hiking (canyons)
Wadis (tourist attractions)
Mt Sinai
Culture
Unfortunately, not much that isn’t just for tourists.
Would I go back?
Yes. With a Starlink Mini and fewer books.
Without the internet problem, would have stayed months.