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Nuweiba... More than beer and bonfires! “Turquoise waters edged by fine, sandy beaches and rimmed on both sides by barren, rugged mountain chains give Nuweiba one of the most attractive settings among Sinai’s resort towns” – Lonely Planet! And do you know what? The travel writers got it right! Nuweiba is situated on the eastern coast of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, 70 km south of Taba and 180 km north of Sharm el Sheikh and only 120 km from St. Catherine. Nuweiba, which means “Bubbling Springs” in Arabic, is a 7 km long stretched settlement developed from a barren isolated place with no infrastructure into a promising and attractive tourist destination. Nuweiba has been recently discovered by tourist investors establishing hotels along the coastline connecting it with Taba in the north and Dahab in the south. Thankfully its secluded natural beauty still lives on which acts as a perfect antidote to the sometimes commercial busyness of Sharm. The city is divided into three parts. Southwards you’ll find the port, the city, and Tarabin, the Bedouin camp and beach strip where most backpackers stay. Nuweiba city does lack a center, but has a small strip of cheap restaurants, an internet cafe, and some souvenir shops. Along the beach in the city some resorts and more upscale camps are located. To the north, between Tarabin and Taba, you’ll find even more rustic camps than you’ll get in Tarabin. All of these camps were struck hard by the lack of Is-
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raeli tourism after the Taba/Ras Shaitan bombings in 2004. The places that used to rely on Israeli visitors can seem almost dead, but on the plus side you have a high chance of solitude by the beach in this area.
What to see? The sunrise in the east, rising over the hijaz mountainrange of Saudi Arabia and the Aqaba gulf is definitely the most spectacular breath taking sight in this area. Otherwise, the area is low on historic sites but offers plenty of interesting mountain landscapes. Trekking with camels can be organised from the beach in Tarabin, otherwise, an early morning walk northwards to Red Rock (small red mountain clips by the sea) is possible (about 1 hr). The city of Nuweiba is new and built in concrete. The Bedouin village in Tarabin holds little of interest except seeing how settled Bedouins live in modern Egypt. Apart from this, you might enjoy ship-spotting from the beach.
What to do? Apart from hanging out at the beach (the beach is the jewel in Nuweiba’s crown), Nuweiba offers diving and snorkeling from the camps and hotels. A small reef is located south of Tarabin, otherwise better snorkeling and diving is found at Ras Shaitan (Devils Head), a short car ride north of Tarabin. Other great scuba diving sites just a short drive from Nuweiba include South Cove a few kilometers to the north.
MIX - January ‘12 - February ‘12