Sharm El Sheikh Airport to Dahab
Overview
Dahab has always drawn a different crowd from Sharm el Sheikh's resort strip, and the coast road between the two towns is part of the appeal, tracing the Gulf of Aqaba with the mountains of Saudi Arabia visible across the water for much of the way. At Sharm el Sheikh Airport, a name board is held up the moment you clear customs, and rather than circling the resort strip's hotel row the way a shared minibus would, your driver turns straight onto the coast road heading toward Dahab's lagoon and dive sites. Group divers travelling with tanks and equipment bags are usually matched to the larger Sprinter, and once our WhatsApp desk has written down the fare for this Sharm El Sheikh Airport to Dahab route, the same car and driver handle the return leg after the trip.
Highlights
- Coast road hugs the Gulf of Aqaba for most of the drive
- Saudi mountains visible across the water on clear days
- Meet-and-greet with a name board at Sharm el Sheikh arrivals
- Direct route bypassing the resort strip's hotel stops
- Suits divers heading straight for Dahab's Blue Hole sites
- Same private car available for the return airport transfer
- Dahab's relaxed lagoon pace differs sharply from Sharm's resorts
- Sprinter option fits dive groups travelling with equipment bags
Route details
About the destination
Dahab grew from a small Bedouin fishing village into one of the Red Sea's best-known diving and backpacker towns, and it has kept a low-rise, unhurried character that sets it apart from the large resort hotels further south. The town centres on a shoreline promenade of cafes and dive shops facing the lagoon, with the famous Blue Hole site a short way up the coast drawing divers from well beyond Egypt. Visitors here tend to be independent travellers, divers and yoga groups rather than package resort guests, and accommodation ranges from simple guesthouses to a handful of larger hotels along the bay. Evenings are spent on cushions at a beachfront cafe rather than at a formal restaurant, with the pace noticeably slower than anywhere else on this stretch of coast.
Hotels nearby
- Le Meridien Dahab Resort
- Hilton Dahab Resort
- Nesima Resort
- Ganet Sinai Ecolodge
Landmarks nearby
- The Blue Hole diving site
- Dahab Lagoon
- Ras Abu Galum protected area
- Assalah promenade
Restaurants nearby
- Yalla Bar and Restaurant, on the seafront
- Ralph's German Bakery
- Nemo's Restaurant, facing the lagoon
- Shark's Bay beachfront cafes
Good to know
- Have your dive certification and logbook packed accessibly if diving soon after arrival
- Change some cash at Sharm el Sheikh Airport, since Dahab's cafes often prefer cash
- Pack reef-safe sunscreen, as Dahab's lagoon and reefs are sensitive to run-off
- Bring a light jacket for the coast road, which can be breezy after sunset
- Confirm your guesthouse or hotel name clearly, since addresses in Dahab are informal
- Keep your passport handy for checkpoints along the Sinai coast road
- Book dive centres in Dahab ahead if you plan to visit the Blue Hole