Best Activities and Attractions in Sharm El Sheikh

Look, Sharm El Sheikh gets a lot of hype, and usually, when a place is that famous, it ends up being kind of a letdown. This isn't. It’s genuinely bizarre how you have these massive, plush resorts sitting right on the edge of total, empty desert. But the real star of the show is the water. You know those heavily filtered, color-corrected Instagram photos of the ocean? That’s literally just what the Red Sea looks like here. You don't even need a filter. It’s just that blue. 

If you do exactly one thing while you're there, make it Ras Mohammed. Even if you aren't a certified scuba diver, just renting a cheap snorkel set changes everything. You basically just wade in from the shore, and suddenly you're hovering over these massive brain corals with hundreds of neon fish swarming right under your face. It feels totally unreal. Like, you almost forget you're breathing through a plastic tube.

You’ll probably end up on a boat at some point, too. Everyone does. The trip out to Tiran Island is practically a requirement. A quick heads up though—actually wear sunscreen, because that Egyptian sun reflecting off the water will absolutely destroy your shoulders by noon. Sometimes you just get lucky and a pod of dolphins will pop up next to the boat, which is amazing, but honestly, just jumping off the upper deck into the deep blue water is enough of a thrill for me. They also do those glass-bottom boat tours which sound super touristy, but are actually pretty cool if you just want to stay dry.

The desert safaris are a totally different vibe. You trade the salt water for pure dust. Renting a quad bike and ripping through the sand dunes is loud and kind of chaotic, but so much fun. Camel rides look incredibly romantic in movies, but are actually just genuinely uncomfortable. Still totally worth doing once just for the photo ops, though. The absolute best part of the desert trip is when they take you to the Bedouin camps at night. Sitting in the sand, drinking ridiculously sweet tea, and looking up at a sky with absolutely zero light pollution... that's the stuff you actually remember years later.

As for the nights, Naama Bay is pure sensory overload. It’s loud, crowded, and there are guys everywhere trying to coax you into their restaurants or souvenir shops. Some people find that annoying, but I kind of love the chaotic energy of it. If that sounds like a nightmare, maybe because you're traveling with kids, Soho Square is the move. It’s way more polished. They put on these massive stage shows and acrobatics that are genuinely entertaining. 

Basically, it's impossible to get bored. I’ve been twice and still feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what there is to do.