Dahab is what Sharm El Sheikh was before it became a resort city — a former Bedouin fishing village on the Sinai coast where the mountains drop straight into the Red Sea, still moving at its own unhurried pace.
The Blue Hole, a submarine sinkhole just north of town, is Dahab’s most famous dive site — stunning and, at depth, genuinely dangerous, which has earned it a dark reputation among technical divers. Far more accessible is the Canyon, a dive site with a sunlit crack in the reef that draws snorkelers and divers alike without the Blue Hole’s risk.
Above water, Dahab is defined by its laid-back waterfront promenade — low-key restaurants and cafes built right up to the shore, Bedouin-run camps, and a strong windsurfing and kitesurfing scene thanks to reliable coastal winds.
Dahab is what Sharm El Sheikh was before it became a resort city.
Dahab is more budget-friendly and backpacker-oriented than Sharm or Hurghada, with a genuine community of long-term travelers and dive instructors. It’s about an hour north of Sharm El Sheikh, whose airport is the practical gateway.