Sharm El Sheikh: Nature Spots
Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.
Sharm el-Sheikh’s nature is almost entirely about what’s underwater, and that’s not a knock on the destination, the reef here genuinely ranks among the best accessible diving on the planet. Here’s what’s actually worth your time, on land and off it.
Five nature spots at a glance
| Spot | Type | Distance from Sharm |
|---|---|---|
| Ras Mohammed National Park | Marine + mangrove | ~12km SW |
| Nabq Protected Area | Mangrove + desert reserve | ~12km N |
| Straits of Tiran | Marine, drift-dive reefs | ~2h by boat |
| House reefs (Naama, Ras Um Sid, Shark’s Bay) | Shore-accessible marine | In town |
| Colored Canyon | Desert geology | Bundled into a Sinai day trip |
Ras Mohammed National Park, the headline reserve
Ras Mohammed, established in 1983 as Egypt’s first national park, covers 480 km² of land and water at the Sinai’s southern tip, and the numbers back up the reputation: 220-plus coral species, over 1,000 fish species, 40 starfish species and 100-plus mollusk species recorded within its boundaries. Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef are the signature dive walls, but the park’s southern end also holds a shallow ~1.16km Mangrove Channel, a quieter, shallower ecosystem worth asking your boat operator to include if diving isn’t the whole plan.
Nabq Protected Area, the Red Sea’s northernmost mangroves
Nabq, a 600 km² reserve about 12km north of Sharm, holds the northernmost mangrove stands in the entire Red Sea and Indian Ocean region, a roughly 4.5km fringe of Avicennia marina serving as fish nurseries and bird nesting sites. It’s genuinely biodiverse, 208 hard coral species and 438 fish species, plus more than 20 globally threatened species including marine turtles, dugongs, ospreys and Nubian ibex, and it’s co-managed with input from the local El Mezina Bedouin tribe rather than run purely top-down.
The Straits of Tiran, for the strong-current version of this reef
The Straits of Tiran, the narrow passage between the Sinai and Saudi Arabia’s Tiran Island, hold a reef chain, Jackson, Gordon, Thomas and Woodhouse, known for strong currents and larger pelagic fish, sharks, barracuda, tuna, than the calmer house reefs closer to shore. It’s a worthwhile add if you’ve already done Ras Mohammed and want a harder dive, reached by about two hours’ boat from Sharm’s marinas.
The house reefs, if you want nature without a boat
Naama Bay, Ras Um Sid, Shark’s Bay and the “Gardens” reefs are Sharm’s shore-accessible fringing reefs, shallower and current-light compared to the boat-based drift dives, and the standard training ground for PADI open-water certification. Water temperature runs roughly 21-28°C year-round, warmest in late summer, coolest around January and February (verify exact monthly figures with a local dive shop).
The Colored Canyon, for desert geology over marine life
The Colored Canyon, near Nuweiba, is the desert counterpart to everything above, a narrow sandstone slot up to 40m tall, striped red, pink and orange by mineral deposits, formed as an ancient retreating sea cut through the rock. It’s usually folded into a broader Sinai desert-safari day rather than sold on its own.
Reef etiquette that actually matters here
Don’t touch or stand on coral, maintain buoyancy control if you’re diving, and watch for stonefish and lionfish, present on popular sites including the Thistlegorm wreck. These aren’t boilerplate rules, Sharm’s marine park has genuinely tightened coral-protection enforcement in recent years, and some operators now check sunscreen before letting divers in the water.
For the diving and day-trip logistics behind these spots, see our day trips guide and things to do guide . Browse a Ras Mohammed or Nabq snorkel trip before you land, peak-season boats fill a few days out.
One concrete move: bring reef-safe sunscreen specifically, not just “reef-friendly” marketing on a bottle. Several operators now check before you get in the water, and it’s a genuinely easy thing to sort before you leave home rather than scrambling for it in a resort gift shop.