Tours in Sharm el-Sheikh

The first thing you notice in Sharm el-Sheikh is how sharply the desert stops. Dry brown mountains run right down to the shore, and then the water starts, and it is a colour you will keep trying to photograph. Most of the town faces it. Hotels, terraces and promenades all point at the sea, and the day here tends to be planned around what is in it.

Where you spend your evenings depends on what you want. Naama Bay is the part most people see first, a long stretch of cafes, shisha spots and shops where the walk along the front is the whole point. Soho Square leans toward late nights. Old Market is where you go for the noise, the haggling and a plate of grilled fish or koshari that costs you less than the hotel would. The Old Town side feels more lived in, and it is where you will see locals rather than other visitors.

But the reason to come is below the surface. The reefs here are close, clear and easy to reach by boat, and you do not need to be a diver to enjoy them. A day on the water usually means a morning at Ras Mohammed, where the coral drops away into deeper blue and the fish move in thick shoals. Then you head to White Island, a pale sandbar with shallow turquoise water around it, good for a slow float, a swim and a long lunch with your feet in the sea.

Bring a hat and more sunscreen than you think you need, because the light off the water is strong. If you want something we do not list yet, such as Tiran, Dahab, St Catherine's Monastery or a night out in the desert under the stars, ask. A local guide can usually arrange it.