Sharm El Sheikh

Overview
A world-acclaimed dive centre and the most developed of the RedSea resorts, Sharm el-Sheikh has many activities, luxuryaccommodation and restaurants available. Most hotels and divingcentres are situated four miles (7km) from the city at Naama Bayand it has become a busy holiday resort with plenty of shoppingopportunities, late night entertainment and an attractive resortatmosphere. Numerous dive sites are within reach of Sharmel-Sheikh, including the huge drop-offs at Ras Mohammed in theextreme southern part of the peninsula, the Straits of Tiran,wrecks and 28 sites located along the coast that are reached byboat. Naama Bay has a gently sloping sandy bottom, is ideal fordive classes, and provides diving and snorkelling opportunities forall levels without having to use a boat or car to get there.Besides excellent diving and snorkelling, which are the mainactivities, there are plenty of watersports available if one feelslike doing more than just soaking up the sun. Add a vibrantnightlife with casinos, discos and nightclubs and one cannotcomplain of boredom.

Money
The unit of currency is the Egyptian Pound (EGP), which isdivided into 100 piastres. Most credit cards are accepted in majorhotels and restaurants. Visitors are advised to take travellerscheques in US Dollars or Pounds to avoid additional exchange ratecharges. Banks are usually closed on Friday and Saturday, butprivate exchange bureaux, called 'Forex', are open daily and banksin major hotels are open 24 hours. Cairo branches of the EgyptianBritish Bank and Banque Misr now have ATMs available that acceptVisa, MasterCard and Cirrus and are quite common in the maintourist areas.

Time
Local time is GMT +2 (GMT +3 from last Friday in April to last Friday in August).

Language
Arabic is the official language although English and French are widely spoken, especially in the tourist areas.

Shopping
Avid shoppers will find a good variety of goods in the oldmarket and Sharm El-Sheikh mall where shops sell both foreign andlocal products, including jewellery, leather goods, clothing,pottery and books. Naama Bay offers a more upmarket shoppingexperience at the Naama Centre where shopkeepers are less inclinedto bargain, but everything from souvenirs to scarves can behad.

Nightlife
Casinos, discos, pubs and bars cater to those ready to party thenight away. Entertainment ranges from dance clubs to informalhangouts, with local favourites like the Pirates Bar, Zabadi andThe Tavern Pub.

Activities
Diving and snorkelling are the main activities, but there are arange of other activities available including horse and camelriding, golf, desert safaris and health treatments, and a varietyof watersports. The desert holds numerous attractions and trips areoffered to Mt Sinai and St Catherine's Monastery, among others.

Restaurants
Between the two tourist districts of Old Sharm and Naama Baythere is a huge variety of dining options, from hotel restaurants,and international fast food chains like KFC, to local eateries andfresh fish. Anything from Mexican to Japanese is represented intown.