Sharm El Sheikh Warnings and Dangers

If you are planning on going scuba diving in Sharm it is highly recommended to have a full medical examination in resort, this may be charged at an additional cost with the diving company. Also make sure you see your doctor before going on holiday to make sure you are fit and well to dive.

It is dangerous to fly less than 24 hours after scuba diving, due to changes in pressure which may result in illness or a more severe case of being paralysed. Please dont let this put you off diving but make sure you are aware of the dangers.

I recommend you take out extra insurance to cover your scuba diving course, most insurance policies cover you for up to 30 metres if you are a qualified diver, or as a beginner accompanied with a qualified dive instructor. You will not be covered if you dive alone. Make sure you check with your insurance company because it is so important in case anything does happen. I cannot stress to you how important insurance is when doing hazardous sports.

If you are a UK citizen and hold a UK passport you do not need a tourist visa of around £20 or $15 US Dollars. We were made to buy one at Sharm El Sheikh airport only to be told by our rep that we didnt need one unless we were going on excursions to Cairo or Luxor.

Any foreign visitors who are unsure if they need a visa must check with the Egyptian Consulate before travelling. Dont be tricked into buying one at Sharm airport like we did. Also if you have an Israel stamp in your passport you will need to inform the Consulate before arranging travel to Egypt.

Remember that most of the population in Sharm is muslims. This means they see some things in a different cultural perspective than christians would do. Therefor I recommend everyone that is planning a trip to Sharm read about these differences before they leave home.

This is for not creating any unexpected situations for either the locals or us tourists.

(dress code, language, etc.)

Without wanting to make you think twice about this place, tipping of this kind happens everywhere.

The moment we landed i was approached in the toilet of all places. A local guy introduced himself and seemed friendly enough until he said do you have any money and held his hand out. I said firmly i dont and proceeded to walk out. Ive heard that alot of airport workers dont get paid alot if any at all and so getting the odd £1 out of someone means alot to them. 5 or 6 flights a day is a lucative making for them. the last thing you want after a 5 hour flight is someone asking for money.

Baggage handlers are also like this they take the cases off you and put their hands out. usually in their hands are the coins which they want to be tipped in it pounds or euros.
We paid the guy as this was new to us and wanted to make sure our luggage got to our hotel on the same bus as us.

Hi I was with my husband and 12 year old child girl and we had just finished shopping in Old Sharm. Much to our foolishness we agreed to accept the offer of a 'taxi' from somebody who claimed to be one of the shopkeeper's sons. We told him our destination and he said that his taxi was much better than the old beaten up blue and white Peugots that you see everywhere. His car was a Hyundai and within minutes he stopped and another man entered the car. It soon became apparent that things were not right as they were both assessing us constantly and asking intrusive questions. They were preoccupied with my mobile which is a top of the range Sony Erricson and they appeared to be leering at me and my daughter. Alarm bells really began to ring when they left the main road and attempted to take us down a very dark slip road. Fortunately we sensed that things were not right and when we stopped at a security checkpoint we all bailed out of the car and made a run for it. Some people may suggest that our fears were unfounded but on reflection I would strongly recommend that you do NOT get into any car unless it is a registered taxi and ideally the Peugot I have described. We were extremely frightened by the incident and feel that we let ourselves down as we have always advised our children never to speak to strangers and never to enter a stranger's car. Believe me our instincts saved us from something very nasty happening and I cannot stress how careful you should be. I believe that there are good and bad everywhere in the world so stick to your common sense and if in doubt never take the risk which is so easy when you are in the holiday spirit. Best wishes Jenny

The 2005 Sharm el-Sheikh attacks were a series of bomb attacks on July 23, 2005, targeting the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Eighty-eight people were killed and over 150 were wounded by the blasts, making the attack the deadliest terrorist action in the country's history. The bombing coincided with Egypt's Revolution Day, which commemorates Nasser's 1952 overthrow of King Farouk. The attacks took place in the early morning hours, at a time when many tourists and locals were still out at restaurants, cafés and bars. The first bomb blast, at 01:15 local time, was reported in a market in downtown Sharm; shortly after, another was reported to have hit the Ghazala Gardens hotel, a 176-room four-star establishment in the Naama Bay area, a strip of beachfront hotels some 6 km from the town centre. The blasts were powerful, shaking windows miles away. Fire and smoke could be seen rising from the explosion sites. While the official government toll a few days after the blast was put at 64, hospitals reported that 88 people had been killed in the bombings. The majority of dead and wounded casualties were Egyptians. Among those killed were 11 Britons, two Germans, one Czech, six Italians, one Israeli, and one American. Other casualties, dead and wounded, included foreign visitors from France, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, and Spain.

Hello folks!

I read the advice. I took the trip. Now I need to vent.

I am an American and have traveled to many places. I have been hassled by touts and people who wanted my tourist dollars in many places. I always try to be as polite as possible and understand that people are trying to make a living and life is tough in their country. I also have met a number of very nice Egyptians.
Having said that, I have never run into a more parasitical bunch of people in my life. I tried being polite. I used my family for various excuses to skip around Na'ama Bay, but even no thank you and la'a shakran did not work. The absolute worst was the trip to Cairo and the tip feeding frenzy there. Considering how big the pyramids are, this was an amazing thing. The security people, in white, try to keep people off the pyramids, except in the one place I saw with stairs. But, they will let you up for a price. The camel riders would offer a "free" picture and then would try and get you on their camel. One man even told me I needed a ticket for one area and he would show me around. No part of no thank you got rid of him and he was even yelling at me when I flat out told him I did not need or want his service and he would get no money from me.
Considering I took the bus and it was extremely hot, and was tired these were the last people I needed to see.
It may have just been that this is during the high tourist season, but all things considered, except for the antiquities and the snorkeling, I would have just as easily gone somewhere else.
Loved the swimming, loved the fish, loved the restaurant people at my resort and the guy at reception. The places where tips were built in, like my restaurant, were very nice. I would have paid a fee to avoid the aggrevation.
If you go to the pyramids, take pictures from as far away from an Egypatian as possible. Walk around the side towards the Solar boat museum.
Thanks for the vent...

Sharm El Sheikh and the whole of the region has been the subject of several terrorist attacks recently. IMHO this should not put you off visiting the area (see www.fco.gov.uk for up to date travel advice).

You will find levels of security very high ( police and guards in all hotel lobbies, security guards on organised excursions, checkpoints on roads) and although this feels strange at first it is actually reassuring. The country relies heavily on tourism and is making great efforts to make sure tourists are safe.

If you are planning to travel about the area independently you will need to check the procedures for entering the desert etc and be more vigilant and sensible than you might usually be on holiday but that's no bad thing anyway!

Go for it and have a great time.