Egypt News - Property, Apartments, Villas, Land, Businesses For Sale in Egypt.
News April 02 2006
The Red Sea - Thats Egypt isn't it?
And
a great deal more. This extraordinary body of saltwater is a spectacular
haven for coral life and is steeped in legend and ancient history. Handily,
it is also an increasingly accessible holiday destination that offers far
more than the average resort strip. The lands of the pharaohs roll back
on one side, while the sea resonates biblical significance, particularly
the story from Exodus in which the waters parted to save the Israelites
from the Egyptian army: "And Moses stretched out his hand over the
sea..."
In terms of today's geopolitical divisions, the Red
Sea is bordered by Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea to the west, with Israel,
Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen to the east. It is, in effect, a watery divide
between Africa and the Middle East. It comprises an offshoot, or basin,
of the Indian Ocean, which flows into it through a narrow opening of only
17 miles or so at the Bab al Mandab strait in the south.
To the north, a thin slit into the Mediterranean has existed since 1869,
when the Suez Canal was completed. Because it is cut off from major ocean
currents and has no large rivers feeding it, the Red Sea remains amazingly
still, clear and warm, hence the abundant coral and rich animal life it
supports, from vibrant shoals of parrotfish and other piscatorial species
to sea turtles, dolphins and pelicans.
Why the "Red Sea"?
The Greeks called these waters Arabicus Sinus, referring to the obvious
narrowness of this ribbon of sea. The name Red Sea was coined later and
is altogether more perplexing. It is thought by some to be a mistranslation
of the Semitic name meaning "Sea of Reeds". Another explanation
is that the Red Sea is so called because it periodically turns a faint red
- from seasonal blooms of a type of cyanobacteria, tiny algae with a reddish
pigment that live near the surface of the water. Yet another theory takes
a more poetic tack and suggests that reflections of the area's fiery sunrises
and sunsets, coupled with its red ranges of mountains, were the inspiration.
But while no one is quite sure of the derivation of the name, there's an
increasing consensus that the Red Sea is a prime place for winter sun.
Where are the main resorts?
Much of the beach action is in the north around the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba.
Here, Israel and Jordan both have significant resort toe-holds, respectively
at Eilat and Aqaba. The former is a booming seaside city with a population
of around 36,000; the latter, visible across the water, is smaller and,
as yet, less commercial. Both offer good beaches and watersports, and while
Eilat provides a wide choice of accommodation, Aqaba is less frenetic and
makes an amenable jumping-off point for trips to Jordan's phenomenal sites
of Wadi Rum and Petra.
Egypt, meanwhile, offers four resorts on the east coast of the Sinai
Peninsula, facing the Gulf of Aqaba. Taba at the top is a short hop from
the Israeli border and remains fairly quiet, although the new development
of Taba Heights is increasingly popular. An hour or so south, the port town
of Nuweiba offers magnificent beaches and several very serviceable hotels.
Dahab, further south again, is laid-back hippy-chic, while at the southern
tip Sharm-el-Sheikh presents five-star
luxury along with a generous choice of watersports and sandy beaches merging
into desert landscape. This was the location for the terrorist attack in
July in which more than 70 people died. Since then, security has been stepped
up all the way along the coast.
Further south again, across the Red Sea on the coast of the eastern Sahara,
Hurghada is more lively and down to earth than
Sharm, and generally cheaper, too. It is conveniently situated about a four-hour
drive from the antiquities of Luxor. Around 30km
along the coast from this thriving centre is the new resort of El Gouna,
a purpose-built development, elegantly devised with a network of canals
crossed by stone bridges - rendering it the self-styled "little Venice
of the Red Sea".
Diving in the Red Sea
Ah,
this is where the Red Sea excels. Manta rays; big-eyed squirrel fish; spectacular
sponges; tranquil coral gardens - the volume and variety of iridescent marine
life coupled with outstandingly clear, warm waters make this area a superlative
destination for divers and snorkellers. Some of the most dramatic and accessible
dive sites lie between Sharm-el-Sheikh and Hurghada: the amazing wall of
Giftun Seghir, rich in black corals and reef fish; Bluff Point, a steep
reef wall off Gubal Seghira island, which abounds in soft corals with attendant
fish and where turtles and bottlenose dolphins are often seen; the Thistlegorm
wreck, a British merchant ship that was requisitioned in the Second
World War, sunk in 1941 and now turned rich and strange 10m and more down
on the sea bed.
Day trips (with all the requisite equipment) are available at the major
resorts in the north of the Red Sea, including Eilat and Aqaba. But you
may prefer to arrange a package before you leave. On the Go Tours (020-7371
1113; www.onthegotours.com), for example, has a 10-day Dive Dahab trip from
£349 per person. The price includes accommodation in a three- to five-star
hotel at Dahab, 10 dives, hire of dive equipment and all transfers to dive
sites. Flights need to be arranged separately, for example through the dedicated
website www.redseaflights.com. This is run by Explorers Tours (0845 644
7090; www.explorers.co.uk), which has a wide range of last-minute trips,
many of them based at Sharm-el-Sheikh.
Some dive sites in the northern Red Sea can become too busy for comfortable
marine life viewing and although great efforts are made to protect the underwater
environment, the descending crowds inevitably have some effect. Among the
extensive range of dive holidays that Regaldive (0870 2201 777; www.regaldive.co.uk)
offers in Egypt are those on the uncrowded southern coast, where there is
an impressive choice of pristine reefs.
The gateway to this area is the airport at Marsa al Alam, which opened in
2001 and is now served direct from Gatwick. About 65km to the north is the
up-and-coming resort of Port Ghalib, which makes a good base for trips to
the near-legendary reefs of Elphinstone and Dolphin House. In late February,
a week here costs from £379 per person through Regaldive. The price
includes flights and seven nights' half-board accommodation at the Coral
Beach Diving Hotel, which has an award-winning dive centre on site. Five-day
diving packages, including transport and equipment hire, cost an additional
£136 per person.
For the ultimate in remote diving trips, take a "liveaboard" holiday.
You sleep and eat onboard a comfortable boat and sail to selected dive sites.
Tony Backhurst Scuba Travel (0800 072 8221; www.scuba.co.uk) has a nine-day
live-aboard package in the little-visited Red Sea country of Sudan. The
holiday costs from £1,195 including flights from Heathrow to Cairo
and onward air connections to Port Sudan; two nights' hotel accommodation
with breakfast in Cairo; and seven nights' full-board accommodation on the
boat in Sudan.
An adventure on dry land?
Day trips into the stark beauty of the desert landscape are available at
most Red Sea resorts, but for extended adventure join an organised tour.
Naturetrek (01962 733051; www.naturetrek.co.uk) offers an intriguing mix
of desert, wildlife, ancient splendour and relaxation by the sea, with its
15-day ornithological holiday in Jordan. On this trip you visit the capital,
Amman, the Dana Wildlands Reserve, Petra and Aqaba, which somewhat bizarrely
offers excellent birdwatching in the local sewage works. Departures are
on 9 April and the cost per person is £1,795 including flights to
Amman, all transport and all food and accommodation (with two nights' camping).
Explore (0870 333 4001; www.explore.co.uk) combines Jordan and Egypt on
its 12-day Petra and Pyramids tour, during which you travel overland - and
water - from Amman to Alexandria.
The route takes in Jordan's Greco-Roman city of Jerash, Petra and Wadi Rum,
crosses the Red Sea at Aqaba and proceeds through Egypt to Sinai's isolated
monastery of St Catherine, on to the pyramids of Giza and north to Alexandria.
The holiday costs from £875 per person; this price covers flights
from Heathrow to Amman and return flights from Alexandria, transport and
B&B accommodation.
In pioneering spirit the company is also offering a new holiday much further
south in Eritrea, which gained independence in 1993 and is slowly starting
to open up to tourism. Explore's Eritrean Highlights trip begins in Asmara,
the capital, which boasts extraordinary art deco and Italian colonial architecture,
proceeds to the highland town of Keren, and then goes down to the Red Sea
coast, where you can catch a boat to the offshore islands of the little-visited
Dahlak Archipelago. The nine-day trip costs from £1,055 per person
including flights from the UK, minibus transport, guidance, accommodation
and some meals.
The rival British adventure company Exodus (0870 240 5550; www.exodus.co.uk)
has also started operating in Eritrea and offers a similar trip from £1,125
per person.
How about a Cruise?
Excellent value is offered on Thomson's Red Sea Magic cruises, which operate
around Egypt and Jordan. Some of the most competitive fares are available
through Ideal Cruising (0800 050 1093; www.idealcruising.co.uk): during
February a seven-night tour on Thompson Spirit costs from £469 per
person including flights to Hurghada and full-board ship accommodation,
with a route taking in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Aqaba and Suez.
For travel through the Suez Canal join the Voyages of Discovery (01444 462150;
www.voyagesof discovery.com) Holy Lands and Pharaohs cruise which departs
on 31 October. The eight-night tour starts in the Mediterranean at Limassol
in Cyprus and proceeds via Haifa and Ashdod in Israel to Port Said in Egypt,
sailing through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea and finishing the trip in
Jordan, at Aqaba. The full cost of the holiday is £1,249 per person
but if you book before 31 January the fare drops to £649. The price
includes flights to Limassol and return from Aqaba, full-board ship accommodation
and all lecture programmes.
How safe is Egypt?
The Red Sea region, and in Egypt in particular, has suffered a number of
attacks aimed specifically at tourists.
Visitor numbers were badly affected by atrocities in the 1990s (notably
1997's Luxor massacre). However, despite the attack in Sharm-el-Sheikh last
July, tourist numbers are up 5 per cent in the last 12 months. Security
has been stepped up around the luxury resorts.
The Foreign Office (www.fco.gov.uk) identifies "a high threat from
terrorism in Egypt", but does not caution travellers to stay away.
Similar advice is given for travel to Jordan, where tourists are urged to
be vigilant, while in Israel the advice is to avoid notable areas of unrest,
such as the Gaza Strip.
Further afield, Sudan and Eritrea are fairly unstable, although a few travel
companies operate in the relatively safe areas. Saudi Arabia remains largely
off the recreational tourism map.
Tourists to Yemen risk kidnap, as was evident in December when a former
German politician and an Italian group were taken hostage. British tour
operators have largely avoided the area since the 1999 abduction of 16 tourists,
four of whom were killed.
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Hotel For Sale Luxor
Hotel for sale in Egypt - Luxor City Centre
Location: Luxor
Category: * * * *
Ref: GA01
Price: P.O.A.
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Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
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Ref: PJ5007
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Ref: PJ5006
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Ref: EA226
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Location: Luxor
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Location: Luxor
Ref: G7296
Price: £55,000 GBP
Details: Beds: 2 | Baths: 1 | Built: M2 - | Plot: M2 - | Pool: -| | Garage: -