The Sinai Desert Near Sharm El Sheikh: Mountains, Wadis and Wildlife

From the beach at Sharm El Sheikh, the desert looks like a flat strip of sand behind the hotels. Drive a few minutes inland, though, and the South Sinai opens up into wide sandy plains, dry valleys and rugged mountains in shades of red, brown and black. It's a very different place from the sand dunes most people picture, and it's the setting for every dune buggy and quad safari from Sharm.

Mountains, not just dunes

The south of the Sinai Peninsula is mountainous. Much of its high ground is made of very old granite and other crystalline rock, which weathers into jagged ridges and gives the landscape its reddish colours. The highest peaks are around St Catherine, in the centre of South Sinai: Mount Catherine, Egypt's highest mountain at about 2,600 metres, and nearby Mount Sinai.

Closer to Sharm, the mountains are lower, but they still frame every desert view. On an afternoon safari, the low sun turns them from brown to gold to deep red, which is why the evening trips are so popular.

Wadis: rivers without water

A wadi is a dry valley carved by water. It rains very rarely in South Sinai, but when heavy winter rain does fall on the mountains, the water rushes down these valleys as a flash flood, then disappears into the sand. Between floods, the wadis are the desert's roads: flat, sandy routes through the mountains, used by Bedouin for generations and by safari groups today.

Wadis are also where the desert is most alive. Their floors hold a little moisture below the surface, enough for acacia trees and hardy shrubs.

Plants of the desert

• •Acacia trees, with their flat tops and long thorns, give shade and food for camels and goats.
• •Desert herbs such as wild mint and sage, which Bedouin use to flavour their tea. Our guide to Bedouin culture in Sinai explains more.
• •Small flowering plants that appear after the rare winter rains.

Wildlife you might see (and some you won't)

Most desert animals are shy and active at dawn, dusk or night, so sightings are a bonus rather than a promise.

• •Camels, owned by Bedouin families, are the animals you will certainly meet.
• •Birds, including ravens and desert larks, are often seen around camps.
• •Lizards sun themselves on rocks in the warmer months.
• •Nubian ibex, wild goats with curved horns, live in the high mountains around St Catherine, far from the safari routes.
• •Foxes live in the Sinai too, but they come out at night.

The best ways to see it

• •On a quad: the 3-hour quad safari crosses open plains to a Bedouin village. Ride in the morning in summer.
• •In a buggy: the dune buggy safari covers similar ground with two people side by side.
• •At sunset: the Super Safari adds a camel ride as the light changes, then dinner at a desert camp under the stars.
• •On foot: the Colored Canyon and Dahab day trip includes a guided walk through a narrow sandstone canyon.

Not sure which to choose? See how to choose your desert safari.

Respecting the desert

The desert looks empty, but it's home to Bedouin families and fragile plants. Take your litter with you, stay on the tracks your guide uses, don't pick plants, and ask before photographing people. Our desert safari guide has more practical tips.

Frequently asked questions

Is the desert near Sharm El Sheikh sandy?

Partly. Around Sharm there are wide sandy plains and sandy wadis, but the South Sinai is mostly mountainous, with rocky ridges and granite peaks rather than tall sand dunes.

What is a wadi?

A wadi is a dry valley. It only carries water briefly after rare heavy rain, when flash floods run down from the mountains. Most of the time wadis are sandy tracks through the mountains.

What animals live in the Sinai desert?

Camels kept by Bedouin are the animals visitors meet. Wild animals include birds, lizards, foxes and, in the high mountains around St Catherine, the Nubian ibex. Most are shy and rarely seen on safaris.

What is the best way to see the Sinai desert from Sharm El Sheikh?

A quad or buggy safari is the quickest way into the desert, and the Super Safari adds a camel ride at sunset and dinner at a Bedouin camp. All include hotel pickup from Sharm El Sheikh.