Dahab is a town in Egypt, located some 85 km (53 miles) north of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Gulf of Aqaba, near the southern tip of Sinai.
Dahab was once an isolated coastal village which first turned into a hippie hangout in the 1980's. During the 1990's the town became something of an "alternative resort", mixing cheap accomodation, laid back lifestyle and "informal" tourism with certain commercial structures, turning into the "Ko Samui" of the Middle East.
Cheap accommodation positioned right by the beach, inexpensive food and drink and a relaxed atmosphere combine with the natural wonders of the Red Sea (swimming, snorkeling, scuba- and freediving) to make it a heady enticement for the young and young at heart.
Since about a decade Dahab suffers from attemps to turn it into a "real" resort place. Note the grotesque, forever unfinished concrete structures all over. Of course, resort tourists and families will be way better off in Sharm el Sheik.
Dahab has two distinct parts. To the north is the former Bedouin village of Assalah on a kilometer-long beach, full of backpackers and cheap accommodation this area is similar to many other diving resorts that cater for backpackers. To the south lies Laguna or Dahab City/Medina, the modern town of Dahab, where the resort hotels, banks and other amenities can be found. Here you will also find Dahab's telephone office and post office; the latter unfriendly at first, with its standard advice a barked "Go to Sharm for that!", but more mellow if customers are politely persistent.
Dahab itself has practically nothing in the way of sights, but you can easily arrange tours to some nearby points of interest.
* Ein Khudra, a Bedouin oasis.
* Coloured Canyon
* Three pools, a bedouin oasis and lovely area for snorkeling, diving or just relaxing
* The lagoona, a long sandy stretch close to Dahab City is the place for wind surfing, kite surfing or to admire the view. Take drinks and snacks with you as there are no cafes on the lagoona point. This is a great spot to spend a day away from the town centre.
* The boat out of water, becoming one of Dahabs most photographed sights, the boat out of water is what remains of a big flood that happened in 2002.
* Petra in Jordan is easily organised from Dahab
* Jerusalem (Israel) day-trips are also organised from Dahab
* St Catherines and Mount Sinai Day trips or night trips are very popular and organised by most hotels, but prices vary.
* The Old Port Dahab has some interesting history. There are ruins of an old Nabatean Port along the coast in Mashraba. It shows there was a community here dating back about 1600 years.
