Dahab vs Sharm el-Sheikh: Laid-Back Dive Town or Full-Service Resort?

What sets Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh apart?

Dahab is a small, bohemian town built around a seafront promenade; Sharm el-Sheikh is a large resort city built around hotels. Both face the Gulf of Aqaba in South Sinai, both have superb reefs and both sit under the same bare red mountains, but the experience on the ground is very different.

In Dahab you can walk from your guesthouse past cafes with floor cushions, dive shops and rental stands to a reef entry in a few minutes. Its districts, Masbat, Mashraba, Assala and the Laguna, are low-rise, and the crowd is a mix of divers, freedivers, kitesurfers, long-stay travellers and Bedouin families. Sharm el-Sheikh runs for many kilometres between Nabq Bay and the Old Market, with large, often all-inclusive resorts, private beaches and day boats leaving from the marinas. One is a place to live slowly for a week; the other is a place to be looked after.

How do they compare?

Sharm is easier, more comfortable and better for boat diving; Dahab is cheaper, more characterful and better for shore diving, freediving and Mount Sinai.

Which is better for diving and snorkelling?

Dahab is better for learning and for divers who like to dive on their own schedule; Sharm is better for big-name boat dives. Dahab's sites are mostly reached by walking in from the shore, so there is no boat to wait for and you can do three dives a day at your own pace. The Lighthouse Reef and Eel Garden are right in town and ideal for courses, and the Canyon and the rim of the Blue Hole are short drives north. Dahab is also one of the world's best-known freediving centres.

The Blue Hole needs a warning: the Arch, at about 55 metres, lies beyond recreational limits and has killed many divers. Snorkelling the rim and guided dives such as the Bells are fine within your training.

Sharm el-Sheikh's diving is done mostly from day boats. Ras Mohammed's Shark and Yolanda Reefs, the strong-current walls of the Straits of Tiran and the wartime wreck of the SS Thistlegorm, about three hours each way, are among the most famous dives in the Red Sea. Snorkellers do well in both places, but a nervous swimmer may find a Sharm hotel pontoon or boat with a guide easier than a rocky shore entry in Dahab.

Which is the better base for Mount Sinai?

Dahab: it is closer, and its operators run the overnight climb almost every night. Trips usually leave Dahab around 11pm, reach the St Catherine trailhead after a drive of about two to two and a half hours, climb the camel path and the final steps to the summit (about 2,285 metres) for sunrise, then visit St Catherine's Monastery and return by lunchtime. From Sharm el-Sheikh the drive is about three hours each way, so we suggest a night in the St Catherine area rather than a straight overnight trip.

Whichever base you choose, take a beanie, gloves and a warm jacket: the summit can drop below freezing in winter and is cold even in spring and autumn. The monastery opens only on limited mornings and closes on some days, so check before you plan around it. Our Mount Sinai page has the details.

What about travel advice and practicalities?

Government travel advice treats parts of Sinai differently, and the levels for Sharm el-Sheikh and for Dahab have not always been the same, so check both before you book. At the time of writing you should read the current Sinai section on Smartraveller (or SafeTravel for New Zealanders) and confirm in writing that your travel insurance covers Dahab and any trip to St Catherine. Policies sometimes exclude areas under a higher advice level.

The road between Sharm and Dahab passes security checkpoints, so carry your passport. In Dahab, cash is more useful than in Sharm's resorts, and modest dress is appreciated away from the promenade, especially in Assala. Sharm's airport is the gateway for both.

Where would you stay in each?

In Dahab, choose your district by the vibe you want; in Sharm, choose your bay by whether you want to walk out at night or stay put in a resort. Dahab is small enough that everything is within a short taxi ride, but the districts feel different:

• Masbat: the lively centre around the Lighthouse Reef, with the busiest stretch of promenade, dive shops and cafes.
• Mashraba: just south, a little quieter, with guesthouses close to the water.
• Assala: the more local, residential area to the north, near Eel Garden; dress modestly here.
• The Laguna: the southern end, with the larger resort hotels, calm water for children and the windsurfing and kite schools.

Sharm el-Sheikh is much more spread out. Naama Bay suits travellers who want restaurants and a promenade on the doorstep. Nabq Bay, to the north near the airport, has newer, larger resorts and easy access to the mangroves of the Nabq Protected Area. Around Hadaba and the Old Market in the south, hotels are closer to the town's older streets and the marinas. In both towns, a hotel with its own reef access is worth paying for if snorkelling is your priority.

Which should you choose?

Pick Dahab for independence, shore diving and Mount Sinai; pick Sharm el-Sheikh for comfort, families and boat diving, or split your stay between them.

• Divers learning or diving often: Dahab, for cheap, easy shore dives and a relaxed schedule.
• Experienced divers chasing famous sites: Sharm, for Ras Mohammed, Tiran and the Thistlegorm, or a liveaboard.
• Freedivers: Dahab.
• Families with young children: Sharm, for kids' clubs and gentle beaches; Dahab's Laguna works for older, adventurous kids.
• Couples: either; Sharm for a resort holiday, Dahab for a slower, quirkier one.
• Pilgrims and walkers: Dahab for the overnight climb, or Sharm with a night at St Catherine's.
• Five nights or more: both, for example three nights in Sharm for Ras Mohammed, then two in Dahab with Mount Sinai.

For the mainland alternative, see Hurghada vs Sharm el-Sheikh. Our Sinai and the Red Sea journey combines Sharm, Dahab and Mount Sinai.