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Ras Mohammed |
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South
Sinai's wealth lies in its natural resources. Outstanding
coral reefs, clear warm coastal waters, breathtaking desert
landscapes, sites of cultural and religious importance and
sunshine throughout the whole year.
These resources, coupled with their proximity to European
tourism markets, have stimulated the rapid growth of tourism
that this region is currently experiencing.
The Tourism developments and their impact on the rich and
vulnerable marine environment alarmed the Egyptian Government
and in 1983 the Ras Mohammed Peninsula was declared the
first Egyptian National Park.
Today the National Park extends to an area of 480 km2 and
includes both marine and terrestrial areas of Tiran Island
and the coastlines from the main Sharm El Sheikh harbor
to the southern boarder of the Nabq Managed Resource Protected
Area.
The National Park is administered
by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency. |
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Coral
reefs and tropical rain forests are the two most productive
natural systems on Earth. As a result of excessive and negligent
usage, their existence is currently at risk. In the last
20 years, humans have destroyed 20% of the world's reefs.
Coral reefs are not only the largest natural structure known
to man; but also a fragile ecosystem, providing space, shelter
and food to thousands of plants and animals. More than 25%
of all marine species are directly dependent upon the reefs
for their survival. If the coral reefs are damaged any further,
the complex balance of the reef will be permanently altered,
resulting in loss of productivity and biodiversity.
For these reasons, the National Parks of Egypt are taking
actions to preserve the terrestrial and marine environments.
We hope that you will too by following the advice outlined
below: Mooring buoys are installed to protect corals,
which would otherwise be damaged by the use of anchors.
You can contribute by not touching or breaking corals.
Fish feeding and bottom fishing upset the equilibrium of
the reef. Please do not feed or fish on the coastline. For
"fishing" lovers we offer fishing excursions by
boat off shore. Improve your buoyancy and look but
don't touch!
PADI Specialties
such as
Peak Performance Buoyancy
and
Underwater Naturalist
are available to improve your awareness of the environment
and help you interact with it in a mutually beneficial way.
Resting, standing or walking on a coral surface damages
the fragile tissue surface of the coral animal. Exposed
to bacterial attack and disease, it will often not recover
from this impact. Please avoid walking on the reef. Use
the floating jetties or marked reef access points to enter
the water. |
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Ras Mohammed National Park
Ras
Mohammed National Park is located approximately 25 km Southwest
of Sharm El Sheikh and is easily accessible by car. There
are organized excursions available through various tour
operators, or, you can explore the park on your own.
The park is home to a variety of stunning geological features
both underwater and on land including uplifted coral reefs,
alluvial plains, wadis, granite and sandstone mountains
and soft sand dunes. The park is home to many forms terrestrial
life including: foxes, gazelles, lizards, and ibexes. The
park holds one of the most northerly located Mangrove tree
outcropping, which is a valuable breeding area and habitat
for both migrating and resident birds such as the white
stork or raptor. |
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Nabq Managed Resource Protected Area
Nabq,
located approximately 35km North of Sharm El Sheikh, is
famous for its sand dunes found at the mouth of Wadi Kid
and the largest mangrove tree stand on the Gulf of Aqaba.
Coral reefs in Nabq are extremely rich. Visibility is often
poor due to fine sediments washing out of the mangrove area,
but this doesn't detract from the beauty and diversity of
the reefs. At Shoura al Manquata and Nakhlet el Tal excellent
reefs can be dived with easy access. |
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Abu Galum
Abu
Galum is said to be the most picturesque park in the country.
High mountains, narrow sinuous wadis (valleys), freshwater
springs, coastal sand dunes and raised fossil coral reefs
give shelter to 165 plant species. Although the park is
not easily accessible, Bedouin guides and camels can be
hired when requests and arrangements are made at the Ranger
house located at the mouth of Wadi Rasasah. A visitor centre
will be located at the northern boundary of the park, where
information on dive sites will be available. |
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