All things considered, we prefer Ras Muhammed. Situated just 20 minutes by car from the bustling tourist promenade at Sharm el Sheikh, Ras Muhammed is the crown jewel of Egypt's fledgling national park system. It is clean, generally well-regulated and starkly beautiful, above the water as well as in it. Abutted by ocher mountains, Ras Muhammed is a rocky, windswept spur at the confluence of the two Red Sea gulfs. The ruins of old military posts attest to its strategic value during the 1967 Middle East War.
Sand dunes tumble into surrounding waters like spilled sugar.
The only greenery to speak of consists of a mangrove forest near the very tip. A 20-minute drive from the entrance over rocky unpaved roads, Main Beach is the most popular destination in the park. It consists of a wide beach and protected inlet with sandy bottom that is great for young swimmers who might not be ready to snorkel. Once you cross over the edge of the reef, a gentle current will carry you along the face of the coral, with its hidden vents spewing spirals of brilliantly hued fish. The reef is popular with barracuda, silvery shapes of several feet in length whose needle-sharp teeth and menacing underbite make them look much more threatening than they are.