Sharm El Sheikh Nature Spots (Budget)

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Sharm El Sheikh’s nature: mostly free once you’re in the water

Sharm’s real nature draw is underwater, and most of it costs nothing beyond a mask once you’re staying near a house reef. Here’s what’s worth seeing, split by what needs a boat and what doesn’t.

Underwater, boat-based

  • Ras Mohammed National Park. Egypt’s first national park (1983), with 220+ coral species, 1,000+ fish species, and the signature Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef dives. Day-boat trips from the Sharm marinas typically bundle the park fee into the tour price (verify).
  • The Straits of Tiran reef chain. Jackson, Gordon, Thomas, and Woodhouse reefs, a strong-current drift-dive circuit reached in under an hour by boat, prized for big pelagics and dramatic coral walls. Note: Tiran and Sanafir islands themselves are Saudi Arabian territory since a 2016-2017 transfer, though Sharm boats still dive the reefs.

Underwater, shore-accessible and free

  • Naama Bay, Ras Um Sid, Shark’s Bay, and the Gardens. Shallow, current-light house reefs used for easy snorkeling and PADI training, no boat required if you’re staying nearby, just a mask and fins.

On land, free or nearly free

  • Nabq Protected Area. A 600km² reserve about 12km north of Sharm with the northernmost Red Sea mangrove stands, a 4.5km fringe of Avicennia marina serving as fish nurseries and bird nesting sites. Home to 208 hard coral species, 438 fish species, and over 20 globally threatened species, marine turtles, sharks, dugongs, ospreys, dorcas gazelles, and Nubian ibex among them. Run with input from the local El Mezina Bedouin tribe.
  • The Mangrove Channel, inside Ras Mohammed. A shallow ~1.16km channel with a small mangrove stand at the park’s southern end, a snorkel-and-kayak spot distinct from the deep-wall dives.
  • The desert around Sharm. Free to look at from a taxi or resort window, and the backdrop to any quad-bike or Bedouin-camp evening if you want to be in it rather than just see it.

Is Nabq Protected Area better for snorkeling or birdwatching?

Both, honestly. The mangrove fringe supports fish nurseries that make for genuinely good snorkeling close to shore, and the reserve’s bird life, including nesting species and migratory visitors, makes it worth a slower half day if birdwatching is your interest rather than reef diving.

Getting to these spots cheaply

Naama Bay’s and Ras Um Sid’s house reefs cost nothing beyond staying nearby. Ras Mohammed and Nabq both run as day-boat or day-tour bookings from the Sharm marinas, check current options and pricing in the day trips guide . For land-based hiking around the same areas, see our hiking areas guide .