A Red Sea resort town at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula: world-famous coral reefs, Ras Mohammed National Park, boat trips to the Tiran reefs, the Naama Bay promenade and all-inclusive hotels. Day trips to Dahab's Blue Hole, a sunrise hike up Mount Sinai and St Catherine's Monastery. No direct flight from Ulaanbaatar — via Istanbul or Cairo, ~20–26 hours. Mongolian citizens get a 30-day visa on arrival at the airport ($30, cash). Best October–May; June–September reaches 37–38°C.
🛂 Visa: Visa on arrival · 30 days✈ Flight: 21h☀ Best months: October, November, December, March
The southernmost tip of Sinai, 25 km from Sharm: world-class reef diving (Shark & Yolanda Reef), bays where you can snorkel straight from shore, the 'Magic Lake' and mangroves. A day trip by boat or bus; with children choose shore snorkelling in shallow water.
BeachPromenade free; beach-club loungers and umbrellas ≈EGP 200–500
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goThe visa is issued at the airport, but sort out three things at home: the airline, cash dollars and insurance.+
1
Visa: 30 days on arrival in Sharm
According to Mongolia's consular department, Mongolian citizens get an Egyptian visa on arrival at the airport: single entry, 30 days, $30 (since 1 March 2026). Mongolia is not on Egypt's e-visa list, so you cannot apply online in advance. Passport valid 6+ months; print your return ticket and hotel booking.
Tip: Some airline systems show 'embassy visa' for Mongolians — before buying, ask the airline in writing whether they will board you on a visa on arrival.
Some travellers flying into Sharm and staying under 15 days at Sinai resorts get a free 'Sinai only' entry stamp. But Mongolia is reported to be on the list of nationalities excluded from it, and going to St Catherine, Cairo or Luxor, or staying 15+ days, needs a full visa anyway. Buying the $30 visa straight away is the safe choice.
The visa and the Ras Mohammed and Blue Hole fees are paid in cash dollars, so bring clean, untorn small notes. Get travel insurance that covers diving, water sports and evacuation.
Tip: Drones are banned in Egypt and confiscated at customs — leave yours at home.
🛬Landing and getting to your hotelSharm airport (SSH) is close to Naama Bay and Sharks Bay; Nabq and the Old Market are further out.+
1
Visa and passport control
Before passport control, pay $30 cash at a bank counter for the paper sticker visa, then show it with your passport to the officer. If the officer offers a 'Sinai only' stamp, say you plan to leave Sinai and take the full visa.
Naama Bay is about 12 km from the airport, 15–20 minutes. Airport taxis don't use meters: roughly EGP 150–250 to Naama and EGP 120–200 to Sharks Bay — agree the fare in pounds before getting in. Uber and Careem are usually cheaper.
Most resorts offer transfers. With children, lots of luggage or a late landing, booking one in advance is the calmest option — taxis rarely have child seats.
Tip: Resort gates check incoming cars — keep your hotel confirmation on your phone.
📶Phone and internetEgyptian SIMs are registered with your passport, and foreign phones get a 90-day grace period.+
1
Tourist SIM or eSIM
Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat and WE have counters at the airport and shops in Naama Bay and Sharm El Maya; the tourist SIM is registered with your passport. Town shops are cheaper than the airport. You can install an eSIM such as Airalo before leaving home.
Since 21 January 2026 phones brought from abroad are taxed, but tourists keep a 90-day exemption: once you insert an Egyptian SIM, your phone's IMEI is registered and works for 90 days. Foreign SIMs and eSIMs need no registration.
🚇Getting aroundSharm stretches along the coast — ride-hailing, hotel shuttles and tour transport do most of the work.+
1
Uber, Careem, taxis
Ride-hailing is cheapest and shows the price up front. Street taxis are unmetered — agree the fare before getting in. Many hotels run free shuttles to Naama Bay and SOHO Square.
Ras Mohammed and Tiran reef trips usually include hotel pick-up. The Ras Mohammed fee for foreigners is $5 — ask whether it's included; pick licensed operators that provide life jackets and a safety briefing.
Dahab is about 90 km away and St Catherine 2.5–3 hours; there are military checkpoints on the way, so carry your passport. A Bedouin guide is compulsory for the night climb up Mount Sinai — most people go with a tour company.
💳MoneyThe Egyptian pound (EGP) was floated in 2024; resorts also quote prices in dollars and euros.+
1
ATMs and cards
CIB, National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr ATMs are reliable. Hotels, larger restaurants and Uber take cards; the Old Market, small cafés, taxis and tips need cash pounds.
Boat, safari and dive trips are usually priced in dollars or euros. In restaurants and shops paying in pounds is cheaper — paying in dollars gets you a poor rate.
3
Baksheesh
Small tips for hotel staff, boat crews, guides and drivers are customary — keep small notes handy. Always bargain at the markets.
🍜FoodMost visitors eat at all-inclusive hotels, but seafood and Egyptian food at the Old Market and Naama are cheap.+
1
Must-tries
Fresh fish and prawns (pick by weight and have them grilled), koshari, ful, ta'ameya, molokhia soup, Bedouin bread and mint tea. The Old Market's fish restaurants are popular with locals too.
Tip: Fish restaurants price by the kilo — ask the weight and total before ordering.
2
Stomach safety
Be careful with tap water, ice and raw salad; drink bottled water. Drink plenty in the heat, and pack stomach medicine and rehydration salts.
Tip: During Ramadan avoid eating and drinking in public in the daytime; inside resorts meals run as normal.
3
Delivery and supermarkets
Order to your hotel with Talabat. Supermarkets such as Carrefour and Metro have fixed prices and cheap baby food and water.
The UK FCDO warns that Red Sea boat and dive operators' safety standards vary and that there have been recent fatal incidents — choose licensed operators and insist on a safety briefing. Shark attacks are rare but do happen — obey any beach closures. Don't stand on or touch the coral; deep diving at the Blue Hole is for experienced divers only.
The UK FCDO advises against all travel to North Sinai, and against all but essential travel to South Sinai north of the St Catherine–Nuweiba road (except the coasts); Sharm, Dahab and St Catherine are outside those areas. Expect strict checks at the airport and resort gates; Middle East conflict can disrupt flights.
🙏MannersResorts are relaxed, but in town, at the Old Market and in mosques respect the modesty of a Muslim society.+
1
Dress
Swimwear is for the beach and pool only; in town, at markets, mosques and St Catherine's Monastery cover knees and shoulders. Topless sunbathing is forbidden.
The first price at a market is always high — bargain with a smile. Turn down 'cheap trip' offers on the beach or street, and book tours through your hotel or a well-reviewed company.
3
Photography
Don't photograph people, especially women, without permission. Photographing soldiers, police, checkpoints and government buildings is forbidden.
📱Useful appsRides, translation, delivery — three apps are enough.+
1
Uber, Careem
The best way to avoid unmetered taxis and haggling; they work from the airport too.
🛫LeavingSharm airport is close to town, but security has two stages and queues are long at peak charter times.+
1
Getting to the airport
Go by Uber or hotel transfer; Nabq and the Old Market are further away, so leave early. Bags and passengers are screened at the terminal entrance and again before the gate, so arrive in good time for an international flight.
Spend or change your pounds before leaving Egypt — they can't be exchanged in Mongolia. Taking coral, shells or marine life out of the country is banned and confiscated at customs; exporting genuine antiquities is illegal.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
24 hours; shops and restaurants open late
The heart of Sharm: a sheltered, shallow bay, a long beach promenade, cafés, restaurants, shops and lively evenings. Most boat and dive trips leave from here; good for swimming with children.
KidsFree entry; ice rink and bowling charged separately13:00–02:00; dancing fountain hourly from 19:00
An entertainment square near Sharks Bay: a lit-up dancing fountain, ice rink, bowling, kids' play areas, restaurants and shows. There's a security check at the gate. The best evening out for families.
BeachTours ≈$20–70 (lunch and transfers); park fee may be extra≈8:00–16:00
Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon reefs in the Strait of Tiran — Sharm's most famous snorkelling and diving boat trip, with coral and colourful fish everywhere. You don't land on the island (military zone); you swim from the boat. Currents can be strong, so weaker swimmers and children wear life jackets.
Old Market (Sharm El Maya) and Al Sahaba Mosque★ 4.5 (8,000)
CultureFreeMarket busiest from ≈17:00 to midnight; mosque outside prayer times
Old Sharm's bazaar: spices, papyrus, souvenirs, shisha cafés and fish restaurants. Next door, the white Ottoman-style Al Sahaba Mosque is beautiful when lit at night. To enter the mosque cover knees and shoulders; women cover their hair.
BeachFree for hotel guests; beach clubs charge outside visitors24 hours
A quiet bay near the airport and SOHO Square: resorts with reefs right off the shore, kids' clubs and all-inclusive hotels with water parks. A good fit for a family holiday away from the town bustle.
About 35 km north of Sharm, a 600 km² reserve created in 1992: the world's northernmost mangroves, sand dunes, a Bedouin village and shallow reef snorkelling. Reached on jeep, camel or boat tours; the sea gets choppy on windy days.
NatureFees ≈$10–25 (cash dollars); tours ≈$30–60Leaves Sharm ≈8:00, back in the evening
90 km north of Sharm on the Dahab coast, a 100 m-deep vertical 'blue hole' — superb snorkelling along the reef rim. Deep diving here is among the world's most dangerous, so only experienced divers with a guide. You can also stroll Dahab's relaxed seafront.
St Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai sunrise★ 4.6 (7,000)
CultureBedouin guide required ≈EGP 800 (per group); tours ≈$40–70Leave Sharm ≈22:00, climb from ≈01:30, sunrise at the top; monastery ≈8:45–12:45, closed Sundays
2.5–3 hours from Sharm (with checkpoints): a night climb up 2,285 m Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa) to watch sunrise from the top, then the 6th-century UNESCO-listed St Catherine's Monastery. Night climbs without a Jabaliya Bedouin guide are not allowed. The summit drops below 5°C — bring warm layers and a headlamp. The monastery sometimes closes at short notice.
NatureJeep tours ≈€16–60 (with lunch)Early-morning departure from Sharm, about 10 hours
A day trip hiking a narrow sandstone canyon striped red, yellow and purple, then a swim on the Nuweiba coast. The canyon lies north of the St Catherine–Nuweiba road, so it may fall within the UK FCDO's 'all but essential travel' area — go only with a licensed operator and check your insurance covers it. Includes scrambling, so not for young children.
Desert safari: quad, camel and Bedouin dinner★ 4.5 (4,000)
NatureTours ≈$25–45 (with hotel pick-up)Morning, or afternoon until sunset
Quads, jeeps or camels into the mountains behind Sharm, then bread-baking, tea, dinner and stargazing at a Bedouin village. Quads are usually for ages 16+ — pick a jeep safari with young children. Bring a scarf and sunglasses for the dust.
See Naama Bay's reefs and fish without getting wet — ideal for small children and non-swimmers. Choose only licensed operators with life jackets and a safety briefing.
