Sharm El Sheikh: Colored Canyon Jeep, Dahab Snorkel & ATV Day

4.92

(188 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You ever ridden a camel before?” our guide grinned as he handed me the reins. I hadn’t—unless you count that time at the zoo when I was six. The air out by Dahab felt warm but not heavy, and there was this salty wind coming off the Red Sea that made my shirt stick to my back in patches. Our little group wobbled along the coast, trying not to look too nervous. The camels seemed totally unfazed by us city people clinging on for dear life. I caught myself laughing at how high up I suddenly felt—like the world had shrunk down to sand and sea.

After we’d survived our first camel ride (no one fell off), it was straight onto ATVs. Honestly, I thought I’d be terrible at it, but it turned out to be kind of freeing—just this loud engine under you and nothing but those jagged mountains ahead. We zipped past clusters of wildflowers and kids waving from the roadside. There was a moment when we stopped for water and someone pointed out how blue the sky looked against the rocks—one of those colors you can’t really describe or photograph right.

The main keyword here is “day trip Sharm El Sheikh Colored Canyon,” but what sticks with me most is snorkeling outside Dahab near the Blue Hole. Our guide, Salama, handed me a mask and said something about “not inside” because of currents—I nodded like I understood (I didn’t). The water was so clear you could see every ripple of sand below, and these neon fish darted between coral like they owned the place. Afterward, we dried off in a Bedouin tent that smelled faintly of charcoal and mint tea while lunch sizzled on the grill. Chicken skewers never taste as good as when your hair’s still wet from saltwater.

I almost forgot—the jeep ride into Colored Canyon came after lunch, when everyone was sleepy and sunburnt. The rocks really are streaked with reds and golds; our guide showed us where rainwater had carved shapes over centuries (or maybe millennia?). We scrambled through narrow passages while someone hummed an old song behind us; it echoed strangely in all that silence. Shopping in Dahab at the end felt almost surreal after all that raw nature—bright scarves everywhere, people bargaining softly in Arabic or English or both. I still think about that view back toward the mountains as we drove home—dusty windows, tired legs, kind of wishing we’d stayed just a bit longer.