Sinai, Egypt

I dreamed of going to Sinai for a long time. Desert and Sea - my two favorite habitats combined. So when my friend organized a yoga retreat, I knew I couldn't miss it.

*I travelled in June, weather was hot and muggy

So what is Sinai really like?

We crossed the border from Eilat, and took a cab we had preordered to Nuweiba, about 30 min south of Taba. We had no issues crossing the border. We arrived at our camp - private stone huts with bathrooms and air conditioning, and straw thatched hushas for those who want the authentic, fan only - experience.

The relaxing vibe combined with the heavy dry heat immediately overpowers you. Once you sit down on the low cushions by the dining tables in the beach 'salon' - it's impossible to get back up. You submit yourself to your chilled out vacation - or as we call it in Hebrew - your belly-back holiday (ie you just lie down and occasionally flip over).

I really enjoyed practicing yoga morning and evening. And the group was great so it was very fun to sit in the zula together and chat. At lunch we went snorkling. And we spent a lot of time eating - the food was tasty though rumors had said otherwise. But I came back with bad food poisoning - so be careful. And stay away from the ful.

The unexpected:

I expected pristine nature, but as you drive down the peninsula from Taba to Nuweiba you see ghost towns - concrete clusters of resorts almost fully developed but entirely abandoned. These were projects born out of uncontrolled tourist development that fell through, mostly due to dubious investments, and the instability of the region. These are quite the eyesore, and really should be removed to allow nature to reclaim the area.

The sea feels of similar fate. Large and impressive coral beds are almost entirely dead. Bleached and lifeless. There are fish to see, but there would be many more.

The camps themselves are filled almost entirely with Israeli tourists. Somehow I expected to encounter travellers from elsewhere. And as you sit on the beach, there are many children who try to sell you bracelets and trinkets, and they really don't let off.

Logistics:

Border crossing: Was pretty simple. You can purchase the Israeli fee online before. For the Egyptian side you need 405 lira in cash. You can exchange money at the boarder (Egyptian side) in dollars or shekels or use the ATM. To get to the border, you can take a bus directly from the Eilat airport, or from the City.

Also - there is some paperwork to fill out on the Egyptian side. Tell the clerks you want to do it yourself and take the paper from them. Bring a pen. Otherwise they try to fill it out for you and ask for money. Also after crossing, keep the papers you get to show on return, especially the receipt for the Egyptian border fee.

Transport: Pre-arrange with a cab driver. My friends did this for us.

Money: I exchanged for Liras, but it seems the camps and drivers also accept shekels.

Wi-fi - I bought an esim but didn't use it. There was wifi at the camp and that was enough.