|
Introduction...
Nuweiba is a quiet and peaceful resort located on a
large sandy flood plain, sandwiched between the towering mountains
of Sinai, Egypt, and the clear, deep, blue seas of the Gulf of Aqaba in
the Red Sea.
The ancient Egyptians
used to mine extensively in Sinai for precious stones such as turquoise.
Indeed, it is believed that, at that time, there was a small settlement
surrounding a fortress on the north east corner of the flood plain of Nuweiba.
It is also believed
that Moses might have crossed the Red Sea from the south east corner of
this very same flood plain, having passed over the Sinai desert and through the Wadi Watir, a narrow, winding valley that descends down to the sea from
the Sinai plateau. The distance across the sea to Saudi Arabia is only 16
km, and, whilst the depth of the sea in the northern part of the Gulf of Aqaba is very deep at over 900 metres, and even deeper to the south at
over 1200 metres, the depth between Nuweiba and the Saudi coast is in
places only around 90 metres deep and thus is like an underwater bridge.
For more details on
these theories please go to...
http://www.anchorstone.com/content/blogcategory/29/53/
http://www.wyattmuseum.com/red-sea-crossing.htm
http://www.arkdiscovery.com/red_sea_crossing.htm
For the past few
hundred years, Nuweiba has been settled by two of Sinai's most important
Bedouin tribes in the villages of Tarabeen to the north and Maizena to the
south.
In 1967, Sinai was
invaded and occupied by the Israeli armed forces. After their departure
some ten years later, Nuweiba grew in size and importance, with the
addition of a port in the south, a school, a hospital, housing, an
electricity, water and sewage network, new roads and other key components
of modern infrastructure.
This development has
also encompassed tourism, with new resort hotels and camps, dive centres,
restaurants and shops opening up around Nuweiba. Despite this growth,
Nuweiba has retained its charm, its friendliness and serenity with
beautiful sandy beaches, lined by date palm trees, overlooking the
sparkling clear, coral filled seas.
Map of Nuweiba...
Getting to and
from Nuweiba...
Airports:
There is an old disused
runway located in the south east part of Nuweiba, plus two helipads -
one outside the Nuweiba Holiday Village / New Desalination Plant ( not
used ), and one at the MFO post at the south east point of Nuweiba. Otherwise
one can travel to Nuweiba through the following airports...
Taba Airport ( TCP ) :
Located at Naqb, some 85 km north of Nuweiba and 40 km east of Taba on
the Sinai plateau at a height of over 700 metres, this airport is served
by about a dozen charter flights
per week from the UK, Czech
Republic, and sometimes Germany, France and Belgium.
Sharm el Sheikh Airport ( SSH )
: Located 155 km south of Nuweiba and served by a multitude of
daily flights from all over Europe and the Middle East.
Cairo Airport ( CAI ) :
465
km west of Nuweiba and served by many world-wide international flights.
Land Border:
Israel :
through the border
between Eilat and Taba, 70 km north of Nuweiba.
Sea:
Nuweiba Port :
with half a
dozen sailings daily between Aqaba and Nuweiba, using fast car ferries
the Princess and the Queen Nefertiti, ( journey time just over 1 hour ),
and four large car ferries ( The Pella, The Black Iris, The Shehrazade
and the Dodo ) all of which take 3 - 4 hours to make the trip. For full
details....
http://www.abmaritime.com.jo/main.html
The fares are now US$ 70 one way
on the fast ferries and US$ 60 on the slow ferries. However, foot
passengers are usually obliged to travel only by the fast ferry. There is also a
departure tax of LE 50 per person when sailing from Nuweiba Port.
Nuweiba port is located at the
southern side of Nuweiba, with a small town around it, which also has
the bus station, four banks, three ATMs and the Duty Free Shop. Nuweiba
Port is about 5 km south of Nuweiba Town.
Bus:
East Delta Bus Station -
located at Main Street running directly opposite to the entrance of the
port.
Telephone : 069 3520 371 or 70.
Daily Buses Timetable from
Nuweiba:
06.00 hrs : Taba - Suez
06.30 hrs : Dahab - Sharm - Tor -
Suez
09.00 hrs : Taba - Cairo
12.00 hrs : Taba
15.00 hrs : Taba - Cairo
16.00 hrs : Dahab - Sharm el
Sheikh
Daily Buses Timetable to Nuweiba:
Cairo - Torgamon Bus Station ( Tel
02 2576 2293 ) at 06.00 hrs, 09.30 hrs & 22.15 hrs ( add 30 - 45 mins
for Abasseya Bus Station - Tel 02 2342 4753 - or 45 - 60 mins from Al
Mazhar Bus Station - Tel 02 2419 8533 ).
Sharm el Sheikh ( tel 069 3660 660
) - at 09.00 hrs, 14.30 hrs, 17.00 hrs
Taba ( tel 069 3530 250 ) - at
09.00 hrs and 15.00 hrs ( plus the buses that come from Cairo )
Dahab ( tel 069 3641 808 ) - at
10.30 hrs, 16.00 hrs, 18.30 hrs
St Catherine ( tel 069 3740 250 )
- at 13.00 hrs
Fares: ( for Foreigners in LE )
To / from Sharm el Sheikh : LE 22
To / from Taba or Dahab : LE 16
From St Catherine : LE 21
To Cairo : LE 65 - From Cairo : LE
65 ( daytime ) & LE 75 ( nighttime ).
Visas etc...
Most EU, North American and
Australian / New Zealand citizens can buy a visa upon arrival at Sharm
el Sheikh, Cairo, Taba airports or at Nuweiba Seaport.
The visa costs US$ 15 or the
equivalent in other foreign currency, can be purchased from the currency
exchange counters located just before the passport control and consists
of a large postage-stamp type stamp which one sticks into an empty page
of the passport - i.e. no form filling or photos needed. This
stamp, which has the price $ 15 clearly written on it, was
introduced during the summer of 2007 and replaces the two little
stamps that previously were used. This type of tourist visa is valid one
month but can be extended for a very small amount at Tor in Sinai or in
Cairo. This visa is not available at the Eilat - Taba border.
Alternatively one can obtain the
visa at the Egyptian embassy / consulate located in one's own country,
though the fees vary from country to country and forms will have to be
filled in and photos produced, ( usually the fees are higher than buying
the visa upon arrival ). Usually this visa is valid for three months
from the date of entry, ( one month if obtained in Israel ), but also
can be extended.
Likewise, one may also obtain a
multi-entry visa in advance from one's local Egyptian embassy /
consulate allowing unlimited entries into Egypt over a given period.
Important: SINAI ONLY without
visa
If one is staying for less than 15
nights in the east part of Sinai, i.e. from Sharm el Sheikh to Taba,
including Dahab, St Catherine, Nuweiba, ( and nearby White, Bridge or
Coloured Canyons ), one does NOT need a visa. Upon entry at Sharm el
Sheikh, Taba Border, Taba Airport or Nuweiba Port, one fills out the
disembarkation form and writes on the back the words "SINAI ONLY". This
unique feature is a throwback from the Camp David peace treaty.
Taba Tax:
For some strange reason there is a
LE 70 tax payable for all foreigners when entering Egypt from Israel.
The toll station is located about 500 metres from the border on the main
Taba - Nuweiba road.
Banks and
Currency...
Currency :
The
local currency is the Egyptian pound, often abbreviated to LE.
There are 100 Piastres to 1
Egyptian pounds. Egyptian pound notes come in denominations of 200, 100,
50, 20, 10, 5 and 1, with 1 pound coins also easily available at the
banks. Piastres come in notes of 50, 25, 10 and even 5, whilst there are
coins for 50, 25, 10 and 5. Take care not to confuse between Pounds and
Piastres !
For current international
exchange rates, see
here.
Banks :
There are four banks located at
the Nuweiba Port plus bank exchange counters at the Nuweiba Hilton
and Nuweiba Holiday Village Hotels. Banks are
usually open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. though some banks in Cairo are now
open later in the afternoon and the exchange counters in hotels often in
the evenings, ( in Cairo sometimes even 24 hours a day, as at the
international airports ).
Bank Misr - Tel : ( 069 )
3520 261 - Fax : ( 069 ) 3520 160
Cairo Bank - Tel & Fax : (
069 ) 3520 281
National Bank of Egypt -
Tel : ( 069 ) 3520 287 - Fax : ( 069 ) 3520 288
Bank of Alexandria - Tel &
Fax : ( 069 ) 3520 211
The first three of the above banks
are located at the beginning of Main Street at Nuweiba Port which is
directly oppositethe entrance to Nuweiba Port. The Bank of Alexandria is
located further down Main Street after the bus station and telephone
exchange.
ATMs :
There are four ATMs - three of
them are located just outside the Port at the following banks...Bank
Misr, National Bank of Egypt and Cairo Bank, and the fourth is located
at the Nuweiba Hilton. They only dispense in Egyptian pounds, and
sometimes are limited to a maximum of LE 3000 or less. They are in
Arabic and Engish languages.
Shopping...
Duty Free Shop :
The Duty Free Shop is
located on the Port Main Street between the Bus Station and the Banks.
Usually it is opened from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. though may open and close
later than those hours or may close for a few hours during the daytime.
The time when it almost always is certain to be open is from 8 p.m. to
10 p.m.
The items on sale is very limited
with only a few different spirits, ( usually whisky, gin and vodka ),
local spirits, wines and beers, some cigarettes and some house-hold
appliances. The pricing of imported items is in U.S. dollars but at
times they will even take local currency but appear to no longer take
credit cards.
Foreigners are allowed to buy upto
four bottles of imported spirits or wines per person within 48 hours of
arrival, so passports need to be taken.
On the same street one can find
quite a few small mini-market shops where one can buy foodstuffs,
beverages, snacks, toileteries and cigarettes, as well as other shops
with some casual clothing and other useful items. In Nuweiba Town and
Tarabeen are more small food shops as well as various souvenir shops.
Generally speaking the prices are fixed and quite realistic in the
Nuweiba Port area but may be rather exaggerated at Tarabeen and Nuweiba
Town, especially in the souvenir shops. |
