Taba is located on the red sea coast on the border with Israel. It is away from most of the other Egyptian destination resorts and as such, is quite isolated. There is virtually no development in the area other than a collection of well equipped (mainly new) 5 starhotels which hug the coast along a two or three mile stretch. It is these hotels that currently make up the resort area of Taba Heights.
Transport around the area appeared virtually non existent, so if you enjoy exploring on your own you'll need to hire a taxi to get you to the Taba border where public transport is available.
Once at the border (which is around a 10 minute drive away) you can either cross into Eilat in Israel or pick up transport from the Taba Hilton which is right next to the border.
If you are not so adventerous, all of the hotels offer a variety of excursions, and although most are quite expensive by Egyptian standards, there are a number of trips which are well worthwhile taking.
From those on offer, I would recommend visiting the nearby Sinia sites, such as the trip to mount Sinai, which includes a visit to the monestary, which (it is claimed) is built around the burning bush through which god spoke to Moses, and those destinations outside of Egypt which, if you ever decided to visit another part of Egypt again in the future, would necessitate traveling through the Taba region again.
Highly recommended, is the trip to Petra in Jordan, one of the sites being considered as a new Wonder of the world, and a loaction in the Indiana jones Last Crusade Movie. Be prepared however to pay around £25 per person extra in border charges for leaving Egypt, entering Israel, leaving Israel and entering Jordan (and that's just the journey to Petra) - on top of the price you pay for the excursion.
Other worthwhile options to consider, include visits to some of the holy sites in Israel
I would only opt for the Cairo trip however, if you don't plan on ever returning to Egypt, at £200+ for the overnight option it's not that much cheaper than a flight and 4-5 day stay in Cairo from the U.K and your time in Cairo is very limited.
So what is there to do in Taba itself? well not much! but that isn't a bad thing. The hotel I stayed in; The Radisson SAS (reviewed elswhere) offered all of the ameneties you would expect from a top class hotel and at a fantastic All inclusive price. The weather in the region is always hot, and even in the summer, when temperatures in some parts of Egypt can be unbearable, the breeze from the red sea means that you can feel comfortable sitting on the beach or by the pool enjoying your free refreshments.
Diving sadly isn't my thing, so I can't comment first hand on what Taba has to offer, but In conversations I gathered that unlike the more popular resorts, where damage to the reefs is occuring due to visitor numbers, Taba is unspoilt and offers some of the best diving in the area.
If your looking for a good value sun holiday and don't mind staying within the confines of your hotel to relax, swim, dive, or chill out with a collection of good books on the beach for a week or two, Taba is certainly worth considering, If however your looking for clubs, pubs and nightlfe look further up the coast to Sharm or one of the more developed resorts.
Petra is much cheaper if you go direct from Taba to Aqaba as you dont have to cross Israel and pay all the border tax. You also get a fantastic boat trip to get you to Jordan and Aqaba port is stunning at night when you ship back.
atticusuk 04.03.2006 15:15
I'm off to Sharm in three weeks time although I'm only on land for one day, spending the rest of the holidy on a boat.
bingbong 04.03.2006 14:48
More info on what there is to do and hotels and restaurants would be helpful. anna x
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Advantages: Guaranteed sunshine. The private beach is safe, clean and half empty and the staff are lovely. Disadvantages: The dreaded Pharoah's curse! I didn't meet anyone who had not suffered from a stomach upset.
VanillaSpy 18.08.2004 ·
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Review of Taba, Egypt
Mar 4th, 2006
(Mar 12th, 2006)
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