Taba

Get in

200px|right|thumb|Flag plaza between Movenpick and Hilton resorts

Get around

The border zone is small and walkable. You'll need a taxi to reach Taba airport or Taba Heights.

See

thumb|250px|Salah El-Din castle on Pharaoh's Island.

See Eilat for attractions across the border, such as the Underwater Observatory about 1.5 km away.

Do

The casino within the Steigenberger is the main reason for Taba's existence. There's snorkelling and scuba-diving off the local reefs, which are better preserved than Eilat's. But the infrastructure is little developed, you may be the dive shack's only customer, or find them closed up. Don't stray across the border underwater! - all the instructors have their own shocking story about the last customer to do so. Tour buses pass through Taba on their way west to Cairo and east to Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and Petra. But they don't originate here: enquire ahead if a pick-up from Taba is possible.

Buy

There's a supermarket by the border gate open 24 hours, and a couple of little stores within and opposite the bus station.

Currency: Banque du Caire and Banque Misr have currency exchange booths within the Egyptian checkpoint, hours erratic, and there's an ATM. You can also exchange at the big hotels but rates aren't so good.

Sleep

Saladin Hotel is on the main coast road opposite Pharoah's Island and the castle. Tolip Taba Resort is another km south, near the junction with the road north to Rafah. See Taba Heights for the resort area 20 km south, and Nuweiba for the string of budget beach camps further along the coast.

Go next

Dahab is Sinai's backpacker hangout, with good diving. Eilat in Israel is a grubby construction site. Just use it for the airport or as a base, then head swiftly on to Jerusalem or the Dead Sea. You can reach Jordan either via Eilat or by ferry from Taba Heights. Fabulous Petra is about an hour's drive north of Aqaba. Ras Abu Galum is a nature reserve north of Dahab