Marsa Alam, Egypt

Marsa Alam on the western shore of the Red Sea has grown in popularity as a tourist destination since the opening of its nearby international airport in 2001, and is set to rival more established resorts like Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh. Its otherwise remote location make it an ideal destination for travellers seeking a tranquil holiday beside the beach, and adventure seekers who want to explore the nearby deserts or scuba dive on coral reefs.

As a relatively new resort, Marsa Alam has gained a reputation for the high standards of its hotels. Many feature villas in Arabian and Mediterranean architectural styles, set on the beach beside gardens of palm trees. This region has some of the most beautiful white-sand beaches in Egypt, including many secluded sandy bays that are perfect for sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling Wind-surfing and sea-fishing are also popular activities along this coast.

Marsa Alam has also won popularity with scuba divers. The coast is fringed with a barrier coral reef teeming with sea-life. Sea turtles, dolphins, dugongs and hammerhead sharks are often seen along the coast. The horseshoe-shaped Samadai reef encloses what is known as the "dolphin house" - a turquoise lagoon that is home to about 100 spinner dolphins, who have been known to overcome their natural shyness to play with visiting divers. The nearby Elphinstone Reef is considered one of the top dive diving sites in the Red Sea, and features coral-clad walls plunging down to more than 70 metres adorned with sponges, corals and sea-fans. White-tip sharks and barracudas are frequently seen at Elphinstone.

The Marsa Alam region also offers many opportunities to explore inland, including the famous emerald mines that once supplied the gemstones to Egyptian Pharoahs and Roman Emperors. The ancient Egyptians revered emeralds as a symbol of eternity, and these mines once supplied almost all the emeralds in the known world. Today guided desert tours by jeep, quad-bike and even camel-back can take visitors to the best preserved ruins at the Cleopatra and Mount Smaragdus mines, and to the remains of ancient gold mines also found in this area. At Mons Claudinius the ruins of a Roman town, with beautiful villas and temples of carved grey granite, are now awash with the desert sands. Further south, herds of wild desert gazelles can be seen in the national park around Wadi Gamal.

At El Qusir, visitors can tour the fortress built by the Ottoman Sultan Selim in the 16^th Century to help secure trade on the Red Sea. It was seized by Napoleon's troops in 1779, who fortified it with canons mounted high on the walls. Today it is a museum displaying arms and other items from its history. At Kanais, near Wadi Miya, there are the remains of a temple to the Egyptian sun-god Amun-Re, built by the Seti I, a Pharaoh who ruled in the 13^th Century B.C.E. The temple is tunnelled into a rock face, fronted by massive stone pillars and adorned with beautiful hieroglyphics and inscriptions.