Colored Canyon & Pharaoh Island in Sinai

Description

The Colored Canyon

Nearby the small oasis of Ain Furtaga, about twelve Kilometeres north of Nweiba, going back up the Wadi Watir (one of the most beautiful wadis of the peninsula connecting Nuweiba with Nakhl) is the start of the track leading to one of the geological wonders of Sinai, the Colored Canyon its very narrow walls, 40 m high and little more than a meter wide in parts, are made out of a sandstone possessing an incredible range of hues – from dark brown to red to straw yellow. This is due to the presence of magnesium and iron oxides.  

Pharoah Island

Going from Nuweiba towards Taba, at the extreme point of the Aqapa Gulf where the Israel – Egypt border is situated, and following the coastal road, you soon come across a fascinating cove, known as "salah Edin's Fjord". Its water has an incredible turquoise color.

After a further few Kilometers, you reach the beautiful Pharoah Island (Geziret El- Faraun in Arabic), a site of great interest from the historical and nature point of view. A fortress was built on the island in Byzantine period. It occupied by the Crusades in 1116 and enlarged at the time of the Sultan Salah ed- Din, better known as Saladin, who seized it in 1182. The fortress was restored by the Gyptian Antiquity Organization and opened to puplic in 1986. The north-east coast of the island has some especially well-developed coral reefs, the island itself having once been known as Coral Island. There is a particularly suitable site for under water sports down to a level of 10-15meters, while on the south coast you can admire the coral formations simply by snorkeling.