Fred Stone takes us on a tour to Dahab, Egypt, and bouldering area of Wadi Gnai to the south.

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Dahab, meaning gold in Arabic, is a small town on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. Most visitors go there for the year-round sun and sea, and for its informal laidback atmosphere. Dahab is a special place, a friendly and chaotic meeting point of cultures, where Egyptians and local Bedouins mingle with tourists from around the world.

While most people will think of pyramids, the crowded sprawl of Cairo, or the Red Sea mega-resorts like Sharm-El-Sheikh when it comes to Egypt, Dahab is something different - altogether more low key and relaxed. Historically a summer stopover for the nomadic Bedouin tribes during the hottest months, Dahab then became part of an old middle eastern hippy trail as well as an Israeli kibbutz in the '70s, and something of that independent feeling has managed to live on, even as the track from Sharm became a road, and the beachfront cafes and dive centres multiplied.

For a climber, Dahab's big draw is the bouldering, which is currently focused in a valley 8 miles south of Dahab, called Wadi Gnai. Dahab offers something unique - some real climbing gems in the amazing stillness of a desert totally untouched by modern life, mixed with traditional bedouin culture around a campfire, the possibility of almost endless exploration and first ascents, and the contrast of finishing a day of climbing with a swim in the sea under the setting sun.

Wadi Gnai begins as the road ends, the sea framed between crumbling granite sidewalls in the rearview mirror of a lurching 4x4. Lush shocks of palm trees and tethered camels mark a passing oasis. The bouldering begins at the end of the Wadi where modern and ancient forms of transport are stopped in their tracks by a huge glass-smooth granite boulder. This is the Lower Waterfall sector. From here, the Wadi snakes gently uphill for a couple of miles, with the bouldering spread across two plateaus, divided in the middle by a dry waterfall.

There's a lot of climbing to get after. After a visit by Matt Cousins earlier this year, there are about 400 problems up to 8a+. Style-wise, think Cresciano more than Magic Wood; slabs, vertical walls and light overhangs are the mainstays. The rock is an earthy coloured granite, with occasional flashes of black volcanic stone, solid and smooth to the touch, large egg-shaped boulders with crimpy edges and gravelly sand underfoot. On the raised side terraces, the boulders are steeper and rawer to the touch, landings are to be improvised & new holds are pulled on lightly at first before it's time to commit.

Part of the joy of the place is that there's still so much to discover. There are hundreds of unclimbed blocs. You catch glimpses of entire side valleys in the top sectors, where a view of new terraces of boulders and chaos fields spreads into the distance for a few seconds as you walk on by. Just the drive to get to the boulders takes you past a few blocs that would set off a small gold rush among keen boulderers if they were found in the UK.

The local climbing scene is still tentative but promising at last. The local Bedouins grow up playing on the rocks and are totally fearless. If they ever get hooked by this strange game, they'll be phenomenal. Groups of Egyptians arrive from Cairo at the weekends to try toproping on the easy sidewalls further down the Wadi, followed by desert barbecues under the stars. There are a few locals in Dahab steadily developing the bouldering and opening new sport routes, led by Timo Elony and Menna Abdel Rahman. This year alone they've opened two new bouldering areas outside of Wadi Gnai which both look amazing & have radically different styles of climbing.

Must-do climbs:

The Fly 7A+ - amazing setting on top of the lower waterfall boulder, and an iconic big deadpoint move

Candle Slab 6C - impeccable highball slab that gets easier the higher up you go

Elephant 7B - amazing tall line with a technical sequence to unlock the first section

Science Friction 6A - is it harder than the Fontainebleau classic?

Holy Moses! 6B+ - a local rite of passage starting on smooth sidepull slopers, this was a heavily sandbagged 6A for many years much to everyone's enjoyment

Bedouin Cigarette 6A - nice steady climbing on a slight overhang, with a bit of a pull to get on to the top slab, just check the downclimb first!

Barracuda 7B+ - steep roof climbing along a juggy rail and arete

Wind Cries Mary 5 - sit start under the overhang and follow the easy side of the arete to a steady finish quite high off the deck

Shark Fin Soup 6c - sit start into a great problem on edges and an undercut

Bedouin Traphouse 8a - Egypt's very first 8A opened by Matt Cousins is like a mirror image of the Ticino bloc Foxy Lady

Inshallah 8a - Another Matt Cousins problem, this time round with echoes of Fred Nicole's mega classic Karma. It centres around an intense launch to a sloper above an exposed landing.

Hard lower circuit - 20 problems up to 6C that take you on a half-day tour from Lower Corridor sector back down to the Car park

Access

The boulders in Wadi Gnai are about 8 miles south of Dahab, and you'll need a driver and a 4x4 to get there. Starting from around £15-20 for a day, it doesn't cost that much when split between a full carload of 4 or 5 climbers and considering how inexpensive food and accommodation can be in Dahab.

The driver will usually make a campfire in the Lower Waterfall sector and brew up hot super sweet Bedouin tea while you climb for the day. You may be able to save a little bit of money if they drop you off and come back later, but this also depends on whatever the cost of petrol is in Egypt at the time, so don't be too surprised if it's more or less the same.

Since 2019, the Egyptian police now require you to have a permit for any roped climbing in Wadi Gnai. You can get this through www.desertdivers.com or by visiting the tourist police station to request a free group permit for a few days. There are no permits required for bouldering.

For a small extra cost, the driver will make some fresh food for lunch like a stew, sand bread, tuna salad or some grilled veg and chicken or fish.

There are lots of drivers and 4x4's around Dahab. Check out http://www.desert-divers.com and http://www.redsearock.com who have the best local drivers around, notably Ahmed & the totally legendary Am-Abdullah.

When to go

With an average of one day of rain a year, you don't need to worry too much about rain but do check the weather for storms as Wadis can flood.

From mid-November to mid-February, it's cool enough that you'll be able to climb on pretty much any problem throughout the day. If you're going in the winter, best pack some warm clothes as well for when you're resting in the shade and for the evenings.

During Spring and Autumn, you can get away with climbing in the more shaded areas like Lower Waterfall, but it's not great as it can still get uncomfortably hot.

You would have to be a masochist to even think about climbing here in the summer months, as it hits 40 degrees regularly, and the rocks radiate the sun's heat through the night. On the other hand, if you're immune to heatstroke you could always try and beat the record held by a visiting Japanese climber who managed to climb a 7A+ in August!

Safety

Egypt is in general very safe for travellers, and many millions of people from all around the world visit every single year without incident. In Dahab, you might easily find a family from Israel who have driven down across the border for a holiday, sharing a beach alongside Egyptians, Russians and Koreans, without any problems at all.

Women are very safe in Dahab, with plenty of solo female travellers and backpackers around.

Street crime is virtually non-existent in Dahab, and you can walk around at any time of the night or leave your bag unwatched in the beachfront cafe while you go for a swim.

Do check the foreign office advice for travel abroad, and use your common sense.

An important point if you're going out into the desert is to make absolutely sure you have enough drinking water for the day, a torch, and a basic first aid kit as there is no mobile reception in the middle of the wadi, and you'll be an hour's hike from passing cars or reception in either direction.

The one note of caution I'd pass on is about the quad biking tours on offer around Dahab, as over the years I've seen a few nasty accidents happen. These were almost always down to poor maintenance on the bikes. I'm sure some operators are better than others though.

How to get there

There are overnight bus services from Cairo to Dahab which take around 7 hours and costs around $9USD each way.

From Sharm El Sheikh airport, you'll need a taxi to get to Dahab which is about an hour away. The taxis at the airport terminal are ruthless hagglers so it's best to ask wherever you are staying to book you an airport transfer ahead of time, which will cost somewhere between €20-30 for a minivan.

Where to stay

There are lots of accommodation options around Dahab, ranging from basic camps up to beachfront hotels, and starting from around £5pp. I would recommend staying in or around the Masbat Bay area so that you can walk to and from the beach on a rest day, and to the restaurants in the evening.

You can find lots of options on Airbnb starting from around £10-15pp/night. Eslam and his father Yusef have a very nice place with a peaceful atmosphere, individual kitchens, and a shared courtyard complete with a resident tortoise.

Sukoon is an amazing eco guesthouse in the middle of town, run by Ramy, another local, which has double rooms for around $15pp. Really nice breakfasts are included, the style of decor is amazing and the roof area is perfect for winding down and stretching in the evening.

If you prefer a regular hotel and amenities, somewhere like Coral Coast is a bit more expensive but very nice and I imagine would cater well to families.

Food

The food in Dahab is excellent, aside from the bigger restaurants that mostly cater to tourist groups, and you can find more or less anything you like, from traditional Eygptian food all the way to raw vegan.

The restaurants are loosely divided into 3 areas - the smaller independent places which do most of the different cuisines (vegan, Italian, Asian, Russian and more) are along a small street leading to the Lighthouse. The bigger beachfront restaurants all do a broadly similar line in tourist-style grilled seafood and western dishes. At the other end of the bay, past the shopping street, you can find a few more typically Egyptian restaurants, including the mythical King Chicken.

Some restaurants that stand out: Boxfood (Asian, near Lighthouse), Athanor (Italian, near Lighthouse), King Chicken (Egyptian food) & Sea Queen (Egyptian food).

Also, make sure to try Koshary, which is a typical Egyptian dish of rice, lentils & onions, from the Koshary cart on the seafront & the fresh juices from the fruit stall by the Lighthouse.

Guidebooks

There is now a totally new digital version of the guidebook available for £12, which includes all the new problems and revised grades, circuits and video links to problems. It's 172 pages, full colour, formatted for mobile and desktop viewing:

https://www.archclimbingwall.com/shop/dahabguide

You can find an old free online version of the bouldering guide I wrote here that will give you an overview of where the bouldering was at several years ago, as well as links to some free topos for other local bouldering and sport climbing areas, and a Facebook group for Dahab climbers and visiting climbers:

https://www.redsearock.com/guidebook

Desert Divers and the Sinai Rock Climbing Centre have a free pdf "Sinai rock climbing guide" available here:

https://desert-divers.com/climbing-sinai/sinai-rock-climbing-guide/

Dave Lucas has very generously shared his extensive St Katherine's climbing info, including hundreds of multi-pitch trad routes and some of the bouldering that has been mapped while he gets a print version ready to publish:

https://www.davelucas.net/post/sinai-desert-new-climbing-info

Other Activities

Visitors to Dahab are totally spoilt for choice for rest day activities, not least of all sunbathing on a lounger and doing absolutely nothing. The swimming, snorkelling, and scuba diving are all amazing. Dahab is a mecca for freediving and you can find lots of courses for beginners, notably https://www.freedivedahab.com. There is also a lot of windsurfing and kitesurfing in the winter months.

There are lots of yoga options around Dahab, including a dedicated aerial yoga centre on the beach.

You can go on camel treks and camp on a secluded beach overnight, hike the mountain trails around Dahab and the Blue Hole, go on a day trip by bus to visit St Katherine's monastery and watch the sunrise from the top of Mount Sinai, or go on a full-on adventure climbing expedition inland. Lastly, you could also take a few days off, catch a bus to Cairo and visit the pyramids.

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