Description of the attraction
Ras Muhammad is the most famous national park in Egypt and one of the most famous diving sites in the world. This reserve is located between the rich coral reefs of the Red Sea, extending deep into the Sinai Desert and encompassing a coral headland at the southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula.
When the Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt, fishing and other human activities were banned in Ras Mohammed. In 1983, the Egyptian Environment Agency (AOCE) declared the area a marine reserve for the conservation of marine and terrestrial fauna, in order to prevent the sprawl of coastal cities with their damaging effects on the ecosystem.
The park is located in the tourist area of the Red Sea "Riviera", 12 km from Sharm el-Sheikh. The area of the reserve is 480 sq. Km, including 135 sq. Km of land and 345 sq. Km of water.
Ras Muhammad includes two islands - Tiran (6 km from the coast) and Sanafir. Near the mangroves 150 m deep, there are open cracks in the ground caused by earthquakes. One of the faults is about 40 m long and 0, 2-1, 5 m wide, in the cracks there are pools with water, some more than 14 meters deep. The onshore part impresses with a variety of desert landscapes and landscapes - mountains and wadis, gravel marshes, beaches and sand dunes.
In the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea, you will find coral reefs teeming with a variety of life forms. More than 220 species of coral have been recorded in the Ras Muhammad zone, 125 of them are soft. Coral reefs are one meter deep, predominantly 30 to 50 meters wide, although in some places on the west coast, they are 9 km wide.
The protected area is home to 1000 species of fish, 25 species of sea urchins, 100 species of molluscs and 150 species of crustaceans. Green sea turtles are regularly seen in Ras Muhammad. Dolphins can be seen a little further from the coast, and this is also the habitat of the white stork.
The most popular diving spots are Shark Reef and Yolanda, in addition, South Bereika, Marsa Ghozlani, Old Embankment and a sunken ship are considered good diving spots.
