Taba

Taba, in the eastern Sinai peninsula of Egypt, marks the location of the southern border crossing between Egypt and Israel, servicing travellers coming into Egypt and the Sinai via Eilat. The town has grown up around the border crossing and offers basic amenities for travellers - greatly enhanced by the Taba Heights development about 20 minutes ride further south. Taba is a centre for Red Sea diving.

WARNING: Because of the threat of attacks by militants associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the UK Foreign Office recommends against non-essential travel to southern Sinai (other than Sharm el-Sheikh).
(Information last updated Nov 2018)

Get in
Flag plaza between Movenpick and Hilton resorts

Most foreigners need an Egyptian visa to travel into Cairo. Unlike arriving in Cairo by air (where a visa can be purchased upon arrival), you need to arrange your visa in advance (at an embassy or consulate), before you get to Taba. If you don't have the proper visa, you'll be evicted from the bus at one of the checkpoints after you have paid your tourist tax at the first checkpoint. For entering Egypt, most nationalities can receive a free Sinai permit allowing 14 days within Sinai. You must have an advance visa if you wish to proceed out of the Sinai. Whether you have a visa or not, you'll be charged LE400 (as of May 2018) as "Sinai tax" or "Taba tax", collected at a checkpoint 1 km from the border.

By plane

🌍 Taba International Airport as of early 2019 has no international or Egyptian domestic flights.

The nearest airport is Ramon ETM IATA, 20 km north of Eilat in Israel, with an expanding range of international flights. (Ovda and Eilat city airports have both closed.)

By bus

The 🌍 Taba bus station is on the left hand side of the main road about 1 km from the border. Look for the East Delta sign with a big gravel patch in front of it. There may be buses parked there to make finding it easier.

From Cairo

Take a bus to Sharm El Sheikh. Check with eg. Go Bus or Blue Bus. Then take the daily bus to Taba, which passes in Dahab around 10:30.

From Dahab

There's an East Delta bus coming from Sharm El Sheikh picking up passengers in Dahab at 10:30. The East Delta office in the city will insist you get the ticket at the Dahab bus station (several kilometers away). At the bus station, they won't sell the ticket until the day of the trip, so arrive half an hour in advance to buy it at the station (or on the bus).

From Eilat

From Eilat, local Egged bus #15 connects the city centre with the border crossing, from there you can cross the border by foot. You can take a taxi to the border crossing for around 30 shekels.

When crossing the border, there are 150 m between the Egyptian terminal and Israeli checkpoint. Touts may offer you the use of carts to carry your bags, but will charge (approx. LE2) for this service. There is no charge on the Israeli side for carts.

You should get an Egyptian visa in advance, from the Egyptian consulate in Eilat or the embassy in Tel Aviv. Not having an Egyptian visa in advance is expensive! The stamp for the passport cost USD25, but you will be required to provide a "guarantee" from an official travel agent. These "travel agents" wait around and charge USD50 per person for an handwritten paper that they give to the immigration officer. Without the guarantee letter, the passport will not be stamped and you will be sent back to Eilat.

After you finished crossing (and paying the Israelis 96-shekel exit tax), ignore all the taxi drivers and walk on the sidewalk on the left side of the road for 800 m, until the bus station.

On the Egyptian side, long-distance taxis await at the traffic circle. These are usually shared taxis, and they have the reputation of ripping off tourists. Expect the usual haggling: pretending to go take the bus (from the bus station, further down the road on the left side) usually gets them to agree to a sensible price (LE30 to Dahab and LE20 to Nuweiba). On the 1 km walk to the bus station, you'll be offered taxi services many times.

See
Salah El-Din castle on Pharaoh's Island.

The border crossing facilities are nicely landscaped on the Egyptian side. The crossing doesn't see a lot of traffic—seemingly more staff than travelers—so if all your paperwork is in order you'll probably wisk right through. The first thing you'll see in Egypt is the ritzy Hilton casino-hotel.

The border zone at Taba is an artificial bubble extending for 1 km and consisting of little more than two giant resort hotels, the Hilton and the Mövenpick, and a small village supporting them. Beyond one kilometer, there is a checkpoint where foreigners are required to pay a travel tax of about LE120, so if you are waiting for the bus, you are effectively trapped in the border zone until the bus comes (the tax will be collected from you on the bus).

Across the street from the bus station is a building marked "Taba Museum", but there is no indication on the outside if it is ever open.

About two blocks behind the bus station is a rocky beach on the Red Sea, where you can look through the fence at the somewhat nicer beach at the Mövenpick resort. Crystal clear water, but any sand is probably trucked in by the resorts.

  • 🌍 Salah El-Din castle. A tentative UNESCO World Heritage site, the castle on Pharaoh's Island, just off the coast, was first constructed by Baldwin I of Jerusalem, one of the leaders of the First Crusade in 1116 AD. Later, after Saladins successful reconquest, a new castle was built in 1170. There are tours of the castles, and the surrounding area is popular for diving. (updated Jan 2017)

Do

The main reason for Taba's existence is the casino at the Hilton. Tour operators organize excursions to more interesting places nearby, including Mount Sinai and even Petra (in Jordan).

  • Castle Zaman, 25 km Taba-Nuweiba Rd (10 minutes from Taba Heights), ☎ +20 182140591. From noon. East of the Sinai Peninsula, overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba, this impressive monument commands a dramatic mountainous view of four countries. The exact site signifies a landmark on the ancient road connecting St. Catherine's Monastery with Jerusalem. Castle Zaman offers an exquisite and generous cuisine. Meat and seafood are roasted to perfection with an assortment of fresh vegetables, spices, dates and figs slowly prepared in earth pots. Preparation takes 1-3½ hours, time gladly spent by the pool, exploring the underground treasure room, or sipping fresh cocktails by the bar. (Not child friendly, Wi-Fi available.) 

Buy

In the vicinity of the bus station and the museum, there are a couple of tiny grocery stores. If you are smart about haggling, you'll get cheaper prices than in Israel.

Drink

Sleep

Budget

While Taba is the domain of luxury resorts, Bir Sweir, about 30 km south of Taba on the way to Nuweiba, offers lots of small beach camps. All have a restaurant section, and bamboo straw huts, where the Stars shine though at night. The camps are directly on the beach, with possibility to simply sleep on the beach, beside the sea. Figure on US$20/day including food and drinks.

  • Aquarium camp
  • The Good Life
  • Al Tarek
  • Diana Beach Camp
  • Sabah Camp
  • Baraka

Splurge

Cope

Currency

The Banque du Caire and Banque Misr have currency exchange booths within the Egyptian checkpoint (sometimes irregular opening hours, go along ASAP if you need to change money). Money and cheques can also be exchanged at the Taba Hilton Hotel.

Go next
  • Dahab, Sinai's backpacker hangout
  • Eilat, across the Israeli border to the north
  • Ras Abu Galum, nature reserve north of Dahab


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