Where is Ras Mohammed?

Ras Mohammed National Park

Ras Mohammed National Park is located on the most southerly tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. It’s an extremely remote travel destination on the shores of the Red Sea. Access is generally either by vehicle or boat from Sharm el Sheikh.

I was fortunate to meet a German/Egyptian family who were holidaying for the diving in and around Sharm el Sheikh and they offered to take me to this remote destination in their vehicle. Access was probably even more difficult back in the 1980s as the towns on the Red Sea were yet to be discovered and developed into the tourist destinations we know today. The only access to Ras Mohammed was with someone who had a vehicle.

The small 4WD drive was loaded up with 6 passengers, scuba diving and snorkeling gear, and south we headed.

Diary extract – 18 July, 1988

Reef Fish on Local Postcard

“…We were stopped at a number of military checkpoints where Passports were required. Unfortunately, my passport was left as a security deposit with the Aqua Marine where the snorkelling gear was hired. Our host, who was of Egyptian origin, managed to confuse them at each checkpoint and we were not asked to show them. Whilst it was a mere 15km drive, it took an hour to get there! The last 5km was very much cross country and a 4WD was a necessity.

Desert Camels

We headed straight for the reef with our gear and I’ve never seen such an incredible number of fish of all colours and sizes. It can best be compared with swimming in a large, tropical fish tank found in your neighbourhood pet shop. We made it to the edge of the reef and the colours were simply breathtaking, as it plunged away beneath us. There were clams to be seen on the reef cliff and coral in many colours, shape and form. I’d not been out there for any length of time, when the others surfaced to say they saw a Hammerhead shark – I decided not to hang around and headed back to the safety of the reef…”

The Red Sea Dive Guide

Map

TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Ras Mohammed

One Great Reason to Visit Ras Mohammed

One great reason to visit this remote travel destination is to experience the diving and/or snorkelling over the reef, through an abundance of fish, to the spectacular reef edge.

Ras Mohammed from Sharm El Sheikh

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My Custom Designed Tour to Senegal and Mali

Gap Adventures is currently running a competition to design your own dream adventure. There are a number of requirements to be met and as I’m all for the adventure, dream, travel destinations, I set to work to create my custom design tour. The tour I have created takes in Senegal and Mali in the heart of West Africa, an area I’ve been longing to visit for many years, especially the amazing Djenne Mosque.

“Enjoy the sounds, colours and aromas of exotic Dakar, the home to the famous ‘Dakar Car Rally’. Take in Dakar’s markets, nearby ocean beaches and tropical rainforests. Enjoy a Senegal drumming class. Visit the first French settlement of Saint Louis, and like Île de Gorée, both were fortified collection points for slaves bound for the Americas…” – PLEASE READ MORE & VOTE

Where is Leptis Magna?

Leptis Magna

Situated on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and 130km east of the capital Tripoli, lies the ancient Roman ruins of this once beautiful city of the Roman Empire.

Leptis Magna was enlarged by Septimius Severus who later became emperor. There is evidence of public monuments, a busy harbour, market place, storehouses, shops and residential regions. Some of the buildings are beautifully preserved all these years on. Leptis Magna gained UNESCO inscription during 1982.

Unfortunately, when I travelled throughout North Africa during the late 1980′s, the borders to Libya were closed to foreigners and I was unable to visit Leptis Magna. This travel destination remains on my Bucket List to this day!

Libya – Lonely Planet’s Country Guide

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TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Leptis Magna

One Great Reason to Visit Leptis Magna

One great reason to visit this travel destination is to enjoy the splendour of a once grand Roman city that is not that well known.

Michael Palin at Leptis Magna

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Where is the Amhara Plateau?

Gelada Baboons on the Amhara Plateau

The Amhara Plateau incorporates the ‘Simien National Park’ which is a World Heritage Site and was inscribed by UNESCO during 1978 – one of the first localities to receive inscription.

It is located in northern Ethiopia, 120 km north-east of Gondar. Erosion over the years of the Great Rift Valley, has created an amazing landscape of majestic peaks and deep valleys. Ras Dashen, at a height of 4620m, is the fourth highest peak in Africa.

The Gelada Baboons, Simien fox, Ethiopian wolf and the Walia Ibex (a goat) are found nowhere else in the world. Sadly, these species are diminishing. Consequently, during 1996 the park was added to the UNESCO register as a ‘World Heritage Site in Danger’.

The 5th Edition ‘Ethiopia Bradt Travel Guide Book’ comes highly recommended

Map

TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Amhara Plateau

One Great Reason to Visit Amhara Plateau

One great reason to visit the Amhara Plateau and Simien National Park is to watch the fascinating Gelada Baboons negotiate the steep cliff-sides and manage it successfully!

Simien National Park

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