Coloured Canyon and Blue Hole: how the Dahab jeep day runs

This day suits active people who like variety and do not mind a long day on the road. It combines a walk through a sandstone canyon, a snorkel at one of the best-known dive sites in the Red Sea and an hour in the laid-back town of Dahab. It lasts about 11 hours, so it is a poor choice if you want a relaxed day or if you travel badly in a 4x4.

The day is shared, with up to 16 guests in a 4x4 and an English-speaking guide. A Bedouin guide leads the canyon walk. Check the trip page for the current price, which reflects the shared vehicle, the lunch and the protectorate fees that are included. The minimum age is 8, and your passport must come with you.

The morning drive

The pick-up is at 06:00 from your Sharm El Sheikh hotel. If you ask the evening before, the hotel can prepare a breakfast box. The drive north takes you through the Sinai mountains towards Nuweiba and lasts from about 06:30 to 09:00. Road checkpoints are part of the journey, which is why your passport is needed. Doze if you can, because the walking starts as soon as you arrive.

The Coloured Canyon walk

You reach the canyon at about 09:15. The walk lasts about 90 minutes with a Bedouin guide and follows narrow passages between sandstone walls, where the rock shows bands of orange, red and pale yellow. Some sections need scrambling and one or two have steep steps down, so sturdy shoes are important. It is not a hard hike, but the passages are tight and the floor is uneven.

If you are tall, carry a large rucksack or dislike enclosed spaces, tell your guide. Take water and a hat for the exposed parts at either end. The canyon is quietest early, and leaving at 06:00 is what gets you there before the later groups. Photos work best when you wait a moment for the group in front.

Lunch and the Blue Hole

At about 11:30 the 4x4 drives to the Blue Hole near Dahab. Lunch comes first, at around 12:30, at a Bedouin restaurant on the shore. At 13:30 you snorkel along the reef wall with the mask and snorkel provided. The deep drop that divers visit is beneath you, but snorkellers stay at the surface along the reef edge. Fins and life-jacket rental are not included.

Dahab and the drive back

At 15:00 you have about an hour on the Dahab seafront, with cafes, shops and a promenade. Between 16:15 and 17:45 you drive back to Sharm El Sheikh, depending on traffic and checkpoints. The total day is about 11 hours. You will be tired, so do not plan a late evening.

Heat, clothes and the day's rhythm

The canyon walls give some shade, but the drive and the shore are exposed, so a hat and sunscreen matter in every season. In winter the early morning is cold in the mountains and warm at the shore, so wear layers that you can remove. In summer, drink water throughout. The day has a clear rhythm of drive, walk, lunch, swim, stroll and drive, and the long legs are your rest.

Compared with our other full-day trips, this one asks for more movement than a boat day and less endurance than the Mount Sinai night. You are awake at 06:00, but you sleep in your own bed that night. It also gives you the one thing a boat day does not, which is the sight of the Sinai interior, with its mountains, wadis and Bedouin settlements.

Who it suits, and who should skip it

• Suits: active adults and teenagers who enjoy walking, scrambling and snorkelling in one day.
• Suits: families with children aged 8 and over who cope with long drives and enjoy being outdoors all day.
• Not ideal: anyone with a bad back, bad knees or a tendency to car sickness.
• Not ideal: anyone who wants a slow day by the sea, hates early starts or would rather not spend several hours of the day in a vehicle on mountain roads.

Included are hotel pick-up and drop-off, the shared 4x4, the guides, lunch, mask and snorkel, protectorate fees and bottled water. Not included are gratuities, fins, life-jacket hire, a camel ride, drinks with lunch and personal expenses. If you hold the free Sinai-only entry stamp, ask our team before you book, as the trip details say only that a passport is needed at the checkpoints.