Wadi El Gemal National Park

Wadi El Gemal covers roughly seven thousand square kilometres of coast, islands, seagrass beds, mangrove and desert mountains south of Marsa Alam, taking its name from the valley of the camels that runs inland. The marine side protects reefs, dugong-feeding seagrass and turtle nesting beaches, along with Wadi El Gemal island, a seabird colony. Inland the park holds the Roman emerald mining district of Mons Smaragdus around Sikait, where rock-cut temples and miners' settlements survive in the hills, and the ruins of Berenike, a Ptolemaic Red Sea port on the trade route to India. The Ababda Bedouin live in the park and run some of the visitor operations, including guided trips into the wadis and camel treks.

What you actually see

• Roman emerald mines at Sikait - rock-cut temples and miners' houses.
• Mangrove and seagrass shore - dugong and turtle habitat along the coast.
• Wadi El Gemal island - a protected seabird colony offshore.
• Ababda guided trips - desert travel run by the resident community.

When to go

October to April for desert travel; the coast works year round for snorkelling. A day for the coastal section, several days to reach the emerald mines and the deeper wadis. Bring everything with you.

Honest expectations

Inland access needs four-wheel-drive, a guide and sometimes a permit, and cannot be improvised. There is no visitor centre worth the name and signage is minimal. Berenike is an active excavation and access is restricted. Illegal quarrying and off-road driving are ongoing pressures on the park.

Nearby

Marsa Alam is north; Hamata and the Fury Shoals lie south.