What's on in Sharm El Sheikh (Sharm), Egypt through the year

Peak crowds — European winter season, Mid-year holiday in Egypt

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  19 Feb – 19 MarClosures

  Naama Bay and the hotel strip run as usual; the town at Hadaba and the workers' quarters keep the fast and shift everything to the evening. Boat crews are fasting on the water. Source ↗

Still on: European winter season (15 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, European winter season

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ramadan (19 Feb – 19 Mar), European winter season (15 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  20–23 MarRamadan & EidCrowded

  Egyptian families take the resorts for four or five days and the Ras Mohammed boats sell out. Rates rise for the holiday and drop the week after it. Source ↗

• Season

  The gulf wind

  15 Mar – 15 Oct · usuallyWind seasonRisk

  The northerly funnels down the gulf most afternoons, which is why the flats at Nabq are full of kites and why the dive boats cross to Tiran early and come back before it builds.

Still on: Ramadan (19 Feb – 19 Mar), European winter season (15 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Eid al-Fitr (20–23 Mar), The gulf wind (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  1 May – 30 Nov · usually

  Warm enough for a shorty from May into November, at its best in September and October. January to March is still fine for a dive but the wetsuit gets thicker.

Still on: The gulf wind (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Egypt, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Summer schooling at Ras Mohammed

  1 Jun – 31 Aug · usuallyWildlife season

  High summer is when the snapper and barracuda gather in numbers off the point, which is the one thing here worth putting up with the heat for. Boats book out for it.

• Season

  The desert summer

  15 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  Bare rock and no shade between the hotels and the sea; the excursions to St Catherine and Luxor become a bad idea. Rooms are at their cheapest for the year.

Still on: The gulf wind (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Egypt, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: The gulf wind (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (1 May – 30 Nov (usually)), Summer schooling at Ras Mohammed (1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)), The desert summer (15 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Egypt, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The gulf wind (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (1 May – 30 Nov (usually)), Summer schooling at Ras Mohammed (1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)), The desert summer (15 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Egypt, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: The gulf wind (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (1 May – 30 Nov (usually)), The desert summer (15 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: The gulf wind (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — European winter season, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  European winter season

  15 Dec – 15 Mar · usuallySchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Charter flights from Europe fill the bay through the Christmas fortnight and the February half-terms, when the water is coolest and the air is at its most reasonable.