Dahab means 'gold' in Arabic. In Sinai it means golden sands, turquoise sea and off-beat cafe life. The coral peninsula of Dahab lies between Qura Bay to the south and the smaller Ghazala Bay to the north. Here you can find the most picturesque Bedouin Village in Sinai, Assalah, surrounded by very tall palm trees.

Dahab consists of two villages: the Bedouin village of Assalah is the southern half, and the business and administrative center of Dahab to the north. It is a focus of tourism development, with swaying palms, fine sand and wonderful snorkeling opportunities. Dahab has excellent hotel accommodations, but also affords less expensive housing in the village, or camping. The local handicrafts are of some interest. The mountains rising immediately to the north of Dahab enable visitors to make interesting excursions (for example to Wadi Qnai and Wadi Connection in cross-country vehicles. Within just a few miles of Dahab are some great adventure spots. Excellent dive sites lie both to the north and south, including Blue Hole, one of Sinai's best. Just south are the wadis of Qnai el-Rayan and Qnai el-Atschan.