Sharm el-Sheikh

Is Sharm el-Sheikh safe?

Yes, for a resort holiday. Sharm sits at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula, and the region's reputation comes from the north, where the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel. For the south it says the opposite: the Red Sea tourist areas are generally low risk, and security forces check vehicles and airports to protect resorts such as Sharm. Egypt's last official homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary was 1.3 per 100,000 (2017), and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says pickpocketing is rare.

The risks that remain are the sea, the heat, the roads out of town, and assaults by people visitors have already met. We score Sharm el-Sheikh 67, level with Hurghada across the Gulf of Suez.

Sinai: where you can and cannot go

The map matters here. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises against all travel to North Sinai, where militants have attacked police and soldiers, and against all but essential travel to the northern part of South Sinai beyond the St Catherine–Nuweiba road, except the coasts. The US says do not travel to northern and middle Sinai.

That leaves Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba, Ras Mohammed and the road to St Catherine's Monastery open. Book trips outside the resort through approved agents, as the FCDO advises, and carry your passport, because security forces stop vehicles at checkpoints. The Taba crossing to Israel can close at short notice because of the regional war.

The 2015 airliner bombing and airport security

In October 2015 a Russian Metrojet airliner that had just left Sharm broke up over Sinai, and all 224 people on board died. The UK suspended flights on suspicion that a bomb was the cause, leaving up to 20,000 Britons stranded in Sharm, and did not lift the ban until October 2019, citing improved security at Sharm airport. Expect thorough checks at the airport and at hotel gates. They are part of why the resort is now rated low risk.

Reefs, boats and sharks

Ras Mohammed, Tiran and the reefs off Naama Bay are the reason most people come, and the boats are the main hazard. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says safety standards on Red Sea dive boats vary considerably, that some operators lack proper safety and insurance cover, and that British divers have died in recent incidents. In November 2024 a liveaboard, the Sea Story, sank off Marsa Alam on the mainland coast; Reuters counted four dead and seven missing.

Rescue is expensive and conditional. The FCDO warns that sea or air rescue can cost more than 4,000 dollars an hour, and the Egyptian authorities start it only once payment is guaranteed. Check that your insurance or dive operator covers it, and do not dive below your policy's depth limit.

Shark attacks are rare in the Red Sea but not unknown; recent fatal ones were off Hurghada in 2023 and Marsa Alam in 2024. Swim in the marked areas and obey beach closures.

Assaults, touts and nights out

Naama Bay and SOHO Square are busy in the evening, and Gallup's 2025 survey found 82% of Egyptians feel safe walking alone at night. The serious warning is about assault behind closed doors. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says most sexual assaults reported to the British Embassy in Egypt took place in Red Sea resorts, often by hotel or excursion staff the victim had already met, sometimes involving children, and that hotel staff have discouraged some victims from reporting. Do not let staff into your room when you are alone, keep children with you, and report any crime to the tourist police (126) before you leave Egypt.

Touts are the everyday nuisance. Prices in the Old Market start high, taxis are negotiated, and excursion sellers push hard. Agree prices first or book through your hotel.

Roads and desert trips

There is no road death figure for Sharm itself. Nationally, WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 7.9 deaths per 100,000 people (2023). The risk rises once you leave the resort: in September 2026 a bus overturned on the Dahab–Nuweiba road and killed 17 people. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary also reports serious quad-bike accidents in resort areas and advises against driving outside cities and resorts at night. Choose safaris that give helmets, and plan Dahab and St Catherine trips so you are back before dark.

Heat

Sharm is far hotter than Hurghada in summer. ERA5 weather data show between 37 and 72 days a year at 40 °C or more in 2021–2025, with a peak of 48 °C in August 2025. Snorkel and walk in the morning, drink more water than you think you need, and keep children in the shade at midday. The US says emergency care in Egypt is limited, so heat exhaustion is best avoided.

How we scored it

Violent crime (76) and walking at night (68) score the same as Hurghada, because the same advice and data apply. Traffic safety (58) and health and environment (60) are the weakest factors, for the roads, uneven boat safety and limited emergency care. Natural hazards (68) is two points below Hurghada for the extra heat. For the Nile Valley side of an Egypt trip, see Luxor.