About Taba

The city of Taba was briefly occupied by Israel during the Suez Crisis in 1956 and again in 1967 when Israel occupied the Gaza strip. The Israelis built the first of Taba's giant luxury hotels. Taba was the last city on the Sinai Peninsula to be returned to Egypt in 1989. In 2004, the Taba Hilton was bombed; 34 people died.

Taba is situated on the border with Eliat, Israel. Across the Gulf of Aqaba lies Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The border crossing between Eliat and Taba opened in 1982. It is crossable on foot or by car. Visitors are allowed to stay for up to two weeks without a visa. The crossing is open 24 hours a day except for two holidays: Jewish Yom Kippur and Muslim Eid al-Adha.

Taba has very little transportation infrastructure. There is an international airport outside the city serving many European cities. There are ferries that travel to Jordan, but only for organized group tours. There are limited bus services and local drivers for hire. To travel in the desert, you need a four-wheeler, called a quad bike in Taba.

Recently developed as a beach community, Taba Heights is 40 minutes from the airport and six hours overland from Cairo. There are numerous beachside cafes, hospitable luxury hotels, desert golf courses and excursion packages to tour the gulf and the islands.

There are Bedouin caravans through the desert where you can sleep in a tent and travel with locals. A crusader fortress located offshore on Coral Island, built by Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem, has been restored since the battle in which Salah ad-Din took the fort back from the crusaders. Castle Zaman, on the shoreline, offers tours through the truly Egyptian style monument. A ship modeled after that of pirate Henry de Monfreid offers tours daily. The Gulf of Aqaba is a popular destination for snorkelers and scuba divers.