Couple sun-bathing on the lower deck of a small yacht used for tourists off the shore of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Couple on the lower deck of the yacht off the shore of Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea in Egypt. Sharm El Sheikh sees a large number of tourists from Europe and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months, times when these lands are groaning under the snow and ice of winter while the weather in Sharm el Sheikh is perfect, with sun, beaches and perfect temperature water. Part of the activities at Sharm El Sheikh deals with making a trip to the various coral formations off the shore of Sharm El Sheikh (these are protected areas with restrictions on commercial shipping and fishing in order to preserve the coral formations), and since the journey can take some time, a number of tourists take the time to get some sun. Also, this is one of the few regions of Egypt (which is otherwise a conservative Islamic country) where tourists can wear a bikini or swimwear and not cause raised eyebrows.

Sharm El Sheikh (New Millennium Collection: North Africa)	View Larger Map