Yoga holiday in Egypt

Dahab is a small and friendly holiday village on the Gulf of Aqaba, South Sinai, a northern reach of the Red Sea. Dahab developed from a small Bedouin settlement around diving, and boasts some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world.

Dahab hosts warm weather all year round, so it's an ideal place to get away from the cold winter of Europe. It's perfect for singles - it's so easy to meet people here, and a very safe place for women traveling on their own. The yoga holidays take place at a Bedouin hotel, situated on a quiet beachfront a short distance north of Dahab's Asallah village.

The hotel is situated right on the Red Sea with it's own section of beach and coral reef right in front of the hotel, offering breathtaking snorkelling. It lies on the outskirts of Dahab in a very quiet location, ideal for a yoga holiday and enhancing the feeling of getting away from it all. You can take a very pleasant stroll along the beach into main Dahab (about half an hour) or a 5 mins taxi ride for about 50 pence.

The yoga room offers space for up to 25 people for asanas and about 40 people sitting. It is built at the back of the hotel and into the mountain so is very still inside and very sheltered from the elements. Quiet for the winds in winter and with air/con for the heat of summer. For warm days there is a large area around the brand new pool with the most stunning views of the area, practising there makes you feel close to heaven. The beachfront has sun-loungers, cushions and mats and plenty of shade. All 26 rooms are en-suite, many with air conditioning and unrivalled sea views across the Gulf of Aqaba. The hotel restaurant offers Western and local food that suits veggies and meat eaters alike.

Dahab, located at the southern tip on the east side of Sinai. Originally a stopping place in the summer for Bedouin to refresh themselves as it is a natural oasis and to enjoy the cool sea breezes. Now one of the most popular dive sites in the world due to the stunning coral reefs and marine life. However it still maintains it's quaintness and totally laid back atmosphere making it so ideal for a yoga holiday. The Sinai is one of the few places left with totally unspoilt areas, this means there is an incredible energy and silence there. These are areas that have no electrical pilons and where cars have never been. There are many beach-side restaurants to sit and watch the world go by, Dahab style, no one ever rushes in Dahab.

Optional activities: As well as divng, your guests can snorkle, horse ride, camel ride, wind, surf, kite surf, sea kayak, mountain climb, plus go on many excursions, for the day or overnight, with Bedouin, by jeep or camel, or walking into the desert. The Bedouin are the indigenous people of the Sinai and are very like yogis in their way of living, moving and being. It is a wonderful rare experience to go into the desert with them, be looked after by them, and to have a taste of how they have lived for centuries. People can also visit and climb the famous Moses Mount, Mount Sinai with St Katherine's monastery at the foot of it. Built in traditional Arabic style and tastefully decorated with Bedouinstyle furnishings, the hotel was the first Bedouin-owned hotel in Dahab.

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*Alternative Christmas*
Yoga holiday in Dahab, from £350 (7 days) ex flights. Dates - Dec 15 - Jan 10.  David Olton will be co-teaching over Xmas from Dec 24 - Jan10

Fed up with Xmas and the over commercialised hype? Have a different Christmas this year.  Get away from it all in the sunshine and do something diferent. Come on a yoga holiday where you can also dive, snorkle, ride camels or horses. Go sea kayaking, go trecking, try a desert safari by camel or jeep, sleep under the stars and be looked after by local Bedouin, climb Mount Sinai, or just chill out have a massage and sunbathe. The basic yoga holiday package includes 2 classes per day with one free day in the week. You can add as many of the other activities as you wish. Great for singles!