While jagged mountains dominate the gulf coasts and interior of the peninsula, northern Sinai is awash with sand: pale dunes rising from coastal salt marshes and lagoons to meet gravel plains and wadis far inland. A succession of water holes along the coastal strip between Egypt and Palestine has made this Via Maris the favoured route for trade and invasions since late pharaonic times. However, few of the settlements have ever amounted to much, nor deserve a visit nowadays. Although Egyptians have begun flocking to the palmy beaches at El-Arish , most foreigners just zip through on direct buses between Cairo and Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, crossing the border near the divided town of Rafah .

 

Some buses now run to El-Arish, although from most places you will still be reliant on service taxis. In Cairo buses leave from the Turgoman terminal (6 daily; 5hr; £E12-15); in Ismailiya, you can get a bus at the main terminal (6 daily; 3hr; £E10) or alternatively a service taxi (£E6). Service taxis also leave from Qantara on the east bank of the Suez Canal (2hr 30min; £E6). There are EgyptAir flights from Cairo to El-Arish (Thurs & Sun; 1hr; US$109 one-way) during summer only.

With no north-south transport across the Sinai peninsula, it's only possible to travel between the Mediterranean and Aqaba coasts via Cairo and Suez. It's quickest to do this by service taxi , changing at Ismailiya and then again at Suez (or vice versa).