Ras Mohammed by bus, by boat or on your own: how to choose
7 min read
Pick by what you want to see, not by price. If you want the reef and a swim in open water, take the boat: the six-hour White Island and Ras Mohamed snorkelling trip, from €20.69, rated 4.7 from 3,870 reviews. If you want the park’s land sights, a short day and the lowest price, take the four-hour Ras Mohammed half-day by bus & Allah’s Gate, from €18.14, rated 4.7 from 1,526 reviews. Anyone who gets seasick, or has a morning and no more, should look at the bus first. The boats are covered in detail in Ras Mohammed and White Island by boat; this article is only about choosing between the ways in.
The bus is a different trip, not a cheaper boat
It helps to stop thinking of the bus as the budget version of the boat day. It goes to different places. The booking page for the half-day names Allah’s Gate, Mangrove Rock and Magic Lake as the stops, and the short description adds the Earthquake Crack. Magic Lake is described there as a saltwater lagoon formed by a sandbank where visitors can swim. The listing says the pickup is a shared bus from your hotel reception, with the exact time sent 24 hours before.
What you get is the land side of the park: the rock gateway everyone photographs, the fissure, a lagoon. What you do not get is the open reef from a boat, or White Island. If your idea of Ras Mohammed is a day of snorkelling over coral, the bus does not deliver it, although Magic Lake lets you swim.
See availability and prices for the Ras Mohammed half-day by bus
The bus is not for everyone. The listing says it is not suitable for pregnant women, people with back problems or people with mobility impairments. It also says snorkelling gear is not included but can be rented or bought, and that photos and videos are extra. Read those lines before you book.
The park fee is where the listings differ
This is the thing worth checking, because the three trips treat it differently.
On the bus listing, national park entry of €10 is listed as not included, payable at checkout or on arrival. On the six-hour White Island trip, the listing shows national park entry fees of €5 as included, with a marina entrance fee of €5 per person on top, payable on arrival or prepaid. The Luxury cruise lists park entry as included and the same €5 marina fee as extra. The nine-hour trip is the one where the fee depends on which option you pick; that is explained in the boat article.
So the headline prices are not comparable like for like. Add the park fee to the bus, add the marina fee to the boats, and the gap between them shrinks. The listings may be updated by the operators, so read the “not included” list on the day you book.
The boats, briefly
Three boat days are worth putting next to the bus. All go out to Ras Mohammed and White Island, and all include lunch.
The six-hour White Island and Ras Mohamed snorkelling trip is the shortest. The listing offers an open buffet lunch and hotel pickup if you select it, with snorkelling gear as an add-on and diving at extra cost. Pickup is about an hour before departure, and the operator confirms the exact time by WhatsApp 24 hours ahead. The listing marks it wheelchair accessible; ask the operator what boarding involves before relying on that.
See availability and prices for the six-hour White Island and Ras Mohamed trip
The nine-hour Ultimate Ras Mohamed and White Island snorkelling trip with lunch is the best rated and most reviewed of the group, 4.8 from 4,632 reviews, from €26.10. It is a full day, with a barbecue lunch on board according to the listing.
The Luxury Ras Mohammed and White Island cruise runs six to seven hours from €29.83 and is rated 4.6 from 1,691 reviews. The listing mentions two snorkelling stops, a buffet lunch on the yacht and park entry included, and it does not state a minimum age. It calls the trip a good one for the whole family. Ask the operator about small children, since the page does not.
The four side by side
| Trip | Duration | From | Rating | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ras Mohammed half-day by bus & Allah’s Gate | 4 hours | €18.14 | 4.7 (1,526) | land sights, seasickness, small budgets |
| White Island and Ras Mohamed snorkelling trip | 6 hours | €20.69 | 4.7 (3,870) | most people, first-time snorkellers |
| Ultimate Ras Mohamed and White Island snorkelling with lunch | 9 hours | €26.10 | 4.8 (4,632) | confident swimmers with a free day |
| Luxury Ras Mohammed and White Island cruise | 6–7 hours | €29.83 | 4.6 (1,691) | a yacht day, families who check details first |
On your own: what is realistic
Going to the park yourself means a hire car and a gate. If a car is what you want, compare what is available for your dates: compare rental cars for Sharm El Sheikh. I have not found a reliable current fee schedule, so treat everything about entry as something to confirm. Websites I found give figures of roughly $5 to $10 per foreign visitor, with children under seven exempt and an extra charge for a car, and one summary of a new fee system for Egyptian protected areas was published in 2025 (Cairo Scene). Those numbers disagree with each other and with the tour listings, so do not budget from them.
What the road gets you is the freedom to stay where you like. Lonely Planet describes Aqaba Beach as reached by a brown-arrowed track, with the Eel Garden dive site just offshore. The Shark Observatory is a viewpoint on the headland, about 60 metres above the sea. The park also has a mangrove channel and a salt lake nearby that people swim in.
What it does not get you is a guide, snorkelling gear, shade or lunch, and it does not get you White Island, which is only reachable by boat. Nothing I found says how good the shore snorkelling is on a given day or which spots are open, so ask at the gate. There is also nobody to explain the park’s rules to you, and the bus listing’s own list is a useful starting point: no littering, no touching marine life, no touching plants.
If you have never snorkelled, going alone is the wrong first attempt, because the reef edge here is a drop-off, as explained in snorkelling for beginners in Sharm.
Who should skip what
Skip the bus if the reef is the point. Skip the boats if you get seasick or if nobody in your group swims; the half-day is the better fit. Skip going alone if you want a guide, gear or lunch included, or if you are unsure of the entry fee and rules. The full list of snorkelling options is under snorkelling in Sharm El Sheikh.
Our recommendation
For most people: the six-hour White Island and Ras Mohamed snorkelling trip, from €20.69, 4.7 from 3,870 reviews. It is the shortest way to the reef and White Island, with lunch.
See availability and prices for the six-hour trip
For the lowest price, a short day or a queasy stomach: the Ras Mohammed half-day by bus, from €18.14, 4.7 from 1,526 reviews. You see Allah’s Gate and Magic Lake, not the open reef.
