Gebel Elba National Park

This Egypt national Park is located on the slopes of Elba Mountain (1435m) near the Red Sea coast in eastern Egypt.  The park was named after the highest peak on the mountain Gebel Elba which is 1435m above sea level.  Other peaks on the mountain include Gebel Shendodai 1526m, Gebel Shellal 1, 409m and Gebel Shendib 1911m.

Although the park is found in the dry region of Egypt, it is a rich biodiversity that is classified as an important Bird area in Egypt. Elba National park overlooks the Red Sea while the Sudanese border is found in the south and in the west is the Eastern desert. The park is separated from the sea by 25km of coastal plain.

The park was established as an Egypt National Park in 1986 and occupies an estimated 3560sq km. A network of numerous small, deeply cut wadis drain the mountains into several major wadis, which flow towards the Red Sea or the Nile valley. The most important of these are Wadi Akwamtra, Wadi Aideib and Wadi Serimtai

The high altitude zones receive as much as 400mm of rainfall nurturing 450 different species of plants and trees such as moringa, acacis and Dracaena.

Wildlife

The park is a breeding ground for sooty falcons which are almost an endangered species. Other birds in Elba National park include trumpeter finch, mourning wheatear, ostrich, desert lark, blackstart, greater hooped lark, pale crag martin, sand partridge and pharaoh eagle among others. Some of the mammals in the park include gazelle, dugong, and more than 30 species of endemic reptiles.