7 gorgeous places in Egypt to celebrate the New Year

When most people think about the ideal way to celebrate the New Year, they might picture extravagant parties on hotel rooftops and lavish bashes hosting the city's best DJs.

But sometimes, going on beautiful adventures that offer the chance to reconnect with nature is the best way to welcome a new chapter. These are seven drop-dead gorgeous places in Egypt that are the perfect getaways for celebrating the new year.

The South Sinai town, which lies at the foot of Egypt's highest mountains, is the perfect getaway for a hiking trip. The views from the peaks of Sinai's mountains, such as Mount Sinai and Mount Catherine, are spectacular and the climbs are just as wonderful.

Only an hour away from Cairo lies the Fayoum Oasis in the Western Desert, in which the Wadi El-Rayan lakes offer great opportunities for kayaking, bird-watching and jumping into waterfalls in the dessert heat.

Diving to explore the wonders of the underwater world is just as spectacular as hiking to explore wonders above sea-level, and Dahab's various and unique diving spots in Sinai are perfect for that purpose. Not to mention its calm waters and mountain views are great for camping trips.

For the perfect camping in the middle of nowhere experience however, there is no place better than the Siwa Oasis in the Western Desert, where stargazing by the campfire unravels the marvels of the universe, one night at a time.

The city in the south of Egypt is the best starting point for either cruising up the Nile all the way to Cairo and stopping by Luxor for some sightseeing, or cruising down the Nile to the Abu Simbel temples through the Nubia region where the Nile's waters are the clearest.

The South Sinai national park is the getaway that combines snorkeling, diving, bird-watching and exploring the offshore islands, Tiran and Sanafir. Its inland valleys and sand dunes are also great for desert excursions.

Home to some of the Red Sea's clearest and most secluded waters that are perfect for swimming and snorkeling, the town lies in the southeast of Egypt and has some of the most distinguished diving sites in the Red Sea including Dolphin House, which dolphins frequent and Elphinstone Reef, which sharks frequent.