Rainfall is higher on the eastern slopes of the mountains, which intercept periodic moisture-bearing winds which create fog precipitation and occasional heavy rainstorms.

Vegetation includes mangrove swamps and salt marshes along the shore, sparse shrublands along the coast, and dry woodlands in stream valleys.

Jebel Elba, a mountain lying near the coast in the border region contested between Egypt and Sudan, supports the most diverse plant life in the ecoregion.

The mountains are home to the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) endangered Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana), and Barbary sheep (Ammonotragus lervia).

[1] Protected areas in the ecoregion include Wadi El Gamal National Park in Egypt, and Gabal Elba National Park in the disputed Egypt–Sudan border region currently administered by Egypt.