Hurghada Egypt
8
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Frequently Asked Questions
At the port of Hurghada, in the Sekalla district. The modern marina and its cafés are a short walk or a few minutes by taxi; the old town of El Dahar lies about 5 kilometres to the north.
For the water. The Red Sea here is clear and warm almost year-round, and the reefs along the coast are among the liveliest on the planet: butterflyfish, clownfish, moray eels, turtles.
Glass-bottom boats and a semi-submarine show the reef while you stay dry. The town's large aquarium presents Red Sea marine life, which works well with young children.
Pale sandbars set on turquoise, 45 minutes to an hour away by boat. Trips combine swimming and snorkelling over the reefs; it is the most requested excursion of the call.
Yes. Dive centres are numerous and well established: try-dives for beginners, outings for certified divers. Bring your certification card if you have one.
A morning boat trip, then the marina late in the day: pedestrian quays, grilled fish restaurants, shisha terraces facing the yachts. The great El Mina mosque with its two 40-metre minarets watches over the neighbouring basin and can be admired from outside.
In El Dahar, the historic quarter, about 5 kilometres north of the port. Its souk lines up spices, dried hibiscus, cottons and copperware, and the surrounding lanes, with their men's cafés and games of dominoes, contrast sharply with the coastal resorts. Go by taxi, fare agreed before you get in.
Yes, but you have to want it: roughly four hours on the road each way. Some lines offer this very long inland day. It suits travellers whom neither the drive nor the heat puts off.
Yes, and it starts twenty minutes from the pools. Half-day trips head by four-wheel drive into the ochre mountains of the Eastern Desert, with tea under a Bedouin tent, bread baked on embers and sunset on the ridges.
The Egyptian pound. Agree taxi fares before getting in, keep small change for the souk and for tips, and expect to bargain in El Dahar: the ritual is part of the exchange.
