Red Sea, Egypt

State guide with cities, regions, and key information.

EgyptAfrica
Introduction
The Red Sea Governorate stretches 1,080 km along Egypt's eastern coast from the Gulf of Suez to the Sudanese border, encompassing one of the world's premier diving and snorkeling destinations. The coastline — backed by the Eastern Desert mountains and fronted by coral reefs teeming with over 1,000 fish species — includes the resort cities of Hurghada, El Gouna, Safaga, and Marsa Alam, each offering a different experience from mass-market beach tourism to pristine marine encounters with dugongs and sea turtles.

Discover Red Sea

Hurghada is the Red Sea's main resort city — a 36-km strip of hotels, diving centers, and beach clubs along the coast. El Dahar (the old town) retains some fishing village character with a souk and local restaurants. Sigala is the mid-range district. The resort strip south to Sahl Hasheesh holds the luxury properties. Diving: Giftun Island National Park (the house reef, day trips ~$30-50 including 2 dives), Abu Nuhas wreck site (4 shipwrecks in one area), and the SS Thistlegorm (longer day trip, ~$80-120). Snorkeling is excellent at most hotel house reefs. PADI Open Water certification: $250-350 (3-4 days). Non-diving activities: glass-bottom boat trips, desert quad biking, submarine rides, and El Gouna day trips. Flights: direct from most European cities (UK, Germany, Russia, Eastern Europe). Budget all-inclusives from $40-60/night; mid-range $80-150; luxury (Sahl Hasheesh, Soma Bay) $150-300.

Travel Types

World-Class Diving

Elphinstone's sharks, Abu Dabbab's dugongs, the Thistlegorm wreck, Brothers Islands' pelagics, and 200+ coral species in 30-meter visibility — the Red Sea ranks among the planet's top 5 dive destinations.

Beach Resort & Winter Sun

Hurghada, El Gouna, and Marsa Alam offer year-round swimming (22-28°C), 340+ sunny days, and all-inclusive resorts at a fraction of Maldives prices — Europe's closest reliable warm-water escape.

Marine Wildlife Encounters

Dugongs at Abu Dabbab, dolphins at Sataya, sea turtles across the coast, seasonal whale sharks, and hammerhead schools at Elphinstone — the Red Sea's megafauna is accessible to divers and snorkelers alike.

Desert & Stargazing

Eastern Desert mountain camps, Roman-era quarry sites, Bedouin culture, and some of the darkest night skies accessible from a resort base — the desert behind the reef is its own adventure.

Important Travel Information for the Red Sea
  • •Diving certification: PADI Open Water ($250-350, 3-4 days) opens the Red Sea's main attractions. Many sites are accessible to snorkelers from hotel house reefs.
  • •Reef responsibility: don't touch coral, maintain buoyancy, use reef-safe sunscreen. Reef damage from tourism is a growing concern — choose responsible operators.
  • •All-inclusive quality varies enormously — read recent reviews. Budget properties often have poor food and dated facilities; mid-range and above is generally good value.
  • •Hurghada's old town (El Dahar) has local restaurants and a souk for those wanting to escape the resort bubble.
  • •Marsa Alam requires advance planning for dugong/turtle encounters — Abu Dabbab is the most reliable site; go early morning.
  • •Year-round diving but best visibility October-May. Summer is hot (35-40°C air) but water temperatures are comfortable.