Things to do in Marsa Alam
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Marsa Alam
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall, calmer seas, warm evenings and oceanic whitetip season at Elphinstone.
Winter sun with cool nights, wind can cancel offshore boats, good for desert and Luxor days.
Spring sweet spot with excellent visibility, calming seas and a reliable kitesurfing window.
Fierce midday heat and bath warm sea, best for pure water trips, desert and Luxor are punishing.
Shoulder secret, warm water diving without August prices and a strong kite month.
What's on
- Oceanic whitetip season at Elphinstone October to December
Regular oceanic whitetip encounters at the plateau edges in this season.
- Coptic Christmas 7 January
Coptic Christmas alongside spring picnic day crowd effects.
- Sham el-Nessim Monday after Coptic Easter, in spring
National spring picnic day when beaches and parks fill with Egyptian families.
- Moulid of Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili Islamic calendar, moving
Major Sufi pilgrimage at Humaithara, expect pilgrim traffic and observe only with local guidance.
- Ramadan and the two Eids Islamic calendar, moving
Town life slows by day, Eid holidays bring domestic crowds and price spikes, resorts operate normally.
Best things to do in Marsa Alam
Abu Dabbab Bay
Shallow seagrass bay where green turtles graze in standing depth water and a dugong is a possible bonus.
Elphinstone Reef
Remote offshore walls with soft coral, strong currents and seasonal oceanic whitetip encounters.
Sha'ab Samadai
Sheltered horseshoe reef lagoon where a resident spinner dolphin pod rests during the day.
Coraya Bay House Reef
Living house reef a short swim from shore, best at dawn before wind and excursion crowds arrive.
Sharm El Luli
White sand and a clear turquoise lagoon with coral heads and reef fish starting close to shore.
Port Ghalib Marina
The only real evening promenade here, with marina cafes, shisha lounges, dive shops and restaurants.
Marsa Mubarak
Quieter seagrass bay with turtles and a resident dugong, much closer to Port Ghalib than Abu Dabbab.
El Quseir
Historic Red Sea port town with an Ottoman fort, coral stone houses and a working fishing harbour.
Where to stay in Marsa Alam
Coraya Bay / Madinat Coraya
first trip, all-round and luxury base
Sheltered bay near the airport with the best regarded hotels, a calm house reef and marina dining nearby.
Port Ghalib Marina
travellers who hate being trapped in one resort
The only base where you can walk to restaurants, bars and dive shops, though swimming is not from a great house reef.
Abu Dabbab Bay
snorkellers and turtle-first families
Stay on the bay to have turtles on seagrass alone in the early and late hours before day visitors arrive.
Marsa Alam town south / Tondoba Bay
divers on a budget
Eco lodges and small camps on quiet reef with price, space and silence instead of polish and choice.
The deep south (Hamata / Wadi Lahami)
serious divers only
Dive camps positioned for the Fury Shoals and Sataya, with superb reef and almost no other infrastructure.
El Quseir area
repeat Red Sea visitors wanting a quieter, older coast
Older resorts, a real town for evenings and good northern house reefs, with less luxury and fewer conveniences.
Think twice about
- Marsa Alam town centre
Dusty workaday service town with no beach promenade, cafe strip or evening scene. Visit for fish and supplies, sleep elsewhere.
- Unnamed isolated highway resorts far from Port Ghalib and Abu Dabbab
Captive to one buffet and one variable house reef, with long taxi rides to anywhere. Check map distance before booking.
Best restaurants in Marsa Alam
Divino Restaurant
Marina main restaurant for Italian food and a sunset terrace, the default escape from the buffet.
Filini Restaurant & Bar
Small fine dining Italian restaurant, the marina pick for an occasion dinner ashore.
Hakuna Matata Restaurant & Café
Relaxed Italian and international crowd pleaser that works well for families and mixed groups.
Chez Pascal Restaurant
Small Belgian run kitchen for seafood and European classics, a favourite of long stay visitors and dive instructors.
Al Sultan Restaurant & Lounge
Oriental and Mediterranean grills and seafood with live music and a lounge running late.
SoHo Bar - Tapas & Grill
Tapas, grill and cocktails in a proper bar setting, the marina drinks with food option.
Red Sun Restaurant & Bar
Seafood led bar restaurant on the water, open late and a sound second marina night.
South Lagoon
Family run beach restaurant where you pick the day catch and it is grilled and served at the waters edge.
Outdoor things to do in Marsa Alam
Wadi El Gemal National Park
Vast protected desert and coast visited by permitted 4x4, including the Roman emerald mines at Sikait.
Sataya Reef
Long boat day to a sheltered lagoon where a large resident spinner dolphin pod rests.
Hamata Islands
Low sand islands in clear water ringed by reef, with pristine Fury Shoals diving for certified divers.
Desert Super Safari
Quad, buggy and camel afternoon ending with a Bedouin camp dinner, sunset and telescope stargazing.
Kite Mood Marsa Alam
IKO kite school on a shallow flat water lagoon that is ideal for learning and progression.
Luxor
Private day to Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut Temple with an Egyptologist guide.
El Qulaan
Rare Red Sea mangrove forest in a shallow warm inlet, usually paired with Sharm El Luli and a fish lunch.
Lahami Bay
Southern dive camp base for dawn shore and zodiac diving across the Fury Shoals reef system.
Best hotels in Marsa Alam
Steigenberger Resort Alaya
Adults only luxury resort on Coraya Bay with five pools, five restaurants and direct jetty reef access.
Steigenberger Coraya Beach
Proven luxury resort on the same sheltered bay as the Alaya, with a long and consistent review record.
Casa Blue
New wave luxury hotel with very strong recent ratings, but a shorter track record than the Steigenbergers.
JAZ Costa Mares
Adults only new wave luxury option with very strong recent ratings.
JAZ Elite Maraya
Newer luxury resort with very strong recent ratings and modern hardware.
Hilton Marsa Alam Nubian Resort
Mid range resort a short shuttle from Abu Dabbab, pairing solid facilities with the best snorkelling nearby.
Brayka Bay
Solid package resort on its own bay, best chosen for house reef quality and shelter rather than pool count.
Jaz Grand Marsa
Workhorse all inclusive on its own bay in the solid mid range package tier.
Is Marsa Alam expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | EGP 2,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | EGP 6,000 a person |
| Splurge | EGP 16,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Elphinstone Reef: a few days ahead
- Sataya Reef: a few days ahead
- Kite Mood Marsa Alam: weeks ahead
- Luxor: weeks ahead
- Lahami Bay: weeks ahead
- Steigenberger Resort Alaya: weeks ahead
- Steigenberger Coraya Beach: weeks ahead
- Casa Blue: weeks ahead
- Choose the hotel by its house reef first, it decides the trip more than any excursion.
- Book Elphinstone, Daedalus and Sataya in the first 48 hours on the ground.
- Book private Luxor, kite course blocks, southern dive villages and liveaboards a week or more ahead.
Is Marsa Alam safe?
- Road travel and the sea are the real risks, use reputable operators and obey dive centre calls on conditions.
- Never touch coral or wildlife, turtles and dugongs get right of way.
- Carry dive insurance if diving and medication in hand luggage, serious hospital care is hours away.
Marsa Alam travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A cheap all inclusive on a dead reef far from everything turns the coast into a pool holiday with expensive taxis.
- Guaranteed dolphin or dugong swimming means corner cutting, park rules forbid chasing contact.
- Hotel shops overcharge for sunscreen and basics, bring sunscreen, reef shoes, masks and medication from home.
Getting around Marsa Alam: public transport and more
- Fly to Marsa Alam International if you can, Hurghada is about three hours north by road.
- Pre-book every transfer and agree price, vehicle and pickup point in writing before you travel.
- Pick one base, two at most, because distances along the coast are the budget.
Who Marsa Alam suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | OK |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Marsa Alam your trip
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