Red Sea Travel Guide

Along the Red Sea coast, the beach and holiday business thrives all year around

The coastline connecting the Egyptian mainland to the Red Sea, from the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez to the Sudanese border in the South, parallels the Valley of Nile, which flows at least 140 km away. A thousand kilometers of white sand and rocky coves, palm groves, coral reefs and, in the distance, mountain ranges glowing red in the sun. Inshallah, God willing, within the next ten or 15 years a considerable part of this area will be built up with vacation colonies, artificial towns, diving and surfing centers. The government wants it, private investors want it, and so do European travel agents. Someone came up with the term “Riviera of the Near East,” and now the vision has become reality. The mix of people among the tourists is delightful and irritating in equal measure. Most of the tourists come from Germany, Benelux, Italy and the nations of the former Soviet Union. Everything that would evoke utter horror in conservative upper Egypt happens here: half-naked Russian women rub shoulders up on stage in the so-called “Miss” contests and fashion shows, while everyone drinks and dances till dawn in the discos and bars--and then the next afternoon they are out sunbathing topless on the beach in front of the hotel. Hurghada is the center of this tumult, with over 100 beach resorts lined up, one after another, interrupted only by constructions sites. 22 km to the north lies elegant El-Gouna. Marsa Alam, 300 km to the south, with its still unspoiled beaches and bays, is now a holiday destination as well. Because the Nile is relatively near, side-trips to sites such as Luxor are offered. You should plan on spending at least one overnight if you go. The high-speed catamarans make it possible to reach the Sinai Peninsula quickly--just 90 minutes from Hurghada.

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