If you have time to drive a bit further along the Gulf of Suez, you can find the Red Sea paradise of El-Gouna around 500 kilometres south of Cairo. El-Gouna is just 20 kilometres north of Hurghada; the resort was developed in the 1990s by Egyptian business tycoon Samih Sawiris and Orascom Hotels and Development.
El-Gouna specialises in watersports, including scuba-diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing, waterskiing, parasailing and snorkelling.
There are two main beaches: Zeytuna Beach, located on its own island, and Mangroovy Beach. A network of canals dotted with pretty stone bridges allows many houses to have their own strip of beach, even hundreds of metres inland. In fact, the scenic island is so picturesque it has been dubbed “the Egyptian Riviera.”
There are three centralised areas in El-Gouna, housing shops, bars and restaurants: Downtown, Tamr Henna Square and the Abu Tig Marina.
El Gouna also has public beaches like Element where you can sip bedouin tea and coffee and enjoy the nature, in this unspoiled natural beach.
Other attractions and activities around town include a small aquarium which the little ones will love, a go-kart track, a paintball arena, tennis courts, stables and a football stadium.
You can also enjoy a boat trip to one of the most beautiful islands in Egypt, Mahmya Island. There are two daily trips from the port in Hurghada, one leaving at 8:30 am and the other at 10am. Boats come back at sunset. If you're lucky, you can spot schools of dolphins playing in the water on your way to the beautiful island.
