Marsa Alam Travel Guide

About 220 km south of Hurghada  lies Marsa Alam; a tropical paradise boasting rich blue sea with coral reef barriers, paradisiacal beaches and palm trees. It’s among the fastest growing holiday resorts on the Red Sea Riviera, and is popular with windsurfers, scuba divers, snorkelers.

Adventure seekers have plenty of attractions to discover in the deserts near Marsa Alam. Visitors can go on quad bikes or jeep safaris off-road into the desert, and combine it with a visit to a Bedouin village, marking an unforgettable and adventurous experience. A mouthwatering barbecue dinner and a camel ride cannot be missed while visiting a Bedouin village

General Information

For diving enthusiasts, Marsa Alam’s diving sites are considered to be a glorious treasure waiting to be discovered, boasting beautiful coral reefs and an abundance of magnificently colored sea life where spinner dolphins and sea turtles swim freely. Being a relatively remote location that enjoys a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere, Marsa Alam is considered the ideal destination for honeymooners. As the night falls, the stars light up the sky and Marsa Alam is magically transformed into a romantic getaway. Cuddling up on the beach or in one of the many cozy cafes along the water and watching the countless shooting stars, while drinking freshly brewed tea definitely qualifies as a perfect end to the day. If history is what you’re after, then this is the right city. It is believed that the Pharaohs mined brilliant green emeralds in the mountainous areas of the Eastern Desert southwest of Marsa Alam. The Cleopatra Mines or Mons Smaragdus became the most famous mining complex in the ancient world, and at various times the mines at Wadi Gemal , Wadi Nuqrus and Gebel Zabara were in use during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. If you are interested in tracing back the Roman glory, the Roman Settlement of Myos Hormos is not far from Marsa Alam

Marsa Alam Beaches

Marsa Alam hotels have their own private beaches exclusively available to hotel guests.  Long stretches of natural white sand beaches and a year-round dry and temperate climate make this area an ideal destination for sun seekers and water sports enthusiasts.  The waters of the Red Sea are clear and calm for most of the year and are popular for watersports such as scuba-diving and snorkeling, windsurfing, sailing and deep-sea fishing.

Other water sports including water skiing, pedalo hire are available on the doorstep and you can also learn to surf and windsurf.  Marsa Alam is reasonably close to the popular Red Sea destinations of Hurghada and Abu Dabbab where many international wind and kite surfing competitions are held.  Marsa Alam’s hotels can also offer a large choice of other more relaxed and fun water sports, from banana rides to parasailing.

 

PORT GHALIB MARINA

Located at the very heart of the Port Ghalib resort community in Marsa Alam, on the Egyptian Red Sea Coast, the Port Ghalib Marina, operational since 2002, houses a 5 meter deep harbor basin, harbormaster control, full customs and immigration facilities, ship chandlery, slipway, full service ferry terminal and refueling facilities. The area is dotted with some greatest diving sites offering some of Egypt’s most beautiful and pristine beaches and the upscale Port Ghalib Resort

MARSA ABU-DABBAB

Marsa Abu Dabbab, the shallow and sandy reef, is an ideal place for an easy and relaxing dive. While diving in the Marsa Abu Dabbab site, you might get the chance of meeting dolphins, as well as the famous dugong "sea cows", turtles and spotted rays. Discover a beach and snorkelling with sea turtles with a tour from Marsa Alam

ELPHINSTONE REEF

Located 20 km off Marsa Alam’s shore, Elphinstone Reef is a great diving site. The reef is 300 meters long, and its walls drop to spectacular depths of more than 100 meters. The reef is covered with soft corals and the underwater fauna species you’ll spot there are extremely diversified. These include barracudas, angel fish, groupers, and morays, only to name a few. The occasional visitors include white tip and grey reef sharks, as well as hammerheads.