Photo : Accurimbono — CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Marsa Alam & the Red Sea · Hamata, Marsa Alam
Hamata and its islands
A fishing harbour south of Marsa Alam: mangrove on the shore, islands a few kilometres out.
Hamata is a coastal village a long way south of Marsa Alam: a jetty, outboard boats, a warden's post, and the mountains behind. This is where boats leave for the Qulaan archipelago and Wadi el-Gemal island, a few kilometres offshore. The mangrove, by contrast, is on the shore itself: a world of its own, feeding the birds and the fry, with its own mosquitoes at dusk. You wade into it, mask on your forehead, in clear shallow water. The islands are reached by boat and no other way.
The extra bit
Settle the route at the warden's post rather than at your hotel: that is where they know which islands can be landed on that day, and the answer moves with the season and the nesting. Late in the day the light catches the mangrove roots; the mosquitoes come with it.
Know before you go
Nothing is sold on the islands and next to nothing in Hamata: water, hat, sun protection, insect repellent and cash all come with you, and don't count on a cash machine. The area is protected and run from a warden's post: you cannot land everywhere, and birds nest straight onto bare sand. Cross the mangrove through the water, never over the roots. Afternoon wind can cancel the trip: go out early, and agree with the boatman what happens then, before you pay.
