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Marsa Alam & the Red Sea

Wild: the southern reefs, the mangroves, and two monasteries at the end of a desert track.

The Red Sea you come for because of what it lacks: Marsa Alam wild, Hamata and its islands, the Qulaan mangroves, the Elphinstone and Satayah reefs, the old town of Quseir. Behind the coast the Eastern Desert keeps two monasteries — St Antony's, a full day from Hurghada and not a stop along the way, and St Paul's. Ain Sokhna, further north on the Gulf of Suez, is the sea closest to Cairo. Two habits here: have it confirmed the day before that access is open, and never go into the desert alone or in a saloon car.

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Pyramids, temples, museums, mosques, Coptic churches

Monuments & sites

  • Old Quseir

    Off the beaten track

    An Ottoman port left intact between Hurghada and Marsa Alam.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaQuseir

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • St Paul's Monastery

    A fortified monastery in the desert, around the cave of the first Christian hermit.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaEastern Desert, near the Red Sea

    € BudgetHistoric venue

Feluccas, desert, diving, markets, cruises

Outings & activities

  • Monastery of Saint Antony

    A fourth-century Coptic monastery under an Eastern Desert cliff, still lived in today.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaEastern Desert

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue

  • Abu Dabbab Bay

    A shallow sandy bay north of Marsa Alam, known for its turtles and its seagrass meadows.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaMarsa Alam

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning

  • Sharm el-Luli

    A white sand beach and clear water, with not a hotel on the horizon.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaSouth of Marsa Alam

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • A whole pod of spinner dolphins — what you come here for.

    Satayah reef

    A horseshoe reef where a colony of spinner dolphins comes to rest.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaHamata, southern Red Sea

    €€€ High endDiving / snorkelling

  • Elphinstone reef

    A 300-metre-long seamount, one of Egypt's best-known dive sites.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaOff Marsa Alam

    €€€ High endDiving / snorkelling

  • The Qulaan mangroves

    Mangroves standing in salt water, flamingos and a Bedouin village.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaWadi el-Gemal, southern Red Sea

    € BudgetBest in the morning

  • Old Quseir

    Off the beaten track

    An Ottoman port left intact between Hurghada and Marsa Alam.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaQuseir

    € BudgetHistoric venue
  • A desert road at the foot of a cliff, a lone car in the distance.

    El Galala

    A new city on a plateau at seven hundred metres, above the Gulf of Suez.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaAin Sokhna

    €€€ High endSea view

Egyptian, street food, fine dining, brunch

Restaurants

  • Two whole grilled fish on a pewter dish, with lemon wedges.

    The tables of Marsa Alam

    Few addresses, plenty of fish: the southern Red Sea's table.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaMarsa Alam

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • A whole fish grilling over charcoal embers.

    The tables of Quseir

    Off the beaten track

    Fish from a real port, served on a seafront with no resort.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaQuseir

    € BudgetWhere locals go

Parks, gardens, beaches, reefs, walks

Nature & downtime

  • Hamata and its islands

    A fishing harbour south of Marsa Alam: mangrove on the shore, islands a few kilometres out.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaHamata, Marsa Alam

    €€ Mid-rangeDiving / snorkelling

  • Wadi el-Gemal National Park

    Mountains, gravel plains and acacias south of Marsa Alam. Not a place for an ordinary car.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaMarsa Alam

    €€€ High endPaid entry

  • Ain Sokhna

    The Gulf of Suez, about two hours from Cairo: freighters on the horizon and a day by the sea.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaAin Sokhna

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go

  • Sharm el-Luli

    A white sand beach and clear water, with not a hotel on the horizon.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaSouth of Marsa Alam

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • A whole pod of spinner dolphins — what you come here for.

    Satayah reef

    A horseshoe reef where a colony of spinner dolphins comes to rest.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaHamata, southern Red Sea

    €€€ High endDiving / snorkelling

  • Elphinstone reef

    A 300-metre-long seamount, one of Egypt's best-known dive sites.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaOff Marsa Alam

    €€€ High endDiving / snorkelling

  • The Qulaan mangroves

    Mangroves standing in salt water, flamingos and a Bedouin village.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaWadi el-Gemal, southern Red Sea

    € BudgetBest in the morning
  • Soft coral and its shoals of anthias — what you come here for.

    The southern dive camps

    Wooden huts by the reef, hours from the nearest hotel.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaMarsa Alam and Hamata

    €€ Mid-rangeDiving / snorkelling

Souks, fair-trade crafts, concept stores

Shopping

  • The shops of Marsa Alam

    Few shops, plenty of dive gear: the bare necessities of the southern Red Sea.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaMarsa Alam

    €€ Mid-rangeHandmade

Recent openings, new concepts, addresses that have just arrived

What's new

  • Soft coral and its shoals of anthias — what you come here for.

    The southern dive camps

    Wooden huts by the reef, hours from the nearest hotel.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaMarsa Alam and Hamata

    €€ Mid-rangeDiving / snorkelling
  • A desert road at the foot of a cliff, a lone car in the distance.

    El Galala

    A new city on a plateau at seven hundred metres, above the Gulf of Suez.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaAin Sokhna

    €€€ High endSea view