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El Gouna
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El Gouna

Lagoon Town of Kitesurfing and Boutique Hotels

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2 daysIdeal stay₹3,870From / night₹1,140Food / dayFreeEntry

A purpose-built resort town on lagoons and islands 25 km north of Hurghada, quieter and more polished than its neighbour: boutique hotels on the water, a marina at Abu Tig, steady winds that make it one of the Red Sea's kitesurfing centres, and the El Gouna Film Festival in October. Uses Hurghada's airport, 30 minutes away.

Highlights

  • Kitesurfing lessons at Mangroovy Beach
  • Abu Tig Marina restaurants
  • Lagoon boat taxis
  • Snorkelling trips to Tawila and Giftun
  • El Gouna Film Festival (October)
  • Calm, car-light town for families

Things to do

  • Kitesurfing lesson on the lagoonMorning · 3h
  • Snorkelling boat to Tawila IslandMorning · 6h
  • Beach and lagoon dayAny time · 4h
  • Dinner at Abu Tig MarinaEvening · 2h

Tours & tickets

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When to go

Best time: March – November

Heads up

Cooler Red Sea Water and Wind

From December to March the Red Sea is about 21-23 °C and the wind blows hard, especially in the evenings: snorkelling is chilly without a wetsuit (boats rent them), some boat trips are cancelled in strong wind, and nights are cool. Great kitesurfing weather; for warm water come from May to November.

Heads up

Ramadan: Shorter Hours

Ramadan falls about February to March in 2027 (the dates move about 11 days earlier each year). Museums, sites, shops and offices keep shorter hours, many local restaurants open only after sunset, traffic jams just before the evening meal, and the evenings are lively. Tourist hotels and resorts serve food and drink as usual; eat and drink discreetly in public by day.

  • Ramadan — The fasting month: many cafés and restaurants outside the tourist hotels close by day, sites and offices keep shorter hours, and the streets come alive after the sunset meal (iftar), with lanterns (fanous) and late-night crowds in Islamic Cairo. Eat and drink discreetly in public by day. It falls about February to March in 2027.
  • Eid al-Fitr — Three days of holiday at the end of Ramadan: Egyptian families head for Alexandria, the Red Sea and Sinai, so beach hotels, trains and buses fill and prices rise. Banks and offices close.
  • Eid al-Adha — The feast of the sacrifice, a four-day holiday: sheep are slaughtered in the streets on the first morning, and the beaches and trains fill with Egyptian holidaymakers. About May in 2027.
  • El Gouna Film Festival — A week of Arab and world cinema, red carpets and open-air screenings in El Gouna each October; hotels book out. 2027 dates not yet announced.