All of Egypt
Marsa Alam
Egypt / The Red Sea Coast / Marsa Alam

Marsa Alam

Dolphins, Turtles and the Quiet Southern Red Sea

Plan this trip
3 daysIdeal stay₹3,870From / night₹1,060Food / dayFreeEntry

The quiet far south of Egypt's Red Sea coast: reefs straight off the beach, sea turtles in the seagrass of Abu Dabbab bay (dugongs were once seen there, now rarely), spinner dolphins at Samadai reef, and the famous dive sites of Elphinstone and the Brothers. Resorts are spread along 100 km of coast round Port Ghalib and Marsa Alam International Airport, which has mainly European flights; from Cairo, fly to Hurghada and drive about 3.5 hours.

Highlights

  • Snorkelling with turtles at Abu Dabbab
  • Spinner dolphins at Samadai Reef
  • Diving Elphinstone Reef
  • House reefs off the beach
  • Wadi el Gemal National Park
  • Sharm El Luli lagoon
  • Starry desert nights

Things to do

  • Abu Dabbab bay: snorkel with sea turtlesMorning · 4h
  • Samadai Reef dolphin snorkelling boatMorning · 6h
  • Two dives at Elphinstone ReefMorning · 6h
  • Wadi el Gemal National Park jeep tripAfternoon · 4h
  • Beach and house-reef dayAny time · 4h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Marsa Alamvia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Marsa Alamvia Klook

Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.

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.