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Sharm El Sheikh in January
Mixed month: January is outside the recommended season (March – November). Against it: Cooler Red Sea Water and Wind. Christmas, New Year and the winter peak can fall this month.
The season opens in March, 2 months away.
3 days in Sharm El Sheikh in January · from ₹17,935 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
The weather in January
What the season does to Sharm El Sheikh this month.
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.
Before you book January
Closures, crowds and rules at Sharm El Sheikh this month.
Worth knowing
Sinai: Where You Can Go
North Sinai is closed to visitors, and roads across Sinai have police checkpoints: carry your passport. The South Sinai resorts, Dahab and St Catherine are visited normally, but some governments' travel advice is stricter (the US State Department's has said not to travel to Sinai except to Sharm El Sheikh by air), which can affect travel insurance: check your own government's advice and your policy.
What’s on in January
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Christmas, New Year and the winter peak
Late December to early January is the busiest fortnight of Egypt's season: Nile cruises, Abu Simbel flights, the Watania sleeper and Grand Egyptian Museum time slots sell out, and Luxor and Aswan hotels raise their rates. Book by October.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 3 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹17,935 for two
- Room a night₹2,900
- Food a day, each₹1,378
- Main sight entry, each₹480
Mid-range
₹42,108 for two
- Room a night₹7,260
- Food a day, each₹3,180
- Main sight entry, each₹480
Luxury
₹1,00,579 for two
- Room a night₹19,360
- Food a day, each₹7,420
- Main sight entry, each₹480
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Egypt yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Sharm El Sheikh (SSH)
Flights from India: from 2 cities, one way from ₹30,000
Fly into Hurghada (HRG), 89 km away
Then: Ferry · 3h (Fast ferry Hurghada–Sharm El Sheikh (check it is sailing))
Flights from India: from 2 cities, one way from ₹30,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 30 days, about ₹2,900
- Before you fly, apply for the tourist e-visa at visa2egypt.gov.eg: US$30 single entry or US$65 multiple entry, each stay up to 30 days. Apply at least a week ahead and carry the printed approval.
- If you hold a valid US, UK, Schengen or GCC visa that you have already used once, you can instead buy a 30-day visa on arrival (US$30, cash, at the bank counter before passport control); carry that visa's passport.
- At immigration, show your passport, the e-visa and your return ticket. To stay longer than 30 days, apply for an extension at the passports office (in Cairo, Abbasiya) before the visa runs out.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive, with a blank page; E-visa approval (printout), or a used valid US, UK, Schengen or GCC visa for the visa on arrival; Confirmed return or onward ticket; Hotel bookings for the stay; US dollars in cash if you plan to buy the visa on arrival.
The visa fee rose from US$25 to US$30 in March 2026, and a separate levy (reported at US$12, rising to US$15 in 2027) may be added; pay only on visa2egypt.gov.eg, as look-alike sites charge more.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Egypt in January
Instead in season this month.
- Abu Simbel · great month
- Aswan · great month
- Bahariya & the White Desert · great month
- Cairo · great month
- Giza · great month
- Luxor · great month
- Siwa Oasis · great month
Nearby in South Sinai:
Want this as a real plan?
Sharm El Sheikh in January, day by day, priced for your group.