Red Sea

The province

Get to know Red Sea

The Red Sea Governorate covers the entire Egyptian Red Sea coast west of the Gulf of Suez, in a stretch of more than a thousand kilometers, and the Eastern Desert, of dry mountains, up to near the Nile valley. The capital is Hurghada, a hotel and diving city that grew from a fishing village.

The coral reefs begin right at the sand, and snorkeling and diving are the main activities. Off Hurghada lie the Giftun Islands, in a national park, with beaches and reefs visited by boat. To the north, El Gouna is a town built around lagoons and canals, with a marina and beaches.

Farther south are Safaga, El Quseir and Marsa Alam. El Quseir was a port for pilgrims and trade with Arabia, with an Ottoman fort and old houses. In Marsa Alam, more isolated, bays such as Abu Dabbab and Wadi el-Gemal National Park shelter reefs, seagrass meadows and mangroves; turtles and dugongs sometimes appear in these waters.

In the Eastern Desert, the road from Zafarana leads to the monasteries of Saint Anthony and Saint Paul, among the earliest Christian monasteries, and 4x4 trips go to Bedouin villages and valleys in the mountains.