Hurghada, Makadi and Sahl Hasheesh

Three resorts under one name

On a plane ticket, everything is called Hurghada. On the ground, there are three different kinds of holiday, lined up from north to south along the coast.

Hurghada itself is a real town, with more than 200,000 inhabitants in 2023. Ababda fishermen, a nomadic people of the Eastern Desert, settled here in the late 19th century; the town was officially founded in 1905, and oil was discovered nearby in 1913. Tourism turned the old fishing village into a large resort: its airport is now the second busiest in Egypt. El Dahar, to the north, is the old quarter, home to the souk; Sakkala, further south, is the lively centre, with the marina, its restaurants and bars. Beyond, hotels follow one another for kilometres along the sea: big family resorts, water parks, and the largest number of excursion providers on the spot.

Sahl Hasheesh, about 18 km to the south, is a bay developed as a single project: upmarket hotels, a seafront promenade, little traffic. It is the quietest of the three.

Makadi, about 30 km to the south, is a bay of resorts built around the Madinat Makadi golf course, an 18-hole course opened in 2008. People come for the beach, the golf and hotels set away from the bustle of the town.

Hurghada International Airport serves all three bays.

Where to stay for your kind of trip

Sabaro recommends Hurghada itself to those who want to go out in the evening and take plenty of excursions, and Sahl Hasheesh or Makadi to those who plan to spend most of their stay at the hotel.

A day at sea

Most stays include at least one day on a boat. The Giftun Islands, about 45 minutes by boat from the coast, are the usual trip: coral reefs, clear water and white sand beaches. On one of them, Mahmeya is an ecotourism project where you spend the day ashore, swimming and having lunch. Trips often combine two or three snorkelling stops with dolphin watching along the way.

A few tips for choosing your trip:

• The boat. Size and passenger numbers vary widely from one operator to another. Safety standards of Red Sea diving operators and boats vary considerably: book with reputable providers.
• Park fees. The Giftun Islands are a protected area: an entry fee is often charged on top of the trip price. Check whether it is included when you book.
• Coral. Taking or damaging coral is punishable. Coral cuts get infected easily, even small ones: disinfect them straight away.
• Your level. Snorkelling trips suit confident swimmers; those who have never dived with a tank will find day-long try-dives by boat in Hurghada.

On land

Hurghada has enough for a day away from the beach. Hurghada Museum, the first archaeological museum in the Red Sea Governorate, displays about 2,000 objects from Pharaonic to modern times. The Grand Aquarium, opened in 2015, is the largest in Egypt. The marina makes for a late-afternoon stroll. Inland, quad, buggy and 4x4 trips head for the dunes and a Bedouin village, often with dinner on the way back.

Luxor in a day, or in two

Luxor is about 280 km away, four hours by road. Providers offer the round trip in a single day: about 14 hours, covering both banks, with lunch. It can be done, but it is long: you leave before dawn, rush through Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, and get back late.

Sabaro instead recommends spending at least one night there, or starting the trip in Luxor and ending it in Hurghada, with no return journey. One constraint applies either way: driving at night outside towns should be ruled out, including by bus. The journey is made by day, with a driver.

Seasons

The air is mild in winter, with an average high of 22.2 °C in January, and hot in summer, 37.5 °C in August. The sea lags behind: it is at its coolest in February and March, around 22 °C, and at its warmest in August, around 29 °C. October and November combine a still-warm sea with more bearable air. From December to March, swimming is still possible, but the wind soon cools a boat deck: a jacket is worth taking for a day at sea.