Red Sea Riviera overview
Red Sea Riviera overview
Egypt is of course a main destination which attracts several tourists every year: great history, fascinating
culture, beautiful coastlines, stunning underwater world and excellent hospitality are some of the main
characteristics of this country.
One of the ideal areas for a holiday in Egypt is the Red Sea Riviera, located on the western coast of the
Gulf of Aqaba and along the eastern shore of mainland Egypt, south of the Gulf of Suez. The blend of a
favourable climate, warm sea, thousands of kilometres of beach, rich natural and archaeological points
of interest offer to the visitors all what is necessary for an unforgettable vacation. The Egyptian Red Sea
Riviera is considered one of the most beautiful shorelines of the world and it has many renowned cities and
towns.
If you are planning a holiday in Egypt, you can think to rent a self catering apartment in the Western side of
the Red Sea. In this area, there are several spots to visit and discover.
Ain Sukhna
In the north, only 55 km from Suez and 120 km from Cairo, is located the town of Ain Sukhna. Its name
derives from the Arabic word meaning “hot spring” and it refers to the natural well located in the Gabal
Ataka, the highest mountain of the Eastern Desert. The economy of the area is based on hydrocarbon,
petroleum and natural gas extraction, but also on sugar refineries and other industries. Being reasonably
near to Cairo, Ain Sukhna became a main holiday destination for the Egyptians, above all for short vacation
or week-ends. Here, several hotels and resorts have been constructed.
El Gouna
Nearly 500 km south of Ain Sukhna, there is the tourist resort of El Gouna (meaning “the lagoon”),
developed and owned by Orascom Hotels and Development, since 1990. A network of canals with several
small stone bridges connects the various parts of this particular town. El Gouna has three main central
areas, where houses, hotels, shops, bars and restaurants are located: Downtown, Tamr Henna and Abu Tig
Marina (with its extension under construction). El Gouna is a paradise for the water sports like snorkelling
and scuba diving, windsurfing, kite surfing and parasailing. Two are the main beaches: Zeytuna Beach and
Mangroovy Beach. For the golf’s lovers, there is a golf course designed by Gene Bates and Fred Couples.
El Gouna has not only features as tourist location, but it is a complete town with great infrastructures.
There is a fully equipped hospital, with several medical branches. The town hosts an international school,
a branch of Cairo American University, a small private airport, a museum, a Coptic church, a library and a
football stadium.
Several are the activities available for both tourists and residents, besides water sports and golf: go-kart
track, paintball area, horse stables, tennis courts and a lively nightlife.
Hurghada
Only 22 km south of El Gouna, there is a main tourist centre and the second largest city on the Red Sea
coast: Hurghada. Once a small fishing village, it started to expand in the 80s due to the investments of
Egyptians and foreigners for the constructions of hotels and several facilities. Hurghada attracts tourists
from Cairo, the Delta and Upper Egypt, as well as from many European countries; several foreigners are
now residents in Hurghada, such as Italians, Germans, Russians and Britons. The city is developed along
the seacoast for around 36 km and it is composed from three main parts: El Dahar, called also Downtown,
is the old part, where the governmental offices, the biggest bazaar and the long-distance bus station
are located; Sekkala is the central part, with a mix of hotels, shops, houses, developed around the main
Sheraton Road; and El Memsha (in English Villages Road) where all the modern hotels have been built. With
the real estate boom of the last years, several other areas have been developed with houses and services,
such as El Kawther and Magawish. The recently built Hurghada Marina is also a very nice area, with various
bars, restaurants and clubs.
A main attraction of Hurghada is surely its stunning underwater world, which calls every year divers from
the entire world: marvellous islands (such as Giftun or Tawila), incredible dive sites, beautiful wrecks and
several fish species are the features of the Red Sea, also called the Aquarius of Allah.
Hurghada offers as well a vivacious nightlife, with several well-known discos, pubs, bars and clubs, located
in different areas of the city. From Hurghada, it is possible to reach also the historical sites in Luxor, by bus
and car or with the various organized trip.
Port Safaga
Located 53 km south of Hurghada, Safaga is a marine port as well as a tourist destination. For many years,
Safaga has been only a merchant port until when the divers discovered it with its wide azure bay, long
sandy beaches and lovely islands. It has a very special character being a quite village with uncontaminated
atmosphere with a small but blossoming tourist industry.
Safaga became renowned as an important therapeutic tourist centre, especially for rheumatoid arthritis
and psoriasis, due to its black sand, mineral springs and rich saline water.
Al-Qusair
The pretty small town of Al-Qusair is located 205 km south of Hurghada and 103 km north of Marsa Alam: it
is the oldest settlement in the Red Sea, around 5000 year old. Antiquely, it was an important port.
The two most important sites to visit in Al-Qusair are the fort and the water reservoir (it was the only
source of drinking water 100 years ago). Al Qusair Al Kadima is another important site to see: it was the
old Roman port where hundreds of amphora and old pottery artefacts were found. Now, the town offers
several hotels, diving centres, bazaars, restaurants and cafes to satisfy the increasing tourist industry.
Marsa Alam
Marsa Alam is presently seeing fast increasing popularity as holiday destination, due also to the opening
of an international airport in 2001. It is located near the Tropic of the Cancer, where the Arabian Desert
gathers the Red Sea, and it seems a tropical paradise with palm trees, mangroves, beautiful coasts and
coral reefs. Marsa Alam is already famous among the divers for its unspoiled sites and particular species
(such as spinner dolphins, dugongs and hammerhead sharks). There are also some internal attractions in
Marsa Alam, such as the Emerald Mines and the Temple of Seti I at Khanais.
If you are looking for holiday rentals in Egypt , visit the authors web site for great self catering vacations deals.
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