Hurghada

Hurghada, known in Egypt as ‘Al Ghardaga’, was at one time just a small simple fishing village. But now, with its crystal clear water, untouched reefs and a multitude of ship wrecks, it has become one of the best Egyptian tourist destinations. The old town centre (El Dahar) with its bazaars, mosques and lively atmosphere reflects typical Egyptian life. Further inland you find the Desert Mountains, ideal for desert tours, watching the unbelievable night sky through a telescope or visiting the Bedouins still living there. Most of all Hurghada offers sunshine and relaxation - all you could want for your holiday.

The city was founded in the early 20th century, and since 1980s has been continually enlarged by American, European and Arab investors to become the leading seaside resort on the Red Sea. Holiday villages and first class hotels provide excellent aquatic sport facilities not only for scuba and apnoe divers or kitesurfers and windsurfers.

The offshore islands tempt thousands of divers every year to discover the submarine flora and fauna. Throughout the year Hurghada has a warm and dry desert climate with a steady breeze. Summers are very hot - be sure to protect yourself against the sun. In winter the temperature lies between 20° - 25° Celsius and water temperature drops down to 20° - 22° Celsius. For those of you who do not want to get wet, you can enjoy a delightful submarine ride, to view the underwater life in a unique fashion.

Other nearby islands and destinations include the Shedwan Island (diving, snorkelling, fishing but no swimming), Shaab Abu Shiban (diving, snorkelling and swimming), Shaab el-Erg (diving, fishing and snorkelling), Umm Gammar Island (diving and snorkelling), Shaab Saghir Umm Gammar (diving), Careless Reef (diving), Abu Ramada Island (diving), Shaab Abu Ramada (Fishing), Dishet el-Dhaba (Beaches and swimming), Shaab Abu Hashish (Beaches, diving, snorkelling, swimming and fishing), Sharm el-Arab (diving, swimming and fishing and Abu Minqar Island (beaches and swimming).

Located between El Gouna to the North and Safaga to the South, Hurghada stretches for about 30km along the seashore, but creeps only about 2km into the surrounding desert. The resort is a destination for package holiday tourists from Europe, notably Germans, British and French.

Until a few years ago it remained a small fishing village. Today Hurghada counts over 40,000 inhabitants (with about 25% of that resident foreigners) and is divided into three major parts, those being El Dahar, Sakalla and the Village Road area. El Dahar, also known as “Downtown”, is the oldest part of Hurghada and not only houses the main bazaar but also most of the Government offices. Sakalla is the more modern part and has become the social centre of town. You find a number of budget hotels, most of the clubs, bars and restaurants are here. The newest part is the “El Korra” area to the south of Sakalla, locally known as the Village Road.

Not only do you find a multitude of Oriental food places of all sorts, Seafood Restaurants and Western orientated eateries, but also the big chains (Hard Rock Café, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken) have now taken Hurghada by storm.

The city is served by the Hurghada International Airport with scheduled passenger traffic to and from Cairo and direct connections to anywhere in the world.

Hurghada is known as a party town, and with its many clubs, life could be said to begin there at night. Nearly every hotel has its own disco. The most famous ones at the moment are "Calypso", "Ministry of Sound" and the “Havana Club”.

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