hello

Read more »

Marsa Alam Egypt

Marsa Alam

Marsa Alam is a fishing village which also depended on phosphate mining. It is currently developing as a new seaside resort.
In ancient times, the mountains concealed gold and emerald mines. Under Ptolemy II, a road was built linking Marsa Alam and Edfu and is still in use today.

Lying between sea and desert, the hotel complexes offer a level of comfort and leisure facilities on a par with the majestic surroundings.

790 km south of Cairo.

Since the opening of the international airport in 2001, this small fishing village has become the new top Red Sea destination for diving enthusiasts. Lying between sea and desert, the hotel complexes offer a level of comfort and leisure facilities on a par with the majestic surroundings.

The village

Marsa Alam stands at the crossroads of the road from Edfu to the west and the road running the length of the Red Sea coast. The village itself is a small fishing port with a bus terminus, a few grocery shops and some restaurants.

Tourist complexes

For a long time tourists were accommodated in Bedouin-inspired encampments comprising environmentally friendly ecolodges but equipped with all modern facilities. Now luxury tourist complexes stretch along more than 80 km of coast from Port Ghalib in the north to the Wadi El Gemal National Park in the south.

Port Ghalib Marina

Opened in December 2005, Port Ghalib Marina offers facilities for up to 1 000 boats. Port Ghalib aims to become the leisure boating gateway to and foremost yachting port in the Middle East. Its proximity to an airport has convinced a number of hotel chains to open up establishments here, each rivalling the next in Middle Eastern-style sumptuousness.

Diving

Dive sites accessible from Marsa Alam number among the most attractive in the Red Sea for experienced divers. The preserved state of the coral reefs and presence of pelagic species are the principal draw factors. For less experienced divers, in-shore coral reefs offer the chance for hours of marine wildlife watching.

Read more »

El Gouna Egypt

El Gouna

El Gouna prides itself on being Egypt's only fully intergrated town on the Red Sea Coast.

El Gouna is the first tourist development reached when heading to Hurghada from the north. Built along 10 kilometers of beachfront and spreading across a myriad of islands interlinked by beautiful lagoons, the resort's unique architectural styles offer six luxury hotels, a golf course, shopping mall and an open-air amphitheatre. Services and activities are centered round the immaculate downtown village and the marina harbour town. Countless opportunities for fun, wellness, fitness and chilling out are scattered throughout the resort to satisfy each age group and personal inclination. In short, it is a pleasant place to holiday for those happy to settle for sun, sea and sand.

Read more »

Nuweiba Egypt

Nuweiba

This is one of the largest oases in the south.

Between Nuweiba and Taba stretches a wonderful coastline of unexplored creeks and long beaches.

This is one of the largest oases in the south, providing excellent access to Aqaba in Jordan. The town falls into three parts – the port, tourist village and, to the north, the Bedouin town of Tarabin where, among its palm groves, are the ruins of a Mameluk fortress. At first glance the town is not much to look at, appearing to be no more than a Bedouin village with low houses, deserted streets and scraggy gardens created out of sand.

Deserted beaches and the sea are however just a short distance away along with seafood restaurants where freshly caught lobster can be savoured under the stars. There is the sight, too, of the timeless and legendary mountains of Saudi Arabia on the far side of the Gulf. Siestas under palm trees, diving around coral outcrops where fish and (small) sharks mess about and village feasts also number among the attractions. Between Nuweiba and Taba stretches a wonderful coastline of unexplored creeks and long beaches. The mountain sometimes seems to recede from the sea and at other times seems to go on the attack against the waves, the harshness of the rock softened by the turquoise waters.

Read more »

Egypt Marsa Matruh

Marsa Matruh

The city is a convenient stop-over for travelers on their way to Siwa.

Lies 295 km west of Alexandria and 510 km northwest of Cairo

Marsa Matruh is the last town before the Libyan border and shares its history with some famous figures. Alexander the Great is said to have stopped here on his way to the Siwa Oasis and Cleopatra is reputed to have come here to bathe. It was here that General Rommel set up his field headquarters and directed German troops in the decisive Battle of El-Alamein in 1942.

The beaches

Marsa Matruh lies on the edge of a large lagoon protected by a Corniche along which tourists are ferried in local donkey-drawn carriages known as caretta. Whilst the most beautiful beaches are located outside the town, it is advisable to stay within the built-up areas. Among the most amazing of the beaches is that of Agiba (28 km west) with its natural caves. On the edge of the desert, the place known as “Cleopatra’s bath” is a wonderful bay, its clear waters surrounded by rocks giving the impression of a vast, square pool in which, according to legend, Cleopatra came to bathe. The ruins of one of her palaces were uncovered on the hillside opposite the pool.

Libyan Souk (market)

Nowadays the market sells goods from Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Europe as well as local produce such as wool, olives, barley, sheep, dates and watermelons.

Fortress and temple dating from Ramesses II

The ruins present today are proof of a time when the walls of the pharaonic Temple of Ramesses II stood here. Built at the end of his campaign against the Libyans in 1200 BC, the complex was used as a stronghold to defend the frontier with Libya.

Read more »

El Alamein Egypt

El Alamein

Winston Churchill knew El Alamein's charms well, describing it as having the best climate in the world.

Those who fought and died in the battle are commemorated in several locations.

Site of a fierce battle between British and German forces in October 1942, El-Alamein now welcomes tourists from Egypt and abroad to its luxury marina with numerous Venetian-style canals and moorings set by a turquoise sea. The site’s history is not forgotten, however, and there is a museum as well as memorials to the 80,000 war dead. 

Porto Marina

Stretching along 11 km of beach, Porto Marina is an exclusive complex reserved for the villas and chalets hidden amongst luxuriant plantings. The resort hotels offer a wide range of water sports, leisure activities and options for eating out. Porto Marina was opened in summer 2005 and its canals and luxury shops have now made it one of the hottest holiday spots in the Middle East.

Recent excavations beside the sea have uncovered a historic Roman villa and Hellenistic cemetery.

Battle of 1942

October 1942 saw one of the most famous and bloody battles of the war in the desert. Around El-Alamein, the British troops under Montgomery, superior in numbers and equipment, defeated Rommel’s Afrika Korps. At great deal was at stake as they were fighting for control of the route leading to Alexandria.

Read more »

Taba Egypt

Taba

Set against ancient mountain ranges, this magnificient destination lies nestled at the crossroads of three continents,
where untamed desert and cinnamon mountains are quenched in one of the world's most vibrant coral seas.

The silence of the stones speaks louder here than anywhere else.

Taba’s exceptional geographical location between Africa and Asia at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba facing Arabia made it a stopover on the caravan route from the fourteenth century onwards. The last part of Sinai to be handed back to Egypt by Israel in 1989 and now a frontier post, Taba is today a favourite destination for Israelis and tourists from around the world since the opening of the international airport 45 km away.

Taba Heights

19 km south of Taba.
Taba Heights is a rapidly expanding seaside resort much prized by the large international hotel chains for its beaches and exceptional coral reefs. Taba Heights is a breathtaking year-round resort ideally situated in one of the most beautiful spots of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Leisure activities

In addition to the traditional activities of tennis or golf, the hotels provide a wide range of water sports so that visitors can make the most of what the Red Sea has to offer – windsurfing, water skiing, sailing, sea trips, fishing and sea kayaking. The wealth of things to see on the seabed make it essential to go equipped with a mask. The shallow depth at which the reefs lie and the absence of drop-offs make it possible to enjoy the beauty of life on the coral reef with the minimum of equipment. The variety of creatures and the chance to observe endemic species, such as the toadfish, as well as the well-preserved state of the reefs are some of the great advantages of this area.

Numerous diving clubs offer courses and daily outings. Instructors take divers to the most suitable sites to dive in complete safety. Outings last a maximum of an hour and a half, and often much less. The dive sites feature a sandy seabed dotted with coral outcrops and contain a rich selection of marine life from seahorses to dolphins. The absence of currents makes these sites perfect for beginners, as well as fulfilling the highest expectations of photographers and divers of all levels. Among the best-known sites are the Fjord with its well-like topography, the Aquarium and its variety of species, and Mersa el-Muqabila where there is the chance to spot an eagle ray. For those who find boats a nuisance, lovely dive sites teeming with marine life are accessible from shore, such as the House Reef and Marina Bay, just two minutes away in a 4x4.

The Bedouins

Beyond the Taba Heights hotel complexes lie numerous Bedouin encampments. The Sinai desert belongs to this people who carry on the centuries-old nomadic traditions of rearing livestock and trade. Around 70,000 Bedouins divided into thirty tribes live here as they have done for thousands of years – without running water, electricity, telephone, television – and respecting their elders and clan chiefs who take the important decisions. They are Muslim and speak Arabic, often Hebrew and sometimes English learned from tourists. The Bedouins are the many-faceted soul of this desert world between the wadis and the high plateaus.

Read more »