Hurghada is at present one the top destinations in the world and in no way does it remind the small fishing village it used to be.The simple reason for that is that Hurghada enjoys marvellous climate conditions even in winter time when temperature does not fall under 24ºC therefore is always suitable for enjoying the sun and the sea.
Diving
In Hurghada you can find the finest diving locales. Coral reefs with exotic names like Ota Abu Rimata and Shabroor Om Gamaar are home to immense schools of fish. Even for those that are not into diving Hurghada has still much to offer, especially if you are looking to enjoy beautiful white sand beaches. You can also do wind surfing, participate into a snorkelling trip to the small offshore islands or choose an inland journey for a safari in the desert, home to Bedouin tribes.
Situation
Egypt lies on the north part of the African coast on both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The very famous Nile is the longest and most well known river of Egypt. Hurghada lies on the Red Sea and on the opposite coast is the popular resort of Sharm El Sheikh.
Temperature
In Hurghada the weather is sunny throughout the year. The weather actually is very pleasant during spring and autumn. However if you visit it in the summer you should be very careful and stay in the shadow up until the afternoon since the temperature is around 40ºC! A bottle of water and suntan lotion is vital to carry with you. In the evening though and during the night the temperature can drop roughly as it happens in the desert.
Language
The official language is Arabic, but English is spoken everywhere.
Customs formalities
You will need a valid international passport and a visa. The passport must still have validity of at least six months upon the return journey from Egypt.
Currency
The official currency in Egypt is the Egyptian Pound (LE), called "gineh" in Arabic. Usually you can convert your cash directly at the airport, or in any local banks as some of them have ATM machines, and in most hotels you you also find banking services. Most hotels also accept credit cards.
Full Name
Sharm El Sheikh (Arab Republic of Egypt)
Capital City
Cairo
Country Area
1,001,449 sq km 386,659 sq miles
Population
69,500,000
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +2 ()
Daylight Saving Start
last Friday in April
Daylight Saving End
last Thursday in September
Religion
94% Muslim, 6% Christian
Electricity
220V 50HzHz
Electric Plug Details
European plug with two circular metal pins
Country Dialing Code
20
Friday, August 24, 2007
6) Hurghada history
Hurghada used to be an unpopular fishing village which also was unlikely for someone to visit due to its location and that was the case even in 1970's. However the strong points of the area such are the beautiful nature around,
the clearness of the water, and the many opportunities for divers made Hurghada a very famous tourist destination in Egypt and nowadays it features a 12 mile coast filled with hotels. Most of these hotels set in a nice way, but have little to do with the true Egypt of great monuments, traffic jams and mud brick houses. But this makes Hurghada a successful tourist resort for divers and swimmers.
Hurghada is actually three major centres and many independent tourist villages now becoming one. To the north, lies Ad-Dahar, which has more than half of the total local population and is the closest to be defined as town, and has the best value for money hotels and restaurants. Half a mile away on the south, comes Sigala, a place between Ad-Dahar and New Hurghada a few miles closer to the south. You can find some hotels here and some restaurants, but relatively few tourists. In New Hughada total tourism comes alive, offering every amenity a visitor is looking for.
the clearness of the water, and the many opportunities for divers made Hurghada a very famous tourist destination in Egypt and nowadays it features a 12 mile coast filled with hotels. Most of these hotels set in a nice way, but have little to do with the true Egypt of great monuments, traffic jams and mud brick houses. But this makes Hurghada a successful tourist resort for divers and swimmers.
Hurghada is actually three major centres and many independent tourist villages now becoming one. To the north, lies Ad-Dahar, which has more than half of the total local population and is the closest to be defined as town, and has the best value for money hotels and restaurants. Half a mile away on the south, comes Sigala, a place between Ad-Dahar and New Hurghada a few miles closer to the south. You can find some hotels here and some restaurants, but relatively few tourists. In New Hughada total tourism comes alive, offering every amenity a visitor is looking for.
Hurghada Attractions
Carless Reef
Carless Reef, in the coastal area of Hurghada, is definitely worthy of a visit. It is situated an hour north-east of Hurghada, and it features large gorgonians, black corals, coral fish and moray eels and offers the best diving experience.
Giftun Seghir Island
Off the coast north of Hurghada, south of Carless Reef, here is a spectacular wall dive lying on the eastern / southern side of the smaller of the two Giftun Islands.
Marine Museum
Three miles north of Hurghada you will find the Marine Museum which is a marine biology station containing a small aquarium and has lots of amazing examples of local marine life. Open: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
Shaab Abu Ramada
The most popular sites for diving are lying 6.5 miles south-east of Hurghada, consisting of a 500-metre reef with a number of plateaus of varying depths. There are also a number of wrecks on the reef.
The Red Sea Aquarium at Hurghada
The aquarium in Hurghada is situated just north of the hospital at Ad-Dahar. There you will have a chance to see many interesting species of fish from the area. Open: 9:00 am to 11:00 pm
Carless Reef, in the coastal area of Hurghada, is definitely worthy of a visit. It is situated an hour north-east of Hurghada, and it features large gorgonians, black corals, coral fish and moray eels and offers the best diving experience.
Giftun Seghir Island
Off the coast north of Hurghada, south of Carless Reef, here is a spectacular wall dive lying on the eastern / southern side of the smaller of the two Giftun Islands.
Marine Museum
Three miles north of Hurghada you will find the Marine Museum which is a marine biology station containing a small aquarium and has lots of amazing examples of local marine life. Open: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
Shaab Abu Ramada
The most popular sites for diving are lying 6.5 miles south-east of Hurghada, consisting of a 500-metre reef with a number of plateaus of varying depths. There are also a number of wrecks on the reef.
The Red Sea Aquarium at Hurghada
The aquarium in Hurghada is situated just north of the hospital at Ad-Dahar. There you will have a chance to see many interesting species of fish from the area. Open: 9:00 am to 11:00 pm
5) Hurghada things to Do
Hurghada offers activities of unique experience. There you can do quad-biking for miles into the Sahara desert just to have a tea with a Bedouin tribe, then camel-ride across Biblical plains to see far-off, ancient wonders.
You can of course experience diving and snorkelling around a pulsating and bright coral reef and also go for a boat trip to the deserted Big and Little Gifton islands and then swim in the warmest and saltiest sea in the world (the Red Sea is more saline than even the Dead Sea). There is a good opportunity for shopping round the area as well and the exceptional and mixed cuisine from across the world will amaze you
You can enjoy Karkaday, a delicious local drink made from a mixture of hibiscus, served either hot or cold and said to be beneficial to human health and Chi which is a local variety of tea, served in a glass, offered everywhere. You can enjoy them even better if you combine them with a smoke on a "sheesha" pipe, known in the West as a "Hookah".
Sheesha's available in various flavors, and you can enjoy it by puffing the smoke as it passes through water before inhalation from a long pipe attached to the bottle.
You can of course experience diving and snorkelling around a pulsating and bright coral reef and also go for a boat trip to the deserted Big and Little Gifton islands and then swim in the warmest and saltiest sea in the world (the Red Sea is more saline than even the Dead Sea). There is a good opportunity for shopping round the area as well and the exceptional and mixed cuisine from across the world will amaze you
You can enjoy Karkaday, a delicious local drink made from a mixture of hibiscus, served either hot or cold and said to be beneficial to human health and Chi which is a local variety of tea, served in a glass, offered everywhere. You can enjoy them even better if you combine them with a smoke on a "sheesha" pipe, known in the West as a "Hookah".
Sheesha's available in various flavors, and you can enjoy it by puffing the smoke as it passes through water before inhalation from a long pipe attached to the bottle.
4) Hurghada resort information
Hurghada is located on the east coast where Eastern Desert meets the Red Sea.Hurghada airport is located south of the town centre and transfers time for the actual resort area is approximately 5-10 minutes drive.
3) Hurghada culture
Europeans know nowadays Hurghada as a party town especially when locals and others claim that real life begins in Hurghada after midnight in the clubs the town features, which by the way is worth to mention that are attracting people of all ages!
Additionally Hurghada is a beach destination where thousands people come go to in order to enjoy the sea and the sun of private resort beaches, some all inclusive. Almost all of these hotels offer such a wide range of facilities and services as well as activities that people don’t have to look for fun elsewhere apart from the resort. It is also quite common for bigger resorts to have zoos, playgrounds, discos, bars, swimming pools and even small theaters.
However Hurghada is still under development since many new hotels and construction are taking place and some luxurious new hotels, restaurants and other facilities are to be seen in the near future. Anyhow this is a busy part of the Red Sea in general. Safaga is just south of Hurghada, and Soma Bay with its beautiful Sheraton is even closer to the South. To the North is El Gouna, a very well organized resort area. All these communities and resort areas offer just about everything any visitor might want, from lively parties to isolated scuba diving, with golf, bowling and fishing in between. Also the islands near Hurghada offer all kinds of fun and excitement.
If you visit Giftun Island for a day you can do snorkelling and a fish barbecue, or view the Red Sea from a submarine! You can also do your shopping in the boutiques, lay back in the beautiful holiday villages or visit the Roman Mons Porphyrites (mountain of porphyry) nearby Gebel Abu Dukhan (Father of Smoke). Day-trips or safaris to explore the Red Sea Mountains by camel or jeep are also available.
Other nearby islands and destinations include the Shadwan 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 snorkeling), Shasb Saghir Umm Gammae (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).
Additionally Hurghada is a beach destination where thousands people come go to in order to enjoy the sea and the sun of private resort beaches, some all inclusive. Almost all of these hotels offer such a wide range of facilities and services as well as activities that people don’t have to look for fun elsewhere apart from the resort. It is also quite common for bigger resorts to have zoos, playgrounds, discos, bars, swimming pools and even small theaters.
However Hurghada is still under development since many new hotels and construction are taking place and some luxurious new hotels, restaurants and other facilities are to be seen in the near future. Anyhow this is a busy part of the Red Sea in general. Safaga is just south of Hurghada, and Soma Bay with its beautiful Sheraton is even closer to the South. To the North is El Gouna, a very well organized resort area. All these communities and resort areas offer just about everything any visitor might want, from lively parties to isolated scuba diving, with golf, bowling and fishing in between. Also the islands near Hurghada offer all kinds of fun and excitement.
If you visit Giftun Island for a day you can do snorkelling and a fish barbecue, or view the Red Sea from a submarine! You can also do your shopping in the boutiques, lay back in the beautiful holiday villages or visit the Roman Mons Porphyrites (mountain of porphyry) nearby Gebel Abu Dukhan (Father of Smoke). Day-trips or safaris to explore the Red Sea Mountains by camel or jeep are also available.
Other nearby islands and destinations include the Shadwan 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 snorkeling), Shasb Saghir Umm Gammae (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).
2) Hurghada tourism
The town of Hurghada itself features a basic commercial street for tourists, and apart from that it doesn’t offer really anything else to do. Around that area most of the resorts are autonomous and feature hotels recommended for people that are looking for an isolated and quiet place away from the actual Egyptian culture.
However some resorts do connect one with the other, so you can always walk around a different resort and visit its shops and restaurant in case you get tired of the area you are staying. Apart from that Hurghada is worth to visit mainly because of the beautiful Red Sea, which is really recommended for those who love diving or snorkelling. Underwater you will see fantastic coral reefs and a great variety of exotic fish just 10 meters away from the beach. The hotel will either provide you with a dive escorts on the spot, or they can organize a scuba diving tour with guides.
However some resorts do connect one with the other, so you can always walk around a different resort and visit its shops and restaurant in case you get tired of the area you are staying. Apart from that Hurghada is worth to visit mainly because of the beautiful Red Sea, which is really recommended for those who love diving or snorkelling. Underwater you will see fantastic coral reefs and a great variety of exotic fish just 10 meters away from the beach. The hotel will either provide you with a dive escorts on the spot, or they can organize a scuba diving tour with guides.
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