Year round sunshine, clear waters and wonderful corals , wild dessert Natural Protectorates , & mountains all make the Red Sea in Egypt an ideal tourist destination , The Egyptian Red Sea shore extends with 1080 k.m ² , known for its rich fauna and flora, particularly coral reefs and numerous fish species and it has a number of unique marine habitats, including sea-grass beds, salt-pans, mangroves, coral reefs and salt marshes. Red sea Governorate 's shore offering the world's best water sports activities , you find super visibility (up to 50 meters), abundant and diverse fish life (over 1,000 species), countless varieties of hard and soft coral (over 200 species), year-round diving in comfortable water temperatures (18° to 26° Celsius), incredibly diverse underwater topography, spectacular wall and shipwreck destinations, sunny weather and pleasant air temperatures (18° to 35 ° Celsius), and easy access to diving locations. It is no surprise therefore that the area is one of the most sought-after holidays.
Hotels
The Red sea is one of the famous holiday destinations, attracting thousands of visitors every year. With almost two hundred & fifteen of hotels, guest houses and holiday resorts, the Governorate offers a wide variety of accommodation, ranging from simple but comfortable one star guest houses to sparkling top class five stars resorts.
Many hotels and resorts cater to families with kids, some are perfect romantic retreats for two, while others are filled with activities and facilities for a fun-packed holiday. Most hotels and resorts command great views of the Red Sea and the Sinai mountains, with many of them directly on the beach. Other hotels might be relatively far from the coast, but normally provide shuttle bus services to the beach.
Tourist Resorts
Red sea governorate offers an endless choice of hotels, resorts and guest houses. From small budget one-star hotels, with simple but comfortable rooms, to top-class international hotel chains, the Tourist Resorts are unique tourists establishments where nature is the upper hand there . please see our tourist resorts
Restaurants
The Red Sea Riviera is multicultural and cosmopolitan. Dining here is
a worthwhile experience The local restaurants which offer a wide array of traditional Egyptian and Middle Eastern dishes There are also the numerous Indian, Chinese, Italian, French, Mexican, Greek, Russian, German or even Dutch eateries scattered everywhere. The main restaurants in hotels generally offer large and varied buffet dinners, with a selection of dishes that will suit everybody, including a daily choice of meat and fish.
Diving
The Red Sea is one of the top diving destinations in the world, where the desert meets the water , its truly one of the planet's most exotic and fascinating natural seascape environments. The underwater scenery is rich with colorful, coral-covered reefs, famous dive sites such as the Brothers, Sha’ab Samadai or Big Giftun , Sha’ab Abu Nuhas, across the Straits of Gubal, as well as historic wrecks, including the Thistlegorm. Here, you'll have the very real opportunity to see exotic marine life in their own environment including turtles, dolphins and sharks, soft and hard corals and reef fish of every size, shape and colour not to mention it's year round sunshine The averages better visibility, ranging from 20 meters to well over 40 meters. Diving in the Red Sea is really an unforgettable experience. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned dive traveler .
Water temperature:
- January to March between 21-24 C
- March to May between 24-27 C
- May to November 27-29 C
- November to December 23-27 C
The Dolphin House
A few years ago, divers discovered a unique coral reef, south of Marsa Alam town, known to local fishermen as Samadi Reef (28.98 11°N, 34.99718 E), where young and adult Spinner Dolphins Stenella longirostris regularly congregate in large numbers (˜ 80). Samadi Dolphin House”. Since its discovery became a magnet to tourists, and it was visited by increasingly large numbers of snorkelers and divers. In response to this increased pressure, arrangements were made by
the Nature Conservation Sector (NCS) and a local diving center to install moorings at the site, and to cap the maximum number of boats and visitors. The diving centre was given In August 2003, it was found that the site was vastly over used with up to 40 boats and 800 tourists visiting daily. Dolphins were chased, fed strange items, touched and disturbed by motor boats. It was also found that the number of dolphins has decreased remarkably to less than 40, and disappeared completely from the area when one of the boats was set on fire. A decree was issued applying a management plan that focused on: establishing a zoning plan for the area, creating a restricted zone for dolphins only ; defined times of use for visitors ; developed best practices guidelines; implemented a monitoring program; and initiated a service fee system. In conjunction with this it strengthened the law enforcement process; and implemented a public awareness program..
Sustainability of this best practice was apparent after one year. The overall average of 32 dolphins / day before the plan implementation increased to 78 dolphins / day after implementation. The monitoring programme also indicated an increase in the growth of coral reefs in the site, as well as improved our knowledge of Spinner Dolphin behavior . The number of visitors was within the carrying capacity of the site (200 individuals / day). Additionally the revenue s generated from the service fee system exceeded US $ 500,000 in one year. The income is shared between NCS, the Red Sea Governorate and local NGO’s. These proceedings were used to maintain the site and improve its conservation. In response, the local tourism business has improved greatly .
