The best things to do in Marsa Alam, chosen by local guides: desert safaris, dolphin and turtle snorkeling, diving, boat trips and Luxor day trips.
Port Ghalib marina is the place for an evening stroll near Marsa Alam: a waterside promenade of cafés, seafood restaurants and shops, just a few kilometres from the airport. Every one of our trips picks you up from Port Ghalib hotels, so it also makes an easy base for the week.
Luxor or Aswan from Marsa Alam? Choose Luxor for the royal tombs and giant temples, about four hours each way, and Aswan for the island temple of Philae, the High Dam and a felucca sail on the Nile, about five hours each way. Here is how the two day trips compare.
The best beaches in Marsa Alam are not a busy town strip but quiet bays, lagoons and island sandbars: Abu Dabbab for turtles and an easy sandy entry, Sharm El Luli for white sand and turquoise water, and the Hamata sandbars for a wild day by boat.
A Luxor day trip from Marsa Alam is a long day — about four hours each way across the desert — but it puts the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s temple, the Colossi of Memnon and Karnak within reach of your beach holiday. Here is how the day works and how to make the most of it.
From swimming with wild dolphins at Sataya to quad biking the Eastern Desert, here are the twelve experiences that make Marsa Alam special — chosen by local guides.
