Abu Tig Marina
Yachts and waterfront dining.
Marc Ryckaert — CC BY 4.0 · Marc Ryckaert — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hatem Moushir — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marc Ryckaert — CC BY 3.0 · Marc Ryckaert — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marc Ryckaert — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hatem Moushir — CC BY-SA 4.0 · izardak — CC BY-SA 3.0
A calm resort town on the Red Sea north of Hurghada, founded in 1990 and made up of about twenty small islands ringed by blue lagoons and canals, which give it its name, el-Gouna meaning the lagoon. Its buildings were designed after the Egyptian countryside and Nubian villages, with domes, arches and walls in sand and terracotta tones, so the town feels harmonious and calm, with no towers. You move between its quarters by small boats along the canals, or by tuk-tuk and bicycle. Its best-known areas are Downtown with its cafés and shops, Tamr Henna Square, and Abu Tig Marina, with yachts and waterfront restaurants. El Gouna is known for kitesurfing thanks to its steady winds, for beaches such as Zeytuna on its own island, and it has hosted the annual El Gouna Film Festival since 2017. Wandering the town and its marina costs nothing, while beaches and water sports are paid separately. It is about half an hour by car from Hurghada and makes a quiet day or evening away from the city bustle.
Yachts and waterfront dining.
Getting around by boat.
Steady winds for kites.
El Gouna, about twenty kilometres north of Hurghada
Yes for an evening or a day: it is calmer with different architecture, and strolling Abu Tig Marina and dining by the water is a pleasant outing.