DID YOU KNOW

In ancient times, this area was part of the major trade routes between the Nile and the Red Sea and the world beyond, when there was no choice other than to transport goods south on the Nile and then overland to the Red Sea coast. It is for this reason that there are many archeological discoveries to be made here, including the remains of Roman guard towers placed along the route to protect trade convoys from attack. 

Uncrowded dive sites

While Egypt has become a popular destination for divers eager to experience the magic of the Red Sea at first hand, the spectacular dive sites of Marsa Alam still remain relatively uncrowded, allowing holiday makers to discover the area’s ship wrecks, coral walls and underwater gardens in peace.


Marsa Alam’s top diving spots are popular for their unspoilt beauty. Elphinstone, situated 6.5 nautical miles from the Marsa Alam coast, is teeming with life including sea turtles and reef fish, as well as larger pelagics. With a shallow northern plateau for snorkeling, and a far deeper southern plateau, this area is suitable for sea users of all skill levels, from snorkelers to experienced divers.


Shaab Samadai, or Dolphin House, a curved reef off of the southern Marsa Alam coast, is so named because of a the pod of 60 or so spinner dolphins who are often seen here. In addition to the dolphins, this shallow, turquoise lagoon is also populated by schools of reef fish including leopard groupers, lionfish and masked butterfly fish.



Adventurous undersea explorers will love the idea of diving to the underwater caves and pinnacles to the south. Fury Shoal is a diverse coral garden which makes a wondrous diving location. A network
of hard coral formations make up a complex reef inhabited by a variety of pelagic fish and dolphins, and even contains the wrecks of a tugboat and a sailing ship for your exploration. On dry land, Marsa Alam is the home of an increasing number of luxurious hotels, from three to five star.

EASY TRAVEL

Many visitors to the Red Sea Riviera like to combine a relaxing holiday by the Red Sea with the sights of Ancient Egypt and sights from the era of the Pharaohs.Excursions to Luxor from Marsa Alam are available by bus, with a relatively short trip (around 4 hours drive). The most popular excursion to Luxor is on a full day basis, with an early morning departure, but guests also have the opportunity to spend a night in Luxor, allowing more time to see the ancient temples and other artifacts over two days. The airport’s proximity also means that nowhere in Egypt is out of reach for guests in Marsa Alam, and flights to Cairo are inexpensive and easy to arrange for the complete Egyptian experience. 

Adventure in the desert

For those seeking adventure in the desert, there are tours and attractions aplenty near to Marsa Alam. Quad bike or jeep safaris into the desert, including a visit to a genuine Bedouin village, can be taken from the resort, and are available as full or half day excursions, which include a barbecue and entertainment at the Bedouin village, and the chance to ride a camel in the Egyptian desert. It is believed that the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs mined brilliant green emeralds in the mountainous areas of the Eastern Desert southwest of Marsa Alam. The Cleopatra Mines or Mons Smaragdus (Emerald Mountains) became the most famous mining complex in the ancient world, and at various times the mines at Wadi Gemal, Wadi Sikeit, Wadi Nuqrus and Gebel Zabara were in use during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Today the ruins of the Zabara and Sikeit mining settlements are still evident near Marsa Alam, as well as the remains of temples and ancient caves. Visitors looking for history will do well to visit the mines, which, like so many sites of natural resources in Egypt, bear evidence of several different civilizations who have made use of the precious stones over thousands of years. Also not far from Marsa Alam are the remains of the Roman port settlement, Myos Hormos, where visitors can see remarkably well-preserved Roman artefacts, and as many as 200 hierogylphic tablets adorning the cliffs at Wadi Hammamat. Many of these tablets are 4,000 years old, and depict traditional reed boats traveling to the Nile. Hammamat is also famous for Bekheny stone, a beautiful green ornamental rock which was considered sacred in ancient times. The stone was actively quarried until Roman times, and used to make bowls, statues and even sarcophagi. Many items made from Bekheny stone have been found in the Pyramid tombs of the Pharoahs. In later years, the Romans built watchtowers along the wadi, many of which can still be found still there today. 

Wadi Gemal, Berenice & Bir Shalatein

Wadi Gemal



It is a protected National Park in the Eastern Desert, and a perfect way to discover the famous Egyptian desert, and to meet the original tribes who have roamed the vast desert for centuries. Around 40km from Marsa Alam, the park covers nearly 100km of the coast with palm groves, mangrove bays, and pristine beaches with pure white sand, as well as the Wadi itself, a huge, deep, dried riverbed, the site of many interesting geological and natural wonders to explore, and the third largest wadi in the Eastern Desert. 

Bir Shalatein

Bir Shalatein is a small village located on the Egyptian border with Sudan. Once a major sea port, the area is now known for its proximity to some spectacular diving sites. Many resorts further north on the Red Sea coast travel to this area, such is the standard of natural beauty found beneath the sea here. These are all areas where the bustling world of international tourism is yet to shake up the natural order of life, and as they are further south than the large tourist resorts, visitors can find some of the Red Sea’s best diving sites.

Berenice

The ancient city of Berenice, named by Ptolemy II Philadelphos after his mother, became a trading port in 275 BC. A ruined Temple of Semiramis built by Trajan and Tiberius is near the modern town and, inland, there are the remains of the emerald mines of Wadi Sakait, which were worked from Pharaonic to Roman times. On the outer walls of the temple are representations of Emperor Tiberius before the god Min, and another depicts offerings to the deity of the Green Mines. The coast is lined with mangrove swamps and unspoiled bays and coves. Offshore, visit the tectonic island of Zabargad, a geological phenomenon which is also famous as the source of the semi-precious gem olivine, mined here from 1500 BC until the mid-20th century. From Peridot hill there are breathtaking views of the surrounding blue lagoons, rich in marine life and home to many dolphins. While Berenice is famous for its fishing, it also has some of Egypt’s best health spas.

Ras Mohammed National Park

The 480km2 of Ras Mohammed sits on the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, about 20km from Sharm el-Sheikh.


It has stunning views across the Red Sea which gave the area huge strategic importance throughout history. Today, it is a beautiful National Park, set up to protect marine and land wildlife and maintain the natural beauty of the area. Not far south of the resort town of Sharm el –Sheikh, this protected area is a must-see for visitors interested in the vast array of natural beauty found in and around the Red Sea. With building of any kind prohibited, Ras Mohammed remains a timeless and pristine environment in which nature flourishes.


For divers and snorkellers, the area is a paradise. Over 220 species of coral exist in Ras Mohammed National Park, as well as 1000 species of fish, 40 species of starfish, 25 species of sea urchins, more than a 100 species of molluscs and 150 species of crustaceans. In addition to these natural wonders, many wrecks are scattered around the sea bed here from the days when strong naval presences patrolled the area, considered to be strategically important because of its proximity to the Suez Canal.

Adventure in the desert

For those seeking adventure in the desert, there are tours and attractions aplenty near to Marsa Alam. Quad bike or jeep safaris into the desert, including a visit to a genuine Bedouin village, can be taken from the resort, and are available as full or half day excursions, which include a barbecue and entertainment at the Bedouin village, and the chance to ride a camel in the Egyptian desert.

It is believed that the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs mined brilliant green emeralds in the mountainous areas of the Eastern Desert southwest of Marsa Alam. The Cleopatra Mines or Mons Smaragdus (Emerald Mountains) became the most famous mining complex in the ancient world, and at various times the mines at Wadi Gemal, Wadi Sikeit, Wadi Nuqrus and Gebel Zabara were in use during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Today the ruins of the Zabara and Sikeit mining settlements are still evident near Marsa Alam, as well as the remains of temples and ancient caves. Visitors looking for history will do well to visit the mines, which, like so many sites of natural resources in Egypt, bear evidence of several different civilizations who have made use of theprecious stones over thousands of years.

Also not far from Marsa Alam are the remains of the Roman port settlement, Myos Hormos, where visitors can see remarkably well-preserved Roman artefacts, and as many as 200 hierogylphic tablets adorning the cliffs at Wadi Hammamat. Many of these tablets are 4,000 years old, and depict traditional reed boats traveling to the Nile. Hammamat is also famous for Bekheny stone, a beautiful green ornamental rock which was considered sacred in ancient times. The stone was actively quarried until Roman times, and used to make bowls,statues and even sarcophagi. Many items made from Bekheny stone have been found in the Pyramid tombs of the Pharoahs. In later years, the Romans built watchtowers along the wadi, many of which can still be found still there today.

Marsa Alam, the fastest growing holiday resort

About 220 km south of Hurghada, Marsa Alam is among the fastest growing holiday resorts on the Red Sea Riviera, and is popular with wind surfers, scuba divers, snorkellers and beach loving sunseekers lucky enough to have already discovered Marsa Alam’s tranquility and beauty. Fringed with palm trees and mangroves, this is a real life tropical paradise, and an ideal base for further exploration.



Like some other resorts on the Riviera, Marsa Alam was once a small fishing village, and the addition of Marsa Alam International Airport to the area allowed the town to enter into the realm of tourism, and since then the area has become one of Egypt’s secret treasures, especially among divers and snorkelers looking for a new destination off the beaten track. For diving enthusiasts, The Red Sea is a glorious treasure waiting to be discovered, boasting kilometres of beautiful coral reefs and an abundance of magnificently
coloured sea life.