El Gouna
A town of lagoons and twenty islands on the Red Sea, built from 1990 in the manner of Nubian villages, with kitesurfers on the shallows and water warm enough to swim in every month.
- Arrival
- Hurghada International · HRG
- To El Gouna
- About 30 minutes by car
- Private jets
- Into HRG; El Gouna strip by prior permission
- Best time
- All year
The city
Canals, domes and wind.
El Gouna means the lagoon, and the town is threaded with them: some ten kilometres of shore and twenty islands set in the water. Samih Sawiris began building it in 1990, and architects such as Michael Graves and Alfredo Freda borrowed the rural buildings of the Fayoum and the villages of Nubia. Life gathers around Downtown, Tamr Henna Square and the yachts of Abu Tig Marina, and since 2017 the El Gouna Film Festival has brought the cinema crowd.
The sun is almost guaranteed, rain is rare, and the sea never drops below 22 °C. Winter afternoons in the low twenties suit golf and long lunches; from June to August the heat reaches 34 °C and the water 28 °C.
Arriving
A big airport and a small strip.
Hurghada International, about twenty-five kilometres south, takes every international arrival; its new terminal opened in December 2014. El Gouna also has its own 1,600-metre strip, but it is not an airport of entry.
- Cairo 50 min
- Jeddah 1 h 25
- Prague 4 h 15
- Seychelles 5 h 50
- Miami 14 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
All year round.
Desert sun on a warm sea, with a millimetre of rain in a wet month. Every month qualifies: winter brings afternoons of 21 to 24 °C and water of 22 to 24 °C, while July and August reach 34 °C on land and 28 °C in the sea.
- 21° J 0 23°
- 22° F 1 22°
- 24° M 0 22°
- 28° A 0 22°
- 31° M 1 24°
- 33° J 0 25°
- 34° J 0 27°
- 34° A 0 28°
- 32° S 0 27°
- 29° O 0 26°
- 26° N 0 25°
- 22° D 1 24°
What to see and do
Days in and around El Gouna.
-
Landmark
Abu Tig Marina
The yacht harbour of the town, a short walk from Downtown and the island hotels.
-
Landmark
Zeytuna Beach
A beach with an island all to itself, among the lagoons.
-
Landmark
Mangroovy Beach
The lagoon shore where La Maison Bleue keeps its own stretch of private sand.
-
On the water
Kite Power El Gouna
Founded in 2004 on the town's flat-water lagoon, this IKO Pro Center teaches kitesurfing with at most two students per instructor.
Official site -
On the water
Abu Nuhas
At least four wrecks lie on this reef in the northern Red Sea, among them the Carnatic of 1869 and the Giannis D of 1983.
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On the water
Giftun Islands
Boats from Hurghada reach these protected islands in under an hour for snorkelling over coral reefs, where turtles and dolphins are often seen.
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Desert
Farah Horse Stable
Riders head out on beach and desert trails, swim with the horses in the Red Sea, and can take lessons up to show jumping.
Official site -
Culture
El Gouna Film Festival
Each autumn since 2017 the festival has screened Arab and international films at the El Gouna Convention and Culture Centre, awarding its El Gouna Star prizes.
Where to stay
Between the lagoons and the sea.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Casa Cook El Gouna One hundred and twenty-nine rooms in stone-toned concrete that recalls Nubian villages, some with roof terraces or private pools; adults only, and one MICHELIN Key.
- The Chedi El Gouna Eighty-two rooms behind terracotta walls, a private beach, and a Japanese restaurant on the roof.
- Sheraton Miramar Resort El Gouna Michael Graves spread its 339 rooms over nine islands joined by wooden bridges.
- Steigenberger Golf Resort On the championship course laid out by Gene Bates and Fred Couples, with a beach on the lagoon.
- Ancient Sands Golf Resort Built around its own eighteen-hole course, with access to the sand of Marina Beach.
- Mövenpick Resort & Spa El Gouna Four hundred and twenty rooms ringed by lagoons, on a beach a kilometre and a half long, with its own kite spot.
- La Maison Bleue El Gouna Thirteen suites with frescoed walls and Minoan, Catalan and Venetian touches, a marble pool and a Roman-style spa; one MICHELIN Key.
Where to dine
Where to book in town.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Egypt. These are the two restaurants the town’s own guide on elgouna.com calls fine dining.
- Nihon ElGouna.com, fine dining Japanese The Chedi, Downtown
- Signor Sassi ElGouna.com, fine dining Italian, seafood Fanadir Marina
Elsewhere in Egypt
More reasons to come.
Flying to El Gouna?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.