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The coast at Marsa Alam, with desert running down to the sea
Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) · CC BY 3.0

Marsa Alam

The far south — the coast’s best diving, its clearest water, its longest transfers, and dugongs in a bay you can swim to.

Marsa Alam is less a town than a 100km stretch of coastline with a small settlement in the middle of it. Development runs in clusters along the coast road: Port Ghalib’s marina complex in the north near the airport, then a scattering of dive-focused resorts and bays southwards, then genuinely remote lodges beyond.

It came late to tourism — the airport only opened in 2001 — and that lateness is the reason to come. The reefs are in better condition than the north, the water is clearer, and the offshore sites are the ones divers travel for: Elphinstone, and the Brothers further out.

It is also the wildlife coast. Abu Dabbab’s seagrass bay holds dugongs and green turtles you can snorkel with from the beach; Samadai reef has a resident spinner dolphin population under a managed access scheme.

Suits you if

  • Divers, unambiguously. This is the best diving in Egypt and it is not a close call
  • Snorkellers who want turtles and a genuine chance of a dugong
  • Travellers who want reef in good condition and are willing to travel for it
  • Quiet, remote stays

Probably not if

  • Anyone wanting a town, shops or nightlife
  • Short trips — the transfers and the distances add up
  • Travellers who need everything within walking distance

The practical shape of it

Getting there
Marsa Alam International (RMF), which sits roughly 60km north of Marsa Alam town near Port Ghalib. Transfers run from about 20 minutes to well over an hour depending where your hotel is on the strip — ask before you book, not after.
Beach and sea
The best on this coast. Reefs are healthier, visibility is typically better, and the shore access at several bays is genuinely good. Abu Dabbab and Marsa Mubarak both offer seagrass bays with turtles from the beach. Offshore, Elphinstone is a serious advanced dive; the Brothers are liveaboard-only.
Evenings
Almost entirely hotel-based. Port Ghalib has a marina with restaurants and is the one place here with anything like an evening scene. Elsewhere, you eat where you sleep.
What it costs
Moderate for accommodation, and diving-heavy packages are competitive. Excursions cost more than in the north simply because everything is further from everything else.
When to come
October to May is most comfortable; the far south stays warm and divable year-round. Oceanic whitetip season at Elphinstone runs roughly October to December.

The catch

The distances are the whole difficulty. Hotels advertised as “Marsa Alam” can be 80km apart, and a transfer described as short by a booking site can be 90 minutes in practice. Confirm exactly where your hotel is on the coast road, and if you are not diving or snorkelling seriously, you may find you have travelled a very long way to sit by a pool.

Nearby

  • Abu Dabbab bay, for dugongs and turtles from the shore
  • Elphinstone Reef, offshore — advanced divers only
  • Wadi El Gemal national park, south, for desert and coastal wilderness
  • Port Ghalib marina, near the airport

Diving from Marsa Alam

  • Elphinstone Reef · Advanced · The Red Sea’s most famous offshore reef: a narrow wall running north to south off Marsa Alam, known for oceanic whitetips and hammerheads
  • Abu Dabbab · Beginner · A shallow seagrass bay north of Marsa Alam, the coast’s most reliable place to see dugongs and green turtles
  • The Brothers Islands · Advanced · Two isolated islands far offshore in the Marine Park, with sheer walls, two wrecks and the most consistent big-animal diving in Egypt.
  • Daedalus Reef · Advanced · An isolated reef in open ocean with a lighthouse on it, sheer walls on every side, and the most reliable hammerhead diving in Egypt.
  • St John’s Reef · Intermediate · A scattered complex of reefs near Egypt’s southern border
  • Rocky Island and Zabargad · Advanced · Two remote islands near the Sudanese border

Listed in Marsa Alam

Hotels and resorts 15Dive centres 11Restaurants 10Cafés 6Bars 3Things to do 1Shops 2Local services 2

Last reviewed 25 July 2026. Transfer times and what is open change. Something out of date? Tell us.

Also near here

The rest of what this site has anchored to this town — the wrecks and spots in its bay, the trips that run from it, and how it compares to its neighbours. (The dive sites are listed above.)

Snorkelling

  • Abu Dabbab BayShore entry

    Long the most famous place in Egypt to try to snorkel with a dugong — sightings have grown less reliable in recent years — and near-certain green turtles, in a shallow sandy bay you walk into from the beach.

  • Marsa MubarakShore or boat

    A quieter alternative to Abu Dabbab a little north of Marsa Alam — same seagrass, same turtles, usually far fewer people.

Day trips from here

  • Desert safari and quad biking

    Quad bikes into the Eastern Desert, usually with a Bedouin camp, a camel and a sunset. Enormous fun or a dusty conveyor belt, depending entirely on the operator.

How it compares

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