Safaga Travel Guide

General Information About Safaga

Holidays in Safaga. All inclusive, Low-Cost, Package Holidays & Late Deals

53 kilometers south of Hurghada, stands Safaga, an ancient marine port that is renowned for its unpolluted atmosphere, black sand dunes and mineral springs. Safaga is considered Egypt’s primary phosphate export center and vital marine port. It’s also an exceptionally important therapeutic destination, offering its visitors an extraordinary potential of curing psoriasis, rheumatoid, arthritis, mild neck and back aliment, and improving blood circulation. It also has an enormous effect for skin treatment and beautification purposes.

Safaga’s pure beaches and stiff breezes make it an outstanding spot for diving holidays . In spite of being an eminent diving and snorkeling site, Safaga is more renowned for kite and wind surfing which made it the ideal setting for the 1993 World Windsurfing Championship.

It also makes a perfect base for sightseeing, with the desert  to the west holding as many treasures on dry land as the Red Sea holds beneath the surface to the east.

Day trips by speed boats to the Fire Wall , Forbidden Reef , and the ferry wreck  of Arish El Tor can be coordinated with local guides. Furthermore, trips could be arranged to the famous Tobia Islands , Panorama of Abu Qitan  towering reefs, and the legendary Mons Claudianus , the ruins of a Roman Settlement dating back to 68 A.D where granite buildings rocks from surrounding mountains were used for the sole purpose of beautifying Imperial Rome.

Beaches & Water Sports In Safaga

Beaches in Safaga are pristine and beautiful. Most Safaga hotels usually have their own private beaches exclusively available to hotel guests.   Hotels and resorts in Safaga offer a large choice of relaxed watersports and sea related activities from snorkelling excursions to pedal boats, canoeing, and catamarans.
Wind Surfing.
 
Safaga hosted the 1993 Red Sea World Windsurfing Championships and is picking up a great reputation for wind and kite surfing.  The winds in the Red Sea are created by the difference in temperature between the land and the water and Safaga benefits from a generally flat coastline without fringing reefs that create perfect conditions.
 
Safaga is especially good for complete windsurfing novices or those keen to progress. 

Ancient Egypt From Safaga

Safaga is a good base for sightseeing inland.  Luxor is within easy reach.  It’s often called the world’s greatest open air museum because the number of well preserved ancient monuments throughout the city and its surroundings, Luxor is close enough to make a day trip worthwhile.  Built on the ruins of the ancient city of Thebes, the City of Luxor is on the east side of the Nile with Karnak just to the north and Thebes on the west bank.  It’s a “must see” for any holiday in Egypt to view the Temple of Luxor built by Amenophis III and the Temple of Karnak. Luxor is also within easy reach of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.

Mons Claudianus is one of the best preserved sites of Roman civilization in Egypt.  A Roman penal colony and quarry, the stones worked by the prisoners were used as building materials for the Roman Empire. The shiny black stones from Mons Claudianus can still be seen in Hadrian's Villa, in the portico of the Pantheon, in public baths and in the columns and floor of the Temple of Venus in Rome. 

Mons Claudianus

This vast Roman site and important landmark is named after Mons Claudianus, who was once a provider of grey granite for the Roman Empire. One thousand quarrymen and Roman soldiers were stationed in this part of Hurghada for over two centuries. Superb objects can still be seen today in the Pantheon, Hadrian's Villa and in the unfinished Temple of Venus. Other sights include the fortress, dwellings, workshops, stables, baths, broken granite columns and slabs.

Safaga Tours

Safaga Attractions

Ferry wreck 'El Arish El Tor'

The Norwegian ferry went down in 2002 and came to rest on her port side. The wreck starts at 15 meters and continues down to 38 meters. Rich fish life and soft coral growth especially at the propellers and the remains of shaded seating areas on deck make his wreck equally rewarding for "wreckies" and photographers. The paraphernalia of the wreck, life jackets, fire hoses etc are still visible - none of them was needed as the ship sunk slowly at anchor - unmanned. A big school of yellow tail barracuda is resident on this wreck and Indian mackerel often hunt around it and pipefish swarm over the deck.

Firewall

The reef boasts a variety of coral growth and lots of schooling fish such as fusilier and goat fish as well as the ubiquitous lionfish. On the plateau are clusters of smaller coral heads that are home to anemones and clown fish, and the otherwise rare yellow mouth moray eel. Encounters with big stingrays such as feather tail rays and also eagle rays are common.

Forbidden Reef

It’s a large reef accompanied by Ergs. Next to the reef, the depth is 10 meters and further out the sea bed slopes to 30 meters and is covered with bizarrely shaped coral blocks. This site is very rich in fish life, particularly schools of fusiliers, and large jacks and barracuda. A group of dolphins also frequently visits this dive site. This dive can be done as a mooring or as a drift dive and is suitable for all levels.

Mons Claudianus

This vast Roman site and important landmark is named after Mons Claudianus, who was once a provider of grey granite for the Roman Empire. One thousand quarrymen and Roman soldiers were stationed in this part of Hurghada for over two centuries. Superb objects can still be seen today in the Pantheon, Hadrian's Villa and in the unfinished Temple of Venus. Other sights include the fortress, dwellings, workshops, stables, baths, broken granite columns and slabs.

Panorama Reef

Several dive plans are what you need when you go diving in Panorama Reef, as you aren’t going to visit this site once, and this is due to its vast plateau and rich drops offs that cannot be missed. It lies 60-90 minutes outside from Safaga.

The reef is named for being the largest reef in Safaga with the largest possibility to encounter unique under water. Drift diving is common in the reef because of the current that comes from the north. The north plateau is considered the home for many purple corals, dolphins, grey reefs to name a few. The main attraction of the reef is obviously the steep walls that disappear into the deep with a depth of more than 20m. Cavelets and overhangs are the best second thing you can see in the reef. Its coral life is distinguished for soft corals. The different species of fishes in this reef is mind blowing such as parrot fish, lion fish, scorpion fish, to name a few.

Tobia Island

Tobia Island, a surfing spot paradise, is a small bank island located in the middle of Safaga’s Bay. Tobia Island is considered a perfect spot to spend a day at sea broad one of the many day excursion dive boats. It also makes a wonderful site for snorkeling and observing the outstanding coral heads in shallow water, which makes snorkeling easy, fun, and great for children. For those who prefer to take on some of the best diving in the area, the dive boats also travel to some locations where a single trip can let you experience many different types of dives, from sandy shallows to towering coral pillars.

Safaga Holidays

Scuba Diving in Safaga, the Red Sea

Diving from Safaga is varied and interesting. There are less dive centres than in Hurghada to the north, meaning the dive sites are less crowded and the coral is in better condition. There is something for all levels of diver with shore dives on the house reefs for beginners and some deeper drift dives offshore for the more advanced. The coral reefs are characterised by pinnacles, slopes, grottos and overhangs and all are well populated with marine life. There is also the wreck of the Salem Express, a one hundred metre long ferry that sank in December 1991, sadly killing about five hundred of the passengers onboard who were making a pilgrimage to Mecca. To venture further a field, a liveaboard trip could be a better option for the more avid diver, otherwise day dives from boats or from the shore are available from most resorts.

Abu Kafan

Abu Kafan or the “Father of the Fans” gets its name from the large gorgonian fan corals which grow there. It’s a 300 m long reef. It has a very steep wall which plummet several hundreds of meters into the deep at all sides. Two dives can be done: to the north and south. In the north, there are some magnificent black coral formations and huge resident school of Barracudas. The wall is literally a vertical drop- off to 110 meters. The south provides bigger chances of seeking sharks and hammerheads in late spring and manta rays in winter.

Ferry wreck "El Arish El Tor"

The Norwegian ferry went down in 2002 and came to rest on her port side. The wreck starts at 15 meters and continues down to 38 meters. Rich fish life and soft coral growth especially at the propellers and the remains of shaded seating areas on deck make his wreck equally rewarding for "wreckies" and photographers. The paraphernalia of the wreck, life jackets, fire hoses etc are still visible - none of them was needed as the ship sunk slowly at anchor - unmanned. A big school of yellow tail barracuda is resident on this wreck and Indian mackerel often hunt around it and pipefish swarm over the deck.

Panorama Reef

Several dive plans are what you need when you go diving in Panorama Reef, as you aren’t going to visit this site once, and this is due to its vast plateau and rich drops offs that cannot be missed. It lies 60-90 minutes outside from Safaga. The reef is named for being the largest reef in Safaga with the largest possibility to encounter unique under water. Drift diving is common in the reef because of the current that comes from the north. The north plateau is considered the home for many purple corals, dolphins, grey reefs to name a few. The main attraction of the reef is obviously the steep walls that disappear into the deep with a depth of more than 20m. Cavelets and overhangs are the best second thing you can see in the reef. Its coral life is distinguished for soft corals. The different species of fishes in this reef is mind blowing such as parrot fish, lion fish, scorpion fish, to name a few.

Ras Abu Soma

The former Emperor Diver’s house reef or Ras Abu Soma is a coral tongue that is located at the northern termination of Soma Bay. The reef has two places of immersing: Abu Soma Gardens and Ras. Both places are reached only 45 minutes of diving by a ship from Safaga. “Ras” has the abrupt steep wall which is going down on a depth of 25cm. It’s underwater represents a riddle for divers as sometimes if you are lucky you can see different species such as Leopard Shark, Barracudas, groups of Sweet lips and Grunts to name a few. If you aren’t lucky, there is a chance to see some big fishes. Divers are often done as a drift dive starting in the north near Safaga Bay and drifting southwards along a very nice and steep wall. There is a small cave that enters the coral reef for some meters.

Sha'ab Saiman

Sha’ab Siaman is the perfect place to dazzle your eyes with the diversity and beauty of a colorful marine life. It is located next to Ras Abu Soma which is separated with narrow sandy canyon. It is famous for its unlimited hard corals such as acropora table coral which is bets seen in the north.

Sha'ab Sheer/Wreck of Al Khafein

Sha’ab Sheer or Egypt’s coral paradise is made up of numerous large coral boulders creating a picturesque coral garden. You will be welcomed with a shoal of around twenty five banner fish on your entrance and as you are heading over the coral through a channel between the edge of the marine life and a spectacular erg you will see blue spotted rays, flat fish and some big tiger fishes. Juts beyond the channel, lies the wreck of a small dive boat that adds some interest to the dive site. It has a maximized diving depth of around 20.0m/65.5ft and is suitable for all divers.

Wreck of the Salem Express

A Ferry carrying pilgrims returning from Mecca, sank in 1991 after hitting the reef at night. The propellers make an impressive sight and the covering of hard corals now colonizing the wreck show the power of the ocean to make new life out of this tragedy. Fish life is now abundant and the funnels of the wreck with large "S" and the name on the bow are clearly visible. The site is reasonably sheltered and is not exposed to strong current and can be dived at all levels from 12m to 30m.

Shopping and Leisure in Safaga

For those who love to shop, Sharm El-Sheikh provides ample opportunities to indulge in retail therapy. Sharm El Sheikh is famous for producing jewellery, leather goods and rugs. Expect to haggle when shopping in Sharm El Sheikh! It is all part of the experience and the shop owners will be shocked if you don’t try to negotiate! The majority of shops and shopping centres are based in Naama Bay but Sharm Old Market is great for hunting out bargains. If you want real value for money you should go south-west to Dahab which is less busy and less commercialised than Sharm.

There is more to Sharm El-Sheikh than beaches, sea and shopping of course. It’s a well developed area that feels “European” with refined hotels, facilities and amenities. Sharm el Sheikh has a fantastic range of restaurants, bars and cafes to visit as well as the hotels own all inclusive menus. The market area in Old Sharm is popular for its abundance of seafood restaurants and cheap prices. For those wanting a romantic evening, head to the” On Deck” restaurant in the Iberotel Lido hotel in Naama Bay where you can dine on a pontoon overlooking the water. The Il Mercato promenade, often called “Les Champs Elysee” of Sinai close to the Iberotel IL Mercato Hotel offers a varied selection of excellent cafes and restaurants.

There’s even an 18-hole Championship golf course in Jolie Ville Golf Resort, located only five kilometres from the main hotels in Sharm el Sheikh which is open to non guests. It includes a driving range and artificial lakes and is a perfect escape for those who love the game.

Safaga Nightlife

Pacha

Pacha is situated in the of Naama bay , and is the premier party place in Sharm El Sheikh that embodies the essence of the Pacha spirit with a twist of mystical Arabia added for pure indulgence.

Little Buddha

Little Buddha is located in the heart of Naama Bay , and being one of the hottest venues in Sharm El Sheikh, it provides its clientele with the finest dining experience, an eclectic atmosphere, sublime surroundings, and the latest sounds from around the globe.

Hard Rock Cafe

When in Egypt, knock the Sinai sand from your sandals and settle into the Hard Rock Cafe Sharm El Sheikh for a tall cool drink to quench your parched throat. The restaurant's huge guitar and sky dome act as an oasis beckoning every desert denizen to a good time. It provides a fascinating atmosphere and mouthwatering dishes.

Camel Bar

It is a two-storey restaurant/bar that offers both indoor and outdoor areas. The lower floor is an ideal venue for those willing to indulge in a drink along with lively music, while the top floor overlooks Naama Bay and offers a more relaxing atmosphere with number of sumptuous international dishes and shisha.