Go Kiting in El Gouna – Red Sea Egypt
Go Kiting in El Gouna – Red Sea Egypt
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Do you already have heard of El Gouna? Marsa Alam is known for its diving sites, Cairo for the city life and the pyramids, Luxor and Aswan for the temples and tombs. But there is another still very relaxed place around 30 minutes north of Hurghada, called El Gouna. I love this place! It’s very easy to get there from Hurghada, there are no big hotel complexes like in Hurghada, it has the most beautiful boho hotels of Egypt and it’s the best place to learn kite surfing on a big shallow turquoise lagoon in front of the ocean. Don’t skip this place! You will love it!
1. The Kite Station Makani Beach Club
Makani Beach Club is located on the northern beaches of El Gouna by the Red Sea. It’s the perfect hangout for kiters and workout lovers, as well as a great place to chill at the ocean while watching the action on the water. I love the modern, boho, chilled look of this pretty clean kite station. This place is really hip and popular among young people.
The whole kite station is really big and contains indoor and outdoor areas on two different levels. There is a beach bar right on the beach, where you can order all kind of smoothies, bowls, curries and other healthy stuff. Also there is a big outdoor and indoor fitness center directly at the beach with classes for CrossFit, Yoga and a lot more. Kiting and Yoga is the perfect combination, trust me! Also you can get a massage after an exhausting kite session. One highlight is definitely the sauna with a window towards the ocean, the best way to end a day after a long kite session.
The kite station simply have a look on all kiters on the water, if someone is in danger, they immediately get out with a motorboat to help you. You can kite in the lagoon during high tide and low tide, both times there will be a big shallow lagoon without big waves, which makes it a lot easier when you start to learn kiting. Over 70% of the days each year there is enough wind for kiting. Makani Beach Club is a 10-minute ride from El Gouna city center, a Tuk-Tuk ride from anywhere in El Gouna will cost you 20 EGP per trip.
2. Kite Surfing at the lagoon
Makani Bech Club offers professional kitesurf lessons for all levels, private lessons and group lessons. If you book a lesson you will get the newest equipment from Duotone Kiteboarding. If you are an advanced kiter you can also only rent material. There are kite instructors for all different languages. The Egyptian beach boys will help you with the material, as well as to start and land the kite.
I started kitesurfing years ago in Germany, then improved it in Sicily. But in El Gouna I got a lot better due to the perfect conditions of this lagoon. Especially for sunset I absolutely loved the view on the water, the sun going down behind the mountains, together with palm trees and the bast umbrellas….Simply a dream! In March you might need a long wetsuit, in summer you can wear a shorty. The water isn’t really cold, but the wind could be a little frosty all day on the water. There is a nice sand ground, nevertheless I like to wear neoprene shoes or socks. You don’t need a helmet here, if you don’t like to wear one. There are no dangerous animals in the water.
3. Explore Zeytuna Beach
If there is no wind at Makani Beach Club for kiting, there are other things to do! Zeytuna Beach is part of the El Gouna resort complex and is located on its own private island which is accessible both by boat and by a footbridge from the mainland. There is a 400 meter long jetty extending out into the Red Sea. It was really hot this day and it was really nice to jump in the water from the end of the jetty.
4. Walk through El Gouna Town
Thirty years ago Samih Sawiris found this spot, located just north of Hurghada on the west coast of the Red Sea. Together with his friends he started to develop a concept for this beautiful place with blue waters, the backdrop of mountains and deserts. The town simply is one big lagoon, all man-made. The town slowly blossomed into the vibrant community that it is today. The first pictures is taken on the way from the center to Makani Beach Club before you drive through the desert. They are justing building this beautiful new building here. The next pictures are from El Gouna city center. Eat at Malu’s Deli and walk through the streets. It’s a really relaxed and clean town.
5. Stay at Cooks Club or Casa Cook
For me, these two hotels are the most beautiful ones in whole Egypt, because of their modern, hip and boho style, they call “desert look”. Both hotels are part of one group, Casa Cook is little bit more expensive than Cooks Club. Cooks Club might be a little more for younger guests, because of the music at the pool all day. At Cooks Club you can get one night starting from 70€, depending on the season.
Cooks Club
Cooks Club is an adult-only hotel, it’s all about beautiful down to earth boho furniture and design, good food and drinks, chilled music and some relaxed desert vibes. It’s a place to chill out and tune out. The central pool acts as the communal hub, bringing guests together. The restaurants offers nice local food and the breakfast buffet is soo good! The stuff is really friendly and the hotel is directly located in the town, but only a few minutes away with a Tuk-Tuk from Makani Beach Club, the perfect base for me. Look at the orange and brown earthy tones and the typical Egyptian lanterns in the hallway!
Casa Cook
I stayed only at Cooks Club, but went for dinner to the restaurant of Casa Cook. Casa Cook might be more the luxury version compared to Cooks Club, also the clientele might be a little more grown-up than at the hip and young Cooks Club. The Arabic architecture, and the boho desert-style furniture is soo beautiful here! A plus is definitely the location directly at the lagoon, but it’s a little more outside the town. It’s simply located between Cooks Club in the center and Makani Beach Club at the northern beaches. They have their own kite station with Duotone material. You can just walk outside your beach villa and go kiting at the lagoon. The Beach Club and the pool have a view over the ocean!
I love the simple raw wooden furnishings and beautiful ceramics, complimented with rattan interiors and neutral linens. I also like how they integrate Egyptian forms and how they play with light.
6. Book a quad, hike or horse tour to the desert
It’s really popular in El Gouna to explore the surrounding stony desert by quad. There are all kind of tours, for sunrise, sunset, seeing the night sky, a tour together with a visit to traditional villages and a lot more. Also you can book a hiking trip or horse ride to the desert or mountain region. Both hotels mentioned above have several tours available.
7. More time?
- If you have a few more days, you can take the ferry from Hurghada to Sharm el-Sheikh. From there it is a 1-hour car ride to get to Dahab, a very chilled backpacker place at the coast on Sinai Island. Also, there is a deep blue hole in the ocean, especially interesting for all divers. This spot is also famous for wind surfing.
- You can do a trip to Marsa Alam for snorkeling or diving at the best reefs (I think there are also some good reefs for snorkeling in Hurghada, but Marsa Alam has the best ones), 3,5 hours by car
- Do a 2-3 day trip to Cairo, 5 hours by car
- Book a tour to Luxor to see the temples and tombs, 4 hours
Anzeige / ad: The hotels and companies we mentioned above didn’t sponsor us. Our recommendations are based on our own opinion.
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