Kitesurfing in Hurghada & the Red Sea: every spot, and which ones are working right now

Your level

Most spots have a waist-deep flat lagoon to learn AND deeper water offshore for advanced riders. The thermal builds in the afternoon: gentle in the morning, punchier once the desert has heated up.

The water

Flat sandy lagoon = ideal for beginners and freestyle (El Gouna, Al Ahyaa, Seahorse Bay, Soma Bay). Offshore sandbar = Caribbean-style flat (Magawish). Watch for coral near shore in some bays (Sahl Hasheesh): booties.

Wind direction

The prevailing wind is north to north-west, side/cross-onshore on these east-facing beaches: it brings you back to shore. In front of the buildings of some bays (Makadi) it breaks up — schools then take you out by boat, where it turns clean again.

The season

Wind blows much of the year, peaking April to October (about 80% kiteable days in summer). Winter still works — lighter, water around 22 °C, a 4/3 wetsuit — unlike the Mediterranean, which goes to sleep.

KiteReady folds wind and its direction into every spot's score, recomputed continuously, and adapts it to your level.

Beginner

The flat sandy lagoons — Seahorse Bay, El Gouna (Mangroovy), Al Ahyaa, Makadi (the boat-accessed lagoon), Soma Bay. Waist-deep water, schools everywhere.

Intermediate

Flat plus chop and a bit more wind — Safaga, Sahl Hasheesh (mind the coral at the entry), and the outer parts of the big lagoons.

Advanced / freeride

Magawish (sandbar + downwind reef), the deep zones in front of the centres, and the waves off Safaga.

El Gouna & Hurghada (north)

The most choice: premium El Gouna, Al Ahyaa and its school hub, Magawish for freeride, quiet Seahorse Bay. Ideal for a first trip, with life around (El Gouna).

Soma Bay & Safaga (south)

Often windier and steadier, vast flat lagoons, a calmer resort feel. To maximise wind days and flat water, at the cost of being a bit further from the airport (~55 km).

In short: first trip, variety and life around → the north (El Gouna/Hurghada). Wind-and-flat hunter → the south (Soma/Safaga). Each spot's live score tells you which one is best today.

Spring (Mar–May)

The thermal settles in and gains regularity, the water warms up (shorty), fewer people and softer prices than summer. A nice window.

Summer (June–Aug)

Peak season: the steadiest wind (about 80% kiteable days), 15-25 knots from N/NNW, warm water (~29 °C). The trade-off: desert heat, busier spots and higher prices.

Autumn (Sept–Oct)

Often the best compromise: still plenty of wind, the warmest water of the year, fewer people and prices easing after summer.

Winter (Nov–Feb)

Still rideable — the Red Sea's big advantage: sun, low prices, fewer crowds. The wind is lighter and more fickle, the water drops to ~22 °C: pack a 4/3 wetsuit. The refuge destination of the European winter.

Getting there (direct flights)

From Belgium, a direct flight Brussels (BRU) → Hurghada (HRG) on Brussels Airlines and TUI fly year-round, and on Corendon in summer only — its route stops in early November, so don't count on it in winter. From France: Paris-Orly with Transavia, six flights a week across both seasons, and Paris-CDG with easyJet, plus Air Cairo in winter. From the Netherlands: Amsterdam is best served, with Corendon, easyJet, Transavia and TUI fly year-round. Reckon 4 h 50 to 5 h 30 of flight time depending on the airline. On price, mid-week (Tue/Wed) is usually cheaper than the weekend — but with 2-3 charter rotations a week, the cheapest day is often just the day the flight runs. For the exact current price, use the flight link on each spot page — it pre-fills from your departure airport.

The kite bag

The catch to know: on the direct charters (TUI fly, Corendon, Brussels Airlines), a kite/board bag is sports equipment charged SEPARATELY — the included 23 kg does NOT cover it, even if the bag is under 23 kg (it's the bag's size, not its weight, that puts it outside the free allowance). Book it WITH the ticket (cheaper than at the airport, where it can even be refused for lack of hold space). Ballpark per leg: Corendon €70 to Egypt (up to 30 kg — kitesurfing has its own fare line there), Transavia €52 out of the Netherlands and €60 out of France (32 kg, up to 3.60 m), TUI fly around €55 (30 kg), Brussels Airlines €100 (up to 200 cm) — so €100 to €200 round trip. At Brussels Airlines the charge mainly hits Light and Basic fares: with a ticket that already includes a checked bag, the equipment can go inside the allowance. A 160 cm bag passes everywhere, so weight and price decide, not length.

A week's budget

Per person, ballpark: with your own gear and a simple hotel, ~€750-900 (flight + hotel + meals); renting gear at a 3★, ~€1,350-1,500; all-inclusive with lessons, ~€1,800-2,500. Rental ~€50-110/day, lessons ~€25-35/hr.

Visa & formalities

EU citizens need a visa, $30 for a single entry and a one-month stay. Two routes: the visa on arrival, issued around the clock at the desks in Hurghada airport and paid in cash in dollars or euros, which the French authorities actually consider preferable; or the e-visa online, to be applied for at least seven days before departure. On passports, Egypt requires six months of validity from arrival, but the French rule is stricter: six months beyond your return date. The special Sinai regime does not apply here, it only covers an arrival at Sharm el-Sheikh.

On the ground (transfers, budget, gear)

Airport transfer ~€20-25, taxis via Uber/Careem (~€2-3 in town, no haggling), local meal ~€3-4, SIM/eSIM ~$12 for ~30 GB, water ~€0.15. Gear storage, pumping, showers and rinsing: through each spot's schools/stations (see the spot pages).

The wetsuit

Warm water April to October (~24-29 °C): a shorty or rash vest is enough. In winter (Dec-Feb), water drops toward 22 °C: a 4/3 is a must, booties optional.

Health & insurance

Two things not to take lightly. Insurance first: the French authorities warn that without cover for medical costs and repatriation, care can be refused, including in a life-threatening emergency, and the embassy will pay for nothing. The European health insurance card does not work here. Coral cuts next: the surface toxins infect even a shallow wound that looks clean, and they need proper medical follow-up. Otherwise, tap water isn't drinkable, skip raw vegetables, ice cubes and cold buffets, hepatitis A is recommended, and malaria is gone — the WHO certified Egypt malaria-free in October 2024.

Getting to the Red Sea from Europe to kite is simple and affordable — as long as you sort a few practical points guides forget: direct flights, the kite bag (often an extra), the real budget and the visa.

The rest — which spot, which schools, which lodging at the water's edge — is detailed on each spot page above, with the live score.

Underwater

This is the first reason to put the kite down for a day. Without a licence, snorkelling works at Giftun and Mahmya, at Shaab El Erg where the dolphins pass, and above all from the shore at Makadi Bay, which has the best swim-accessible reef in the whole area, six metres deep at the drop-off. At Sahl Hasheesh, the Sunken City, a mock pharaonic city submerged between two and six metres, is snorkelling territory. With a licence, the Abu Nuhas wrecks and the walls of Careless Reef and Panorama open up. A boat day with two guided dives runs about €50, €35 as a non-diving passenger, plus €5 to €6 of park fee at Giftun, in cash. The Salem Express off Safaga is a case apart: this ferry sank in 1991 with 470 dead, penetration is forbidden, and you go down as you would enter a memorial. And if you dive, leave 12 h before flying, 18 h after several dives.

El Gouna & Hurghada

El Gouna is covered by tuk-tuk or shuttle boat: five minutes from Downtown to Zaytouna island, the town's only shore snorkelling, and a roughly four-hour trip along Abu Tig Marina and the New Marina. Two 18-hole golf courses, one designed by Gene Bates and Fred Couples. In Hurghada, the El Dahar quarter and its souk are the counterpoint to the marina, with haggling compulsory and tourist prices taken as read. The Hurghada museum, opened in 2020, shows two thousand pieces from ancient to modern Egypt for 300 Egyptian pounds, about €5, from 10 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 11 pm. The Grand Aquarium opens 9 am to 11 pm, around $30 to $33.

Luxor, as a day trip

About 290 km and four hours of road each way, doable in a day but at the cost of a 4 am start and a 9 pm return. The classic programme strings together Karnak, the temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon and the Valley of the Kings. Reckon $40 to $70 for a group trip, entries included. One detail that catches people out: Egypt's archaeological sites have moved to card payment only, cash is no longer accepted at the ticket office.

The desert

The quad bikes and the 'Bedouin village' are an industrial product: up to sixty quads at once and a village largely staged. Go for the star-filled sky, which is genuinely what everyone remembers, and get what's included spelled out in writing. Far more interesting: the Roman quarries. Mons Porphyrites, whose purple porphyry supplied the imperial columns, and Mons Claudianus, whose granite went into the Colosseum and the Pantheon, can be visited by 4x4 as a day trip from Hurghada. One safety rule to respect: the French authorities formally advise against leaving the main roads and marked tracks, and against driving at night outside tourist areas. The desert yes, but with an operator.

Soma Bay & Safaga

Soma Bay has the golf course designed by Gary Player, 18 holes opened in 1998, and a thalassotherapy centre of over 7,500 m² whose centrepiece is a 750 m² hydrotherapy pool filled with seawater. Safaga trades on its reputation for climatotherapy: black sand baths and heliotherapy for psoriasis and rheumatism, in supervised courses of about a month. The success rates put forward come from the destination's promoters, not from independent clinical trials — take them for what they are.