Things to do in Hurghada beyond desert safari
Hurghada is a desert town with a great reef in front of it. Past the dunes there is a full day of snorkeling, diving, speedboat trips, and spa time waiting for you. Here is how we plan a week without leaving the Red Sea.
Most travelers land in Hurghada with one idea: ride a quad bike across the desert. That is a great day, but it is one day. The rest of the trip is the reef in front of your hotel, an island you can speedboat to before lunch, and a slow Bedouin-style spa evening you will keep talking about. This guide is the short list of what we send our own guests to when they ask 'what else.' Every link below leads to a partner we trust and book with year round.
Snorkel Orange Bay and the Giftun islands
Orange Bay is the photo you have already seen of Hurghada: white sand bar, turquoise shallow water, schools of small fish a meter from the boat. The snorkeling there is the easiest you will ever do because the lagoon is shallow and protected, so kids, first-timers, and anyone nervous in deep water all feel fine. We pair it with Giftun Island when guests want the postcard plus a real reef session.
Book a snorkeling day in Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, or Marsa AlamDaily trips, hotel pickup, full gear included.Take a speedboat trip — the fast version of a day at sea
A wooden boat takes 90 minutes to reach the islands. A speedboat does it in 20 and gives you more time in the water. We use speedboats for half-day Orange Bay runs, private group trips, and proposal-day setups when guests want zero waiting and zero crowd. It is the cleanest way to taste the Red Sea if you only have one morning free.
Reserve a speedboat to Orange Bay or GiftunSmall groups, hotel pickup, departures most mornings.Dive Hurghada — beginner-friendly walls and wrecks
If you have ever wanted to try scuba diving in warm clear water, this is the place. The house reefs are 30 meters away and you can do a Discover Scuba in a single afternoon. Certified divers get the wrecks, deep walls, and the dolphin reef houses out of Sahl Hasheesh. We send English- and German-speaking guests to one center and our French divers to a second — both are run by people we have worked with for years.
Plan a diving day in HurghadaPADI / SSI center, beginner programs, certified day trips.French-speaking divers — plongée à Hurghada
Notre partenaire francophone à Hurghada accompagne les plongeurs et les débutants en français, du premier cours à la sortie certifiée. C'est la même qualité d'encadrement, dans ta langue.
Réserve ta plongée francophone à HurghadaSpa, Egyptian massage, and a quiet evening that resets you
The desert day is dusty. The boat day is salty and sun-baked. The third day should be a long massage, a steam, and dinner with no shoes on. The spa we send guests to is two streets from the marina, runs Bedouin oil massages and the classic Egyptian deep-tissue, and stays open late so you can come straight from the beach. Couples book the double room a week in advance — book the moment you know the date.
Book a spa or massage session in HurghadaCouple suites, hotel pickup option, evening slots available.Beyond Hurghada — Marsa Alam and Sharm reef days
If your stay is longer, the south is worth the drive. Marsa Alam is the quietest big reef in Egypt and the best spot in the country to swim with dolphins from a public boat, not a marine park. Sharm El Sheikh is the Sinai answer to it: same Red Sea, mountain backdrop, and the Tiran straits for the strong drift dives. We work with one diving partner in Marsa Alam who handles everything from intro dives to liveaboards.
Plan a Marsa Alam diving tripBoat dives, technical dives, and dolphin reef days.Quick guide: the island everyone asks about
Orange Bay is technically the south end of Giftun Island. People search it as 'Orange Bay tours' because the photos are tagged that way on Instagram. It is the same trip we have been sending guests on for years; we just keep a small dedicated page for it so first-time visitors find it without scrolling through ten generic 'snorkeling tours' pages.
See the Orange Bay tour pageEgypt Safari is the desert side of the trip. Everything above is what we wish people knew to do during the days they are not with us. If you want one of our own guides to plan the full week — desert + reef + spa — message us on WhatsApp and we will route you to the right partner for each day.