The excursion you don’t want to skip on your holiday to Hurghada is a sea trip. A boat trips to Giftun Island (Orange Bay, Paradise and Mahmya) are the most popular excursions to take in Hurghada.
Here is all you need to know about the different sea trips in Egypt’s Hurghada.
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Giftun Island Hurghada
What is Giftun Island? It is a national park (Island) which has beautiful sand beaches and crystal clear water. Three of the most popular beaches/areas in the Giftun Island are Orange Bay, Paradise Island and Mahmya Island.
So when you book an excursion to Giftun Island, you are most likely going to visit Orange Bay, Mahmya or Paradise Island. This is something that is always confusing me.
So briefly: The island where Orange Bay, Paradise Island and Mahmya are located is called Giftun Island. In other words, Orange Bay, Paradise Island and Mahmya are beaches located in Giftun Island.
Where is the Giftun Island located?
Giftun Island is located very close to Hurghada. A boat trip to Giftun Island takes only about 45-minutes. Here below is a map from where you can see the areas and locations of the beaches on Giftun Island.
The Orange Bay is located in the middle of the island on the West side. Mahmya and Paradise Island are located in the South. You need to zoom quite close to see the exact locations.
How much a trip to Giftun Island cost?
The trips to Giftun Island starts from around 20€ (22$ & 18£). The price of the trip depends on the services and activities. Before booking trips, ask about the additional prices and what does the trip include.
A day trip to Giftun Island from Hurghada
A basic boat trip from Hurghada to Giftun Island includes a day at the sea. A boat is your base for all day: You dive, you swim and you snorkel from the boat. When you go to the Giftun Island, you will be transferred there with a small boat.
If you want to go to the island faster, you can choose a speedboat transfer. More information about the speedboat transfer to Giftun Island from this link.
The price of the trip includes transportation from your hotel to a boat. The day starts when you arrive at the boat, which takes you usually to two different spots, where you can swim, snorkel or dive in the Red Sea. After this, you can to spend some time on the beaches of Giftun Island. The price of the trip usually includes lunch, snorkelling gears and entrance fees.
Note that there is a tourist tax 2,50 €/tourist paid separately.
.Here is an example of a sea trip which you can book through Get Your Guide. The link is an affiliate link, which means that if you book your trip through this link I’ll get a small commission, with no extra cost at you.
Giftun Island Snorkeling Trip with Lunch
Giftun Islands: Speedboat Transfer with Hotel Pickup
Giftun Island experiences
As I read reviews of the trip to Giftun Islands, most of the people loved the islands and the trip. You can read the reviews also yourself from Get Your Guide website. The negative sides were the crowds of people on the islands and some thought there was nothing special to do on the beach. This is why it’s good to combine the trip with a day in the sea.
Personally, I have done lots of sea trips. Even though I don’t like to snorkel, I like to spend time at the sea just relaxing. The good thing about these trips is that you can just enjoy the sun, in case you don’t like to swim in the sea.
Because I’m a bit afraid of the fishes, I’m not enjoying snorkelling. But all my friends, who I have been taking to sea trip, have enjoyed swimming and snorkelling in the sea a lot. The underwater life in the Red Sea is amazing and colourful.
The fish come very close and there is much to see!
Facilities at the boats
Like said the day trips from Hurghada to the sea usually includes lunch. The food served on the boats is very basic such as Pasta, rice, chicken, meat and salad. I have always liked the food and if you want you can take some snacks with you in case you get hungry during the day.
All the boat have a toilets.
To protect the coral and underwater life, don’t go too close to corals, don’t touch corals or stand on them (I have seen people doing this).
Next: Orange Bay Hurghada
Orange Bay Hurghada
Orange Bay is the newest beach on the Giftun Islands and it also seems to be the most popular beaches.
The speciality in the orange beach is a swing, which is a perfect place to take Instagram pictures. If you look at pictures of Hurghada from Instagram, for sure you see lots of people on this swing.
The shore is quite shallow, therefore it is a good beach for kids.
Here is an example of the trip that takes you to Orange Bay Hurghada.
Orange Bay Snorkeling Trip with Lunch
Paradise Island Hurghada | Mahmya
Paradise and Mahmya beaches are similar to Orange bay, but without a swing.
What to pack for a boat trip in Hurghada?
If you take this trip during the wintertime, pack up some warmer clothes with you since it’s windy by the sea.
The other things you need to pack up with you are sun cream, towel and swimwear. I also would recommend you to take some clothes, a bottle of water, something to read and toilet paper.
Have you been to seatrips yourself? What did you like?
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