El Gouna - beautiful Egyptian Venice is situated on a Red Sea, 40 minutes drive North from Hurgarda Airport. I was a little bit worried going there first time, as at the time Egypt had some bad publicity around terrorist attacks, but I thought so has London and decided to go. So happy, I have made this call and went ahead with it.
Since then, I have been to El Grouna twice and can't wait to visit again with Gabbs as he hasn't been there yet. Both times I went off season, towards the end of November and both times kited over 50% of it anyway. There are plenty of other things to do, so also a good place for travelling with kids and non-kiters.
When the wind blows it is the most amazing place ever, sandy 5 square kilometers lagoon with water from knees to waist depending on tidal activity. Turquoise blue, perfectly flat water, wind in your hair and plenty of space to cruise & practise tricks.
Check out my friends Michal video from El Gouna lagoon. You can catch me in there doing superman style wipeout!
Season in El Gouna last from May till October but off season can still deliver some amazing days, although obviously a bit more of a gamble.
We have kited with Osmosis Kitesurfing and the guys were amazing. Learners would get in the boat at around 9am and head with instructors around the reef to the lagoon. The session lasts approximately three hours, then we break for lunch and there is another session in the afternoon usually around 2pm but for beginners one session a day is enough. Choose which time of the day suits you better and book in advance as places fill up quickly. To get there by boat you will have to book a lesson or a supervision, but it is so worth it. All of us beginners have progressed so much in El Gouna, I would really recommend it for learning. I think the main advantages are shallow (but not too shallow), flat water and space. Once you are out in the lagoon, you have plenty of it and you can focus on learning to kite and not on minding others as it is often the case on crowded beach spots.
The rest of the gang, who could kite surf better would upwind to pass the reef and get to the lagoon by themselves.
Amazing fun for everyone!
Getting there and accommodation
There are many flights to Hurghada arriving every day from different destinations. It is easy to arrange for for a taxi in advance via your accommodation contact or to get one at the airport. There was quite a few of us so we have asked Nele from Osmosis kitesurfing to arrange for a minibus so we could travel together.
Both times we have visited, we stayed in Hotel Paradiso on an All Inclusive deal bought via loveholidays.com. It is a perfect set up as hotel has its own kitesurfing spot run by Osmosis kitesurfing. Facilities are amazing, rooms spacious, staff very friendly and food delicious. There are two restaurants to choose from, three bars and a great spa and massage if you want it.
There are daily Yoga, Zumba, Aquarobic fitness classes, beach valley ball and there is a disco each night, which takes requests for music from all over the world so you can dance the night away to your favourite tunes.
There is a very similar set up in Mövenpick and there is also plenty of other accommodation on offer, villas for hire and a range of cheaper hotels but then you have to travel to the spot every day. Not that it is an issue, as it easy to move around El Gouna by tuk tuk, a local three wheeled taxi, which is an attraction in itself. Its very cheap too as the cost is 1EUR so worth a trip even if for fun.
Places to Eat & Other attractions
No wind, no issue as El Gouna has so much to offer. There is SUP/kayak hire, diving centre and snorkeling boat trips. The Red Sea is amazing for snorkeling and diving so don't hesitate to give it a try, you will not be disappointed. We have seen beautiful reef, colourful fish and even swam with dolphins. Again all this was available to us from Paradisio so there was really not much motivation to leave the hotel. The one thing that is not on site is the wakeboarding park, which is a great alternative for non windy days and easy to get to by tuk tuk.
There are many restaurants in El Gouna and some of them were looking really good but I cannot recommend any as the food in Paradisio was so good we didn't go out to eat. We did explore the town by tuk tuk and on foot, and even had a little tuk tuk race as drivers were keen to entertain us. Another great way to explore is take SUP or kayak and paddle around the town via canals.
Summary:
Steady wind, warm, flat water lagoon perfect for beginners with lots to offer for non windy days and non kiters.
Pros:
- 5 sq km lagoon with knee to waist water
- No crowds
- Steady, warm wind
- Places to stay for all budgets
- Easy to get to
- Lots of other activities for non kiting days or for travel with non kiters
Cons:
- Can't think of any
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