Giftun Islands
White sand and intact reef an hour by boat, inside a marine national park.
Duration
7 hrs – 9 hrs
Difficulty
●●○○○
Best time
Morning departure
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
The Giftun islands are part of a marine national park created in 1995 off Hurghada. Protection has had a measurable effect: the reefs there are in markedly better condition than those inshore, which suffer from development and discharge.
Great Giftun is uninhabited and edged with a white sand beach, Mahmya, with a coral drop-off a few dozen metres out. The reef holds clownfish, parrotfish and stingrays, and it can be seen while snorkelling without being a diver.
Getting there
An hour by boat from Hurghada marina. Day trips, with a meal on board or on the beach.
What the price covers
paid boat trip plus a per-person park fee; rates depend on the operator
What to bring
- Mask and snorkel
- Reef shoes
Rules on site
The marine park fee is added to the advertised price and paid in cash. Never touch or stand on the coral: it takes decades to regrow, and that is what destroyed the inshore reefs.
