Kitesurfing in Egypt: Which Red Sea Spot, When to Go and Where to Stay

Compare

Egypt's kite areas compared

The kite areas below sit on two coasts: the mainland Red Sea coast, from El Gouna south to Hamata, where our four destinations are, and the Sinai peninsula, with Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh on the Gulf of Aqaba side and Ras Sudr on the Gulf of Suez. Every one of them has shallow lagoon water for learning; they differ in wind, in the water beyond the lagoon and in how far you travel from the airport. Confident riders can also join a kite safari by yacht to the offshore islands from Hurghada: see our Hurghada guide.

Choose

El Gouna, Hurghada, Soma Bay or Marsa Alam?

All four are flat-water destinations with schools on or next to hotel beaches. Choose El Gouna for a car-free resort town with restaurants and a marina, and three hotels whose kite station is on their own beach. Choose Hurghada for short airport transfers and lower prices: a private hour costs €50 at Sultan Kite School, against €120 at KitePeople in El Gouna (October 2026). Choose Soma Bay for a wide bay where afternoons often blow 20 to 25 knots at Abu Soma (ION CLUB), with large resorts away from town life. Choose Marsa Alam for the warmest water, reefs to snorkel and one-to-one lessons at Casa Mare, with its own airport.

Season

When to go, month by month

Egypt has wind all year, but it is a thermal wind: it usually builds from late morning and peaks in the afternoon, so early mornings are often calm. The schools agree on a main season from spring to autumn, while winter brings more very light and very strong days and a sea of about 21 to 23 °C around Hurghada. Summer is very hot on land, with average highs of 36 to 37.5 °C from June to August.

On the beach

What you get at a kite station, and what it costs

In Egypt you kite from a station, even with your own gear: you register, get a spot briefing and pay a beach or storage fee, and lessons, rental and storage are paid to the school, not included in the hotels' all-inclusive packages. CDWS, Egypt's water sports chamber, confirms that riders who bring their own equipment can store it at the professional centres for a fee.

Six hours of beginner lessons cost €220 at Sultan Kite School in Hurghada, €300 in a group of 3 to 4 at Osmosis in El Gouna, €386 per person in a pair at KBC Ras Soma and €450 semi-private at KitePeople in El Gouna. At Casa Mare in Marsa Alam, the Kiteboarding Pro Center charges €290 for 7 hours with private water lessons (2025 price list). Prices come from the schools' lists in October 2026 unless dated and include the equipment: confirm them when you book. Here is what the stations on our list provide:

Beginners and families

Is Egypt good for beginners and families?

Yes, if you stay by a lagoon station. In all four of our destinations you learn in standing-depth water over sand: 0.6 to 1 m at KitePeople in El Gouna, knee to waist deep on the Al Ahyaa lagoon in Hurghada, 0.8 to 1.2 m at Casa Mare in Marsa Alam (hotel figure), and flat, shallow lagoons in Soma Bay. In El Gouna, Hurghada and Marsa Alam the wind blows side-onshore, so a beginner drifts back towards the beach; in Soma Bay mornings can be side-offshore, and the schools keep rescue boats on the water. Most beginners need 10 to 12 hours of lessons to ride on their own, according to Sultan Kite School and ION CLUB. CDWS says children can start at 12 if they weigh at least 40 kg; KitePeople and ION CLUB also set 12 as their minimum age, and KBC teaches under-14s in private lessons.

For families, most of our Egyptian hotels are large all-inclusive resorts, so the family has a full day on site: the Mövenpick El Gouna has kids clubs for ages 5 to 12, SUNRISE Azalea in Hurghada an aqua park and a club for 3 to 12, the Palm Royale in Soma Bay a club for 4 to 12 and a heated children's pool, and Casa Mare in Marsa Alam an aqua park on a lagoon 0.8 to 1.2 m deep. Casa Cook (from 16) and Shams Prestige are adults only, and Casa Blue takes guests from 12. The wind usually builds from late morning, so mornings are the calmest time for a family swim. On days off the water:

Travel

Getting there, entry rules and safety

Fly to Hurghada (HRG) for El Gouna, Hurghada and Soma Bay, or to Marsa Alam (RMF) for Marsa Alam. Flights to Hurghada take about 5 h 25 from London and 4 h 35 from Frankfurt, with direct flights from both. From Hurghada airport it is 30 to 40 minutes to El Gouna, about 20 minutes to the northern Hurghada hotels and 30 to 50 minutes to Soma Bay; from Marsa Alam airport, about 15 minutes to Casa Mare and 25 to 30 to El Naaba. For Dahab, fly to Sharm el-Sheikh (SSH), about 80 km away; Ras Sudr is about 3 hours by road from Cairo or Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

UK, German and French citizens need a visa. You can buy one on arrival from the kiosks before passport control for US$30 in cash (GOV.UK; Germany's and France's foreign ministries say the euro equivalent is accepted too), or apply in advance on Egypt's official e-visa portal, at least 7 days before departure. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months: GOV.UK counts from your arrival, France from your return date. German and French citizens can also enter with an ID card and two passport photos, but Germany's Foreign Office recommends a passport. If you fly into Sharm el-Sheikh and stay less than 15 days in Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba, you get a free entry stamp instead of a visa (GOV.UK and Germany's Foreign Office).

Egypt runs on UTC+2 and switches to summer time, UTC+3, from the last Friday of April to the last Thursday of October. For most of the year that puts it 2 hours ahead of London and 1 hour ahead of Berlin or Paris; between Europe's clock change in late March and Egypt's in late April, it is only 1 hour ahead of London and level with Berlin.

None of the UK Foreign Office's warnings covers the Red Sea resorts on this page: they concern areas such as North Sinai, the Libyan border, parts of the Western Desert and the northern part of South Sinai beyond the St Catherine to Nuweiba road, except its coasts; Dahab and Ras Sudr are on the coast. GOV.UK says about one million British people visit Egypt each year and most visits are trouble-free, but also that the situation in the Middle East is unpredictable. Germany's Foreign Office asks travellers to take particular care, including in the Red Sea resorts, and advises against unaccompanied individual excursions and overland trips in South Sinai. Check your own government's advice before you book, and make sure your insurance covers kitesurfing and sea rescue: GOV.UK warns that a rescue can cost more than US$4,000 an hour and that the Egyptian authorities start one only when payment is guaranteed.

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