Day Trip to El Gouna: The Lagoon City of Water Sports
El Gouna is a privately planned resort city 30 km north of Hurghada, built around a series of lagoons. It hosts the annual Windsurf World Cup, has excellent kite and windsurfing, and offers a more upscale alternative to Hurghada with its own marina and island hotels.
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El Gouna Marina
The elegant central marina of El Gouna is lined with restaurants, boutiques and water-sports centers. It connects to the lagoon system by a network of bridges and channels.
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Kitesurfing at Abu Tig
The lagoons at Abu Tig and Mangroovy provide ideal flat-water conditions for kitesurfing at all skill levels. El Gouna hosts elite professional competitions attracting the worlds best riders.
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Downtown El Gouna
The architect-designed town center has a Nubian-Mediterranean aesthetic with domed roofs, coral-stone walls and vibrant bougainvillea. Restaurants, art galleries and a cinema cluster here.
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Mangrove Kayaking
The shallow lagoon channels lined with mangroves can be explored by kayak or stand-up paddleboard, revealing birds and small reef fish in the calm backwater ecosystem.
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El Gouna Diving
Several dive centers in El Gouna operate trips to the same Red Sea sites as Hurghada with the advantage of fewer crowds and high-quality equipment. Beginners and advanced divers are both well catered for.
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El Gouna Golf Course
The only 18-hole golf course on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, set between the lagoons and the desert. Non-golfers can visit the clubhouse restaurant for sunset views over the water.