Egypt in January for first timers - which area?

[villesci]

Hi all, I am sure iterations of this questions have been asked thousands of times, but wanted to get some updated opinions. My girlfriend and I are planning on a ~16 day Egypt trip in January, with stops in Alexandia, Cairo/Giza, and Aswan/Luxor for antiquity stops, but also at least 5-6 days of diving on the Red Sea (land-based, not liveaboard). I am a Rescue Diver, she is OW but wants to earn her AOW while on vacation. While she works on AOW, I will be most interested in diving with others and working on photography. We both don't care about wrecks, really are most interested in reef life and topography. We are budget conscious, not really interested in casinos, luxury spas, etc., and would prefer something more laid back (but still safe). Desert excursions for a surface day/a handful of bar and restaurant options would be good.

We were initially looking at some place like Dahab for the easy shore diving, but realized we could save on internal flights if we link up the Aswan/Luxor part of our trip with Marsa Alam or Hurghada. This is our first time to the Red Sea, any recommendations for the four big areas (Sharm, Dahab, Marsa, Hurghada) based on our interests?

 

[Rematix]

I spent a week in El Gouna in early February and was very happy with the stay - I stayed at Labranda Paradisio hotel, they have a very good dive center on their premises (The Dive Connection).

 

[scubajasonr]

Have a look at Breakers on the edge of Soma Bay, that would probably meet most of your requirements. A very laid back hotel with a good dive centre on site. A really good house reef to dive on, as well as plenty of options for half day and full day boat trips. They do offer desert trips, but we were only there for a few days so didn't look at those. The part it lacks is a choice of restaurants, but the onsite restaurant is pretty good.

I would also recommend Coraya Divers at Coraya Bay near Port Ghalib/Marsa Alam. A good dive centre with plenty of options for diving from the jetty. However the surrounding hotels are much bigger and lack that laid back atmosphere. From here Port Ghalib is a short taxi ride if you want to wander around the restaurants at the marina, although there currently isn't too much there.

If you are based near Hurghada the local diving all has to be accessed by day boat, so it changes the dynamics of the diving a bit. Although you do have more choices for bars and restaurants, especially around the new marina. If you are on a budget then there are some cheap options for accomodation in Hurghada.

 

[BoltSnap]

January is probably one of the worst months to go diving in Egypt's red sea. Very cold water, cold air temps, choppy seas and low visibility. Not worth it.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Why no liveaboard? It's really the best way to get out there, not having to compete with the hordes of divers from the day boats. If you're doing that land-based itinerary, I would consider a liveaboard out of Hurghada or Marsa Alam a natural extension. A liveaboard may not be "budget" diving, but it need not be luxurious/expensive either. Egypt has some of the least expensive liveaboard diving in the world, perhaps because of lower fuel costs and competition.

I wouldn't consider Dahab. It's decent diving if you happen to be up in that region of Egypt, say, touring the Sinai, but not in my opinion worth it for a trip in itself. It had kind of a backpacker-y vibe, but at the time I was backpacking around so it felt right. I have not been to Sharm, and that's because I get the impression it may be a bit touristy for me. I managed to bear the Luxor/Valley of the Kings tourist trail, but it gets tiring. I haven't made it as far as Aswan. I would like to return to Egypt to see Aswan and Abu Simbel as a separate trip. Maybe a river cruise.

 

[CamC]

My preference is Sharm, where stripy fish abound, but that's as much because my dive buddy is my daughter and she demands more in the way of nightlife. The Marsa Alam/Port Ghalib area is also a good base, as mentioned above. However, as also mentioned above, January would be my last choice of months to go there. The longer but "worthwhile" day trips in particular, down to Elphinstone, say, can be pretty bouncy!

 

[diverLux]

all of this in 16 days ? look at the distances and traveling time involved,
Red Sea map (click to enlarge)
Rome2rio: discover how to get anywhere
I don't see El Quseir on your list, have a look at Pharaoh Dive Club, just a couple of restaurants in town no alcohol, no bars.
I do all my diving in the Red sea April-November (avoiding Ramadan period) never been in January; sea temp doesn't drop below 71°F (21°C) and no layers due to high salinity.

Great diving in Sharm el Sheikh, Ras Mohamed a must, sea relatively quiet due to location, my favoured Jaz Fanara Resort in Ras um Sid.

 

[Christian]

If you can skip ”a handful of bars and restaurants” I would strongly reccomend Red Sea Diving Safaris and Marsa Shagra Camp. Established and run by pioneer Hossam Helmy in the 1980’s when there was ’nothing’ but desert down there and he had the whole coast to chose and pick the best location. They have true diving freedom, which means that after you have done your orientation dive, you and hour buddy can just pick up a tank whenever you want, write your plan on the diving board, and dive on your own as much as you want on one, if not the, best house reef in Egypt. Just walk in from the beach. There are always a zodiak to take you up or down the coast (then swim back) to camp). I have hard time coming up with a more suitable spot for learning to dive and to advance your education and hobby.
Excursions by truck to to nearby parts everyday (shore dives) to e.g turtle packed Marsa Abu Dabab, where sometimes the Dugong show up. There are normally (demand deciding) two trips two Elphinstone each morning (15-30 min zodiac ride weather depending) and weekly trips to Dolphin House Reef which is a full day excursion. Winter will give a good opportunity to see oceanic white tip sharks on Elphinstone, though January is the tail of the ”OWT”-season.
It is a three hour transfer by car from Hurghada or 30ish minutes from Marsa Alam Airport. Desert excursions available.

 

[villesci]

Thank you all for the suggestions - we're still in the early stages of planning so very helpful. Ideally, we would be going at another time of year, but our work schedules limit us to January at the moment.

 

[Carlos Diver]

See my review for some random info.

Trip Report - Egypt and Red Sea Aggressor 3, non-Aggressor, review.

Booked the Red Sea III June 11-18, with some stops in Giza and Luxor before heading to the boat. Will break the review up so you can skip parts. Getting there and Giza: Flew Qatar Air from IAD to Doha to Cairo. Cant say enough about Qatar airlines. Easily one of my favorites. Booked two nights...

scubaboard.com

Steven's Taxis was excellent for guided tours in Luxor. Egypt budget and American in Egypt budget are not the same thing. For instance, I stayed at a ``budget place'' in Giza that had ice cold AC and my balcony had an unobstructed view of the entire Pyramid complex for like $45 a night. You can both do very well ``on a budget'' with proper research.