Safaga

Safaga is a phosphate port first and a resort second, which keeps it plainer and cheaper than its neighbours, and it has three separate reputations. Windsurfers and kiters come for what is generally rated the most consistent wind on the Egyptian coast, funnelled by the bay and the island offshore. Divers come for reefs a little further out than Hurghada's, including Panorama Reef and Abu Kafan, which hold better coral and bigger fish because they see less traffic. And a third group comes for the black sand on parts of the beach, rich in minerals and used in traditional treatment for skin and joint conditions, which has drawn medical tourism for decades. The town itself is functional with little to detain a visitor.

History

The town was founded between 282 BC and 268 BC by Satyrus, who named it Philotera in honour of the dead sister of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, and Stephanus of Byzantium records that it was also called Philoteris. Safaga served for many years as a merchant port, and with its many phosphate mines it became the country's phosphate export centre, linked to Qena in Upper Egypt by a paved road of 164 km. It later added a small tourist trade built on scuba diving and treatment holidays, and in 1993 it hosted the Red Sea World Windsurfing Championships (Wikipedia, Safaga).

Highlights

• Consistent wind - the most reliable board conditions on the coast.
• Panorama and Abu Kafan reefs - offshore sites with good coral cover.
• Black mineral sand - the beaches used for traditional treatment.
• A working port - phosphate ships alongside the resort coast.

When to go

October to May for temperature; wind peaks in spring and summer. Three to five days for diving or boarding. The town is quiet year round outside the port traffic.

Before you go

The town is industrial and unattractive, with the port dominating the shore. Beaches near the centre are poor. Accommodation is limited and dated compared with El Gouna or Soma Bay. The dive sites are further out, so boat days are long.

Nearby

Soma Bay is just north; El Quseir lies south down the coast.