Gurgusum Beach

Gurgusum runs along the Red Sea coast a short way north of Massawa, a long stretch of pale sand with shallow warm water and a hotel behind part of it, and it is where Asmara comes down to the sea. The water is very shallow a long way out and the coast is flat and open. The heat here is a shock after the highlands, which are two thousand metres up and a couple of hours away.

What you actually see

• The long sand - a wide flat beach on the Red Sea coast.
• The shallow water - the sea staying shallow a long way out.
• The highland contrast - the coast a couple of hours below Asmara.
• The hotel strip - the facilities behind part of the beach.

When to go

November to March is the cool season. Summer heat at Massawa is among the most severe anywhere, regularly over forty degrees. Weekends bring visitors from the capital.

Honest expectations

Summer heat here is genuinely dangerous and the coast is unusable for much of the year. Facilities are limited and run down. A travel permit is required to come down from Asmara.

Nearby

Massawa is south, and the Dahlak islands are offshore.