Hurghada's islands compared: which day on the water suits you
Nine island days leave Hurghada Marina. They share a boat, a crew and a snorkelling stop — and almost nothing else. A short guide to telling them apart.
Every island day we run has the same frame: hotel pickup, Hurghada Marina, a boat with a licensed crew, a snorkelling stop with mask, snorkel and fins on board and a guide in the water, soft drinks and water all day, and back in the afternoon. Marine park and island entry fees, where they apply, are not in the price. What changes is the island — and that changes the whole day.
Sand and shallow water, nothing you have to do
- Orange Bay — white sand, a long jetty and water shallow enough to stand up in a long way out, about an hour off Hurghada, with sunbeds and shade.
- Utopia — a sandbank with a wooden jetty, swings out over the water and sunbeds. No programme to keep up with, which is the reason to choose it.
- Hula Hula — a quieter sandbank, picked over the busier islands for the quiet rather than for what is on it.
- Bianka — a private island with heart-shaped swings over the water: the most photographed thing we sail to.
A beach with facilities
Mahmya is the flagship beach club on Giftun — loungers, shade and a restaurant on the sand if you want one — with the snorkelling stop on a protected reef. It is the most built-up island we sail to, which is exactly the reason to pick it, or to pick another. Paradise Island, also on Giftun, is a simpler beach day.
Less boat, or more reef
- Magawish — the closest island to Hurghada. The short crossing is the point: less time on the boat, more on the island, over seven hours rather than eight.
- Eden and Ozeria — two snorkelling stops on different reefs before you land, with a guide in the water at each. Ozeria is a protected island, which is why the fish are still there.
Choosing in one line
Shallow water for children: Orange Bay or Utopia. Photographs: Bianka. Comfort: Mahmya. Seasickness worries: Magawish. Snorkelling first: Eden or Ozeria. And if you cannot choose, the Red Sea Week takes in Orange Bay, Bianka, Paradise and Mahmya with the dolphin reef in the middle. All of them are on the boat trips page.