Things to Do in Marsa Alam

Marsa Alam is a small town 200km south of Hurghada on the southern Red Sea coast. Unlike the resort strips further north, it has not been built out into a mass tourism destination — the hotels are spread along a long stretch of coast, the reef system is substantially less impacted, and the activities available are more specialist. The primary draw is underwater: Marsa Alam has some of the best dive and snorkeling sites in the entire Red Sea.

Scuba Diving

Diving is the reason most visitors come to Marsa Alam. The reef system in this part of the Red Sea has received significantly less boat traffic and development pressure than the sites around Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh. The headline site is Elphinstone Reef — a submerged pinnacle 30km offshore with outstanding shark encounters and exceptional coral. See our dedicated diving and snorkeling guide for full detail on the major sites.

Other notable dive locations include Shaab Claudia, accessible from the shore for intermediate divers, and the sites within Wadi El Gemal National Park to the south, where reef quality is high and boat congestion is minimal.

Dugong Encounters at Abu Dabbab

Abu Dabbab Bay, 20km north of Marsa Alam town, contains one of the most reliable dugong encounter sites in the world. The shallow bay has extensive seagrass beds that attract a resident dugong population — the large, slow-moving marine mammals that inspired early mermaid mythology. Snorkeling from the beach requires minimal equipment and limited cost; guided boat trips are also available. Sea turtles are regularly seen in the same bay. This is the non-diving highlight of Marsa Alam and well worth a half-day trip even for travellers who don’t dive.

Dolphin House (Shaab Samadai)

Shaab Samadai is a horseshoe-shaped reef 25km offshore that shelters a resident pod of spinner dolphins. The inner lagoon is where the dolphins come to rest between feeding forays. Both diving and snorkeling give access to the lagoon. Entry is regulated by authorities to protect the pod — motorised access is restricted and visitor numbers are managed. Check current rules and access arrangements with your dive centre or tour operator at time of visit, as the regulations are occasionally adjusted.

Wadi El Gemal National Park

Forty kilometres south of Marsa Alam, Wadi El Gemal is a protected area encompassing desert wadi, coastal mangroves, sea turtle nesting beaches, and coral reef. The national park is generally uncrowded — you are unlikely to encounter the boat clusters typical of Hurghada’s day trip routes here. Walking trails go into the wadi inland; snorkeling accesses the reef offshore. Getting here requires transport (hire car, tour, or taxi) as there is no public bus service. The combination of landscapes within the park — desert, mangrove, reef — is one of the more diverse half-day options in southern Egypt.

Snorkeling Directly from Resort Beaches

Several resort properties in Marsa Alam have direct inshore reef access from their beach. The coral condition in many of these inshore sites is better than comparable Hurghada beach snorkeling — the reduced development density has meant less physical damage to the reef edge. Travellers who are not diving can access reasonable snorkeling without a boat trip.

Desert Excursions

The Eastern Desert landscape behind Marsa Alam is dramatic and largely unvisited. A handful of operators offer 4WD trips into the wadis and mountains of the Red Sea Hills, with the landscape shifting from coastal plain to rocky escarpment within a short drive. Camel treks from some resort areas are also available. These excursions suit travellers who want something beyond the water but shouldn’t be the primary reason for making the trip south — the underwater sites are the genuine differentiator here.

For more on planning a visit, see our Marsa Alam guide and the full Red Sea diving guide.