Top 10 Marinas in Egypt
To sail Egypt's Red Sea is to navigate between two extraordinary extremes: the coral wilderness of the Elphinstone reef system, where hammerhead sharks circle at depth, and the ancient world's most enduring monuments a short drive inland. The Red Sea itself — stretching 2,250 km from Suez to Bab-el-Mandeb — is one of the planet's most challenging offshore passages, with contrary winds in both the north and the south making northbound passages against the prevailing breeze a test of patience and seamanship. Egypt's marina network, strung between Suez and Shalateen at the Sudanese border, serves as the staging ground for this passage and as the destination itself for divers and Red Sea cruisers.
Port Ghalib International Marina — the flagship
Port Ghalib, located 65 km south of Marsa Alam, is Egypt's most comprehensively planned marina resort. Built around a lagoon dredged from the desert coast, the marina has 420 berths for vessels up to 60 m, with alongside depth of 5 m in the basin and 4 m at the fuel dock. The adjacent customs and immigration post handles international yacht clearance — a comparatively smooth process when arranged in advance with the marina management. Shore power is 220V/50Hz European standard, water is potable, and the marina's technical team can handle haulout on a 50-tonne travel lift. The surrounding resort development means provisions, restaurants, and a dive centre are within walking distance.
Hurghada Marina — the heart of the Red Sea sailing scene
Hurghada is the largest resort city on Egypt's Red Sea coast, and its marina is the busiest for visiting yachts. Situated behind a breakwater at the southern end of the Hurghada resort strip, the marina has around 250 berths, a fuel barge, a haul-out facility, and several chandleries along the harbour approach. The Hurghada sailing community — a mix of Egyptian owners, European expat residents, and transit blue-water sailors — makes this the social centre of Red Sea cruising. The Hurghada International Hotel Yacht Club organises an annual racing season and cruiser rallies. Customs clearance here can be bureaucratic, and many sailors use a local agent to smooth the process.
Suez Yacht Club and Port Ibrahim
For northbound yachts completing the Red Sea passage and preparing for the Suez Canal, the Suez Yacht Club at Port Ibrahim is the standard staging point. The club has pontoon berths for around 60 yachts, a fuel dock, and an agent-referral service for Canal transit bookings. The Canal authority in Ismaïlia manages transit scheduling, and yachts typically wait 24–72 hours for a convoy slot. The Suez anchorage can be rolly in the northwesterly swell that funnels down the Gulf of Suez, but the club's protected basin is generally adequate. Once through the Canal, the Mediterranean opens: Port Said's yacht club on the northern end is a useful first stop.
El Gouna Marina — lifestyle on the water
El Gouna, a private resort town 25 km north of Hurghada built on a lagoon system with connecting waterways, contains one of the Red Sea's most attractive marina environments. The Abu Tig Marina at El Gouna has around 130 berths in a fully dredged basin of 3–4 m depth, surrounded by the town's villas, restaurants, and beach clubs. The setting is deliberately Mediterranean in feel — terracotta rooflines, bougainvillea — and sailing here feels quite different from the utilitarian port atmosphere of Hurghada. El Gouna hosts the annual El Gouna Kiteboarding World Cup, which transforms the bay into a competition venue each autumn.
Marsa Alam — the southern gateway
Marsa Alam Town Harbour, 5 km from the international airport of the same name, is the practical choice for yachts heading south toward the Sudanese border and the Eritrean islands. The harbour has a commercial quay where yachts of up to 15 m can berth alongside, and an anchorage inside a partially sheltered bay. Fuel is available from a local supplier by jerry can. The attraction here is less the marina and more the surrounding wilderness: the Elphinstone reef 15 km offshore is rated among the world's ten best dive sites, and the coastline between here and Port Ghalib is barely touched by development.
Porto Marina (North Coast Mediterranean)
At the opposite extreme from the Red Sea, Porto Marina is an ambitious resort development on Egypt's Mediterranean north coast, about 85 km west of Alexandria near El Alamein. The artificial marina basin holds around 200 berths and attracts Egyptian leisure boaters and some European sailboats crossing to Greece or Cyprus. The Mediterranean coast here is flat and sandy — a complete contrast to the Red Sea — and the sailing is less spectacular but more accessible for vessels arriving from Europe. Marina Marassi, another north coast development near Abu Qir Bay east of Alexandria, is a second option in the same region.
Safaga — industry and diving
Safaga, 50 km south of Hurghada, is primarily an industrial port exporting phosphate and potash, but it has a small-craft anchorage and a basic quay used by dive boats and occasional cruising yachts. The appeal is purely about cost and position: Safaga is cheap, uncrowded, and sits adjacent to some of the Red Sea's finest wreck diving, including the Salem Express, a passenger ferry that sank in 1991 and lies in 28 m of water. Fuel, water, and basic provisions are available in the town market.
Sharm el-Sheikh Marina
Sharm el-Sheikh, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, is primarily a beach resort but also the base for some of the region's most spectacular sailing conditions: reliable winds of 15–25 knots funnel through the Straits of Tiran, just to the south, creating ideal conditions for performance sailing. The marina has approximately 120 berths in a sheltered basin at the Naama Bay end of town, with fuel and water available. Clearance for the Sinai area has historically required a separate permit from Egyptian authorities; sailors should verify current requirements before calling here.
Passage planning: the Red Sea challenge
Northbound passages in the Red Sea — from Bab-el-Mandeb or Djibouti to Suez, roughly 1,600 nm — are among the most demanding in world cruising. The prevailing wind is NNW (against northbound boats) from approximately October to May, with strong seasonal variations near Djibouti and in the Suez Gulf. Experienced Red Sea sailors use a strategy of coastal night-hops, anchoring during the day when the afternoon sea breeze builds against the current, and making progress on the calmer nights. A minimum of three to four weeks should be budgeted for the full northbound passage from Djibouti.
Explore on the map
Egypt's Red Sea marinas, Mediterranean harbours, anchorages, and waypoints are all plotted on the interactive map. Whether you are planning a full Red Sea passage northbound to Suez, a cruising holiday between Hurghada and Port Ghalib, or a Mediterranean crossing via Alexandria, the map lets you chart every leg. Explore Egypt on the map and begin planning your passage through one of the world's great ocean gateways.