Top 10 Marinas in the Red Sea
The Red Sea is the world's great transit route between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, and its 2,250 km length concentrates more sailing interest per nautical mile than almost any other body of water on earth. From November to March, the northward passage for boats returning from the Indian Ocean generates one of sailing's classic logistical challenges: the wind blows consistently from the north in the upper Red Sea, requiring careful upwind work or engine time to make northing. The marina network from Aqaba to Djibouti provides essential waypoints for fuel, water, provisions, and passage weather windows.
Aqaba Yacht Club, Jordan
Perched at the very northern tip of the Red Sea, Aqaba occupies a narrow strip of Jordanian coastline between Israel to the west and Saudi Arabia to the east. The Aqaba International Yacht Club offers approximately 100 berths and the remarkable ability to see four countries from the anchorage — Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are all within the 15 km width of the Gulf of Aqaba at this point. The famous rose-red city of Petra lies 120 km north through the Wadi Rum desert, reachable in three hours by road.
Eilat Marina, Israel
On the Israeli side of the Gulf of Aqaba, Eilat offers 200 berths at a well-equipped marina with repairs, chandlery, and duty-free fuel. The marine environment here is exceptional: Eilat's coral reef is among the world's northernmost, and the Coral Beach Nature Reserve protects a living coral wall 1.2 km long starting just 100 m from the marina's fuel dock. Customs procedures for visiting yachts are efficient, typically cleared within two hours of arrival.
Suez Canal Yacht Club, Port Tewfik, Egypt
At the southern entrance to the Suez Canal, Port Tewfik and the Suez Canal Yacht Club are where northbound sailors pause to clear Egyptian customs and arrange their canal transit. The 300 km canal passage through the desert — supervised by Egyptian naval pilots — normally takes between 12 and 15 hours. The club provides mooring buoys and a basic but reliable service. Suez itself is a working industrial port with limited tourist facilities but efficient agent services.
Port Ghalib Marina, Egypt
260 km south of Hurghada on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, Port Ghalib is one of the largest purpose-built marina resorts in Africa, with over 1,000 berths capable of accommodating vessels up to 60 m. The facility is fully serviced with diesel and petrol, 24-hour security, and a customs and immigration point that simplifies clearance for vessels headed south. The diving here is world-class: Fury Shoal, a complex of coral lagoons 30 km south, is a UNESCO candidate site.
Hurghada Marina, Egypt
The largest marina on Egypt's Red Sea coast, Hurghada's International Marina offers 260 berths alongside full facilities including fuel, repair services, and a boatyard with travel hoist. Hurghada is a major provisioning stop for northbound and southbound boats, with multiple supermarkets, ship chandlers, and a large expat sailing community. The offshore reefs — Umm Gamar, Giftun Island, and the Brothers — are accessible by dinghy or fast RIB from the marina.
Safaga Marina, Egypt
A smaller but strategically important harbour 60 km south of Hurghada, Safaga is protected from north winds by the Safaga Island and offers one of the most sheltered anchorages on the Egyptian coast. The harbour is primarily a commercial phosphate terminal, but a dedicated yacht area provides moorings and basic facilities. Safaga is used by northbound passages as a departure point for the notorious upwind slog to the Suez Canal, often requiring multiple anchorages in the many bays along Egypt's mountainous coast.
Al Hamra Marina, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia
On Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, Al Hamra Marina at Yanbu — a major petrochemical port 200 km north of Jeddah — provides one of the few formal facilities for visiting yachts on the Saudi coast. Saudi Arabia opened to yacht tourism following Vision 2030 reforms, and Yanbu is now included on some Red Sea rally routes. The Farasan Islands Marine Protected Area, 800 km to the south, is an emerging dive destination with limited yacht access currently under expansion.
Jeddah Yacht Club, Saudi Arabia
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's second city and its primary commercial port, hosts the Jeddah Yacht Club on the northern corniche. The club has approximately 150 berths for visiting boats and is the largest yachting facility on the Saudi coast. Jeddah's UNESCO-listed historic district, Al-Balad, features coral rag architecture unique to the region, with multi-storey merchant houses built from coral harvested from the nearby reef.
Port Sudan Yacht Club, Sudan
Port Sudan is a required transit stop for boats making the passage south, as Sudan requires port clearance for transit vessels. The yacht club's facilities are basic — mooring buoys, fuel by jerry can, and limited provisions — but the service is friendly and efficient. The offshore reefs near Port Sudan, including Sanganeb Atoll (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016) and Shaab Rumi, where Jacques Cousteau conducted experiments in the 1960s, offer diving that serious underwater explorers rate among the finest in the world.
Djibouti Marina, Djibouti
At the southern end of the Red Sea, where the Gulf of Aden begins, Djibouti City's marina is the last stop before rounding the Horn of Africa or transiting east into the Indian Ocean. The marina offers 200 berths and is used by hundreds of passage-making yachts annually; anti-piracy measures and convoy schedules are discussed at the marina's daily briefings. The city is a French-speaking former colony with excellent provisions and direct flights to Paris and Dubai for crew changes.
Explore on the map
The Red Sea is one of sailing's great transit passages — a corridor of history, geology, and seamanship linking two oceans. Use the interactive map to trace the route from Aqaba to Djibouti, identify anchorages between marinas, and plan weather windows for the northbound upwind passages. Explore the Red Sea on the map to chart your route through this remarkable body of water.