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Voykit pocket guide · Egypt
Port Ghalib
پورت غالب
Go for 3–5 nights as a dive-and-resort base, not for sightseeing: the town is a purpose-built marina, and the reefs are the point.
Port Ghalib is a purpose-built resort and marina on Egypt's southern Red Sea coast, about 60 km north of Marsa Alam town and 75 km south of El Quseir. It exists for watersports: diving, snorkelling and windsurfing, with quieter reefs than Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh. There is almost nothing to see in the resort itself, so treat it as a base for boat days and desert trips, not a sightseeing stop.
- Country
- Egypt
- Local name
- پورت غالب
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (very hot days and nights)
- Stay
- 3–5 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EGP
- Money
- Currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP, also written LE or £E). Hotels, cruise boats and larger restaurants take cards; taxis, markets, small cafés, tips and toilet attendants are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget EGP 1,500–2,500 excl. bed · Mid EGP 2,500–4,500 excl. bed · High EGP 4,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat (e&) and WE sell tourist SIMs at Cairo airport with passport; about EGP 500–1,000 for 20–40 GB — check.
- Emergency
- Police 122 · Ambulance 123 · Tourist police 126 · Fire 180
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 220 V · 50 Hz · European round-pin sockets.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 10% even when service is added (it rarely reaches staff).; Guide, full day: US$10–20 per person.; Driver, full day: US$5–10.; Cruise crew: About US$5–10 per person per day in the envelope.; Toilet, porter, small help: EGP 10–30.
- Water
- Tap water is chlorinated in cities but most visitors drink bottled; do not drink Nile water.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels and restaurants; attendants at sites expect EGP 10–20. Carry tissue.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea at the marina | EGP 60–120 |
| Local meal (koshari, grilled chicken) | EGP 150–350 |
| Beer at a hotel bar | EGP 150–250 |
| Taxi, short resort hop | EGP 100–200 |
| Two-tank dive day | EGP 2,000–3,500 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | EGP 400–800 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- RMF · Marsa Alam International Airport
- About 5 min from the resort; European charter and EgyptAir domestic flights via Cairo.
- HRG · Hurghada International
- Fallback when fares or package times are better; road transfer is much longer, plan it in advance.
Typical fares
- Marsa Alam airport → Port Ghalib
- about 5 min by road; taxi EGP 200–400 (check)
- Port Ghalib → El Quseir
- 75 km, about 1 h by taxi (check)47 mi, about 1 h by taxi (check)
- Port Ghalib → Hurghada
- 225 km, 3–4 h by road (check)140 mi, 3–4 h by road (check)
Get around
The resort is walkable around the marina and corniche. For reefs, dive centres and Marsa Alam town you need a taxi or a hotel shuttle; agree the fare before you get in. The coastal highway runs north to El Quseir (75 km) and Hurghada (225 km), south to Hamata and Berenice (170 km, about 2 h).The resort is walkable around the marina and corniche. For reefs, dive centres and Marsa Alam town you need a taxi or a hotel shuttle; agree the fare before you get in. The coastal highway runs north to El Quseir (47 mi) and Hurghada (140 mi), south to Hamata and Berenice (106 mi, about 2 h).
See and do
Known for
- Red Sea diving and liveaboards
- Marsa Alam airport access
- Marina and corniche
- Quiet reefs with less boat traffic
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Marsa Alam town | Taxi or hotel shuttle south on the coastal highway | About 1 h |
| El Quseir | Taxi or rental car north on the coastal highway | About 1 h |
| Hurghada | Coastal highway north, 225 kmCoastal highway north, 140 mi | 3–4 h |
| Luxor and the Nile Valley | Long road transfer, or fly via Cairo | 5 h+ each way |
Sleep
- Marina and corniche
- Quay-side hotels and the promenade; walk to restaurants and dive boats.
- Integrated resort zone
- Large all-inclusive resorts around the marina; house reefs suit snorkellers.
- Coraya Bay area
- North of the marina; quieter, still close to the airport.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | السلام عليكمas-salāmu ʿalaykum |
| Thank you | شكراًshukran |
| How much is it? | بكام؟bikām |
| Where is the toilet? | فين الحمام؟fēn el-ḥammām |
| I need a doctor | أنا محتاج دكتورana meḥtāg doktōr |
| No, thank you | لا شكراًlā shukran |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Salam alaykum', handshake; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Hugging strangers
- Eating: Right hand; accept tea; avoid: Refusing hospitality flatly
- Bargaining: Humour and patience; avoid: Anger
- Dress: Shoulders and knees covered in cities; avoid: Beachwear outside resorts
- Baksheesh: Keep small notes ready; avoid: Showing a thick wallet
- Photos: Ask; pay if agreed; avoid: Photographing police or military
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat is severe: plan dives and desert trips for early morning.
- Reef damage is real: no standing on coral, no touching, no feeding fish.
- Dive and snorkel trips need a certified operator; check insurance covers diving.
- Cash is king outside hotels; carry small notes for tips and taxis.
- The Sudan border along the Red Sea highway is disputed and closed to tourist traffic.
The resort is calm and low-crime; the real risks are sun and sea — heatstroke, dehydration and reef cuts. Use a certified dive operator, never dive alone, and keep valuables in the hotel safe.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Port Ghalib yet. Suggested stay: 3–5 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Red Sea diving and liveaboards
- Marsa Alam airport access
- Marina and corniche
- Quiet reefs with less boat traffic
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Port Ghalib, revision 5340303 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5340303
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Port Ghalibپورت غالب
لهذا العنوان، لو سمحت
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most embassies are in Cairo; some countries keep consulates in Hurghada. Check your embassy's site before you travel.
Tipping: baksheesh for almost every service, EGP 20–50 small tips, 10–15% in restaurants.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/port-ghalib). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.