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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 (47 mi), about 1 h by taxi (check)47 mi (75 km), about 1 h by taxi (check)
- Port Ghalib → Hurghada
- 225 km (140 mi), 3–4 h by road (check)140 mi (225 km), 3–4 h by road (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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 (47 mi)) and Hurghada (225 km (140 mi)), south to Hamata and Berenice (170 km (106 mi), 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 (75 km)) and Hurghada (140 mi (225 km)), south to Hamata and Berenice (106 mi (170 km), 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 km (140 mi)Coastal highway north, 140 mi (225 km) | 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.