Safaga
Overview
Safaga is a seaport and an attractive tourist destination. This small harbor city is
located about 60 Km south of Hurghada. Safaga is a working port with several tourist
villages specializing in diving holidays, a handful of hotels and some excellent fish
restaurants. Unlike other resort areas on the Red Sea, Safaga does not have a
complex infrastructure targeted to tourists. Nevertheless, small local cafes and shops
will meet most of your shopping needs, and nightly entertainment is available in the
different hotels located there. It is known to be one of the best and safest surfing
destinations, and the unspoiled dive sites count among the world’s greatest. It is free
of pollution and its highly saline water and black sand dunes have distinguished
curative properties. The unspoiled beaches and stiff breezes make it an ideal venue
for windsurfing. Safaga is also famous for its natural health treatment centers. At
selected resorts, local and international spa consultants are there to help you
revitalize your skin, relieve your stress and treat your back and neck pains using
climatotherapy, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy and underwater massage. It’s the
perfect place to have a quiet family vacation by the sea.
Key Attractions
This small harbor city is located about 60 Km south of Hurghada. Safaga is a working
port with several tourist villages specializing in diving holidays, a handful of hotels
and some excellent fish restaurants. Unlike other resort areas on the Red Sea,
Safaga does not have a complex infrastructure targeted to tourists. Nevertheless,
small local cafes and shops will meet most of your shopping needs, and nightly
entertainment is available in the different hotels located there. It is known to be one
of the best and safest surfing destinations, and the unspoiled dive sites count among
the world’s greatest. It is free of pollution and its highly saline water and black sand
dunes have distinguished curative properties. The unspoiled beaches and stiff
breezes make it an ideal venue for windsurfing. Safaga is also famous for its natural
health treatment centers. At selected resorts, local and international spa consultants
are there to help you revitalize your skin, relieve your stress and treat your back and
neck pains using climatotherapy, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy and underwater
massage. It’s the perfect place to have a quiet family vacation by the sea.
Mons Claudianus:
Mons Claudianus is at the foot of Jebel Fatira, located about 30 miles from Port
Safaga just of the Qena road. This was a Roman Penal Colony of substance, where
Quartzy diorite, a high quality granite, was mined as building materials for the Roman
Empire. This black stone can still be seen in Rome in the portico of the Pantheon, in
Hadrian's Villa, and public baths and in the columns and floor of the Temple of
Venus. A temple begun by Hadrian but never finished is in ruins, but the staircase
leading to it can still be seen. There is also a Roman camp, dwellings, workshops,
stables and a dorms. The camp is surrounded by granite walls with rounded defense
towers on the corners, to protect it from Bedouin attacks. There are hot springs
today, which where used in a complex underground heating system for the sweating
baths. The actual quarries are on the opposite side of the valley. There are fragments
of granite, with several ruined artifacts such as a broken column and column slab.
Myos Hormos :
This ancient port lies just a few km north of El Qseir, and was once a thriving haven
for trading ships departing to India. Remains of the old port can still be seen today
This Ottoman fortress in the town center of Quseir is certainly worth a visit. It was
built in the 16th century during the reign of Sultan Selim to protect trade links with
India. Napoleon's troops occupied the fortress in 1799, fortifying it with cannons
mounted high on the walls. They also added a new viewing platform. A few years
later, British forces ejected the French after a fierce battle and added a new gate to
the fortress. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 led to the decline of Quseir and
its fortress.
Sultan Selim Fortress:
Recently, restoration work on the fortress has been completed. Cannons are once
again pointing seawards from their original gun ports. The viewing platform was also
restored with the help of illustrations from the Déscription de l'Égypte that had been
commissioned by Napoleon. The fortress now houses the new Visitor Center
containing displays on local history, archaeology and culture of the surrounding
region.
Diving Sites in Safaga
Safaga although a commercial harbor on the Red Sea has become a favorite diving
site for international divers dues to the shallow accessible diving sites for the
beginners and impressive sheer walks for the more experienced divers. Overlooking
a large bay centered with coral ergs creating a coral garden for beginner divers. In
addition to a large selection of diving sites rich in pelagic species. As other areas in
Egypt diving centers in Safaga operated under environmental friendly procedure for
the preservation of marine life. Diving sites in Safaga are:
Ras Abu Soma:
Reef lying in front of the shore sloping gently and offers numerous quality dive sites.
Several caves with sweepers, schooling reef fish and occasional sightings of eagle
rays.
Tobia Arba:
Also named the 'seven pillars', rising from a sandy bottom and display a fascinating
landscape of soft corals, glassfish, gorgonians. Giant puffer fish, blue spotted rays
and octopus.
Tobia Kebira:
Isolated reef emerges from a shallow sandy depth and offers interesting diving with
schooling fish, morays and groupers.
Tobia Soghira:
Stretching out from Tobia Island, run a chain of pinnacles with a sandy bottom in
between. Stingrays, triggerfish and big shoals of banner fish with gorgonians and
acroporas in thee background.
Gamul Soghira:
Very colourful dive with hovering sweet lip shoals, banner and butterfly fish. A small
coral block which can be circumnavigated in some half an hour.
Panorama Reef:
One of the highlights of the area. Huge coral formation with walls dropping to over
200m. Numerous grottos and overhangs, gorgonians and soft corals. Jacks,
barracudas and reef sharks often visit the area.
Middle Reef:
Northerly reef face slopes to 30m, then plumets vertically to much greater depths.
Hard coral gardens on the east and west corners with acroporas, brain and salad
coral. Fun dive on the south side through the shallow labyrinth of caves, tunnels and
passages. Groupers, puffers and sweet lips.
Abu Gafan:
Possibly the best dive in Safaga, a 300m long and narrow barrier features a 'plateau'
in both north and south extremes. Superb wall diving with soft and black coral, giant
fan and gorgonians. Frequent sightings of jacks, barracuda and reef sharks.
Shaab Shear:
A long barrier creates a shallow lagoon on its south side and hard coral gardens on
both its east and west extremes. Porites, acroporas and fire coral with schooling
jacks, snapper and tuna fish.
Wreck of Salem Express:
Ferry carrying pilgrims returning from Mecca, sank in 1992 after hitting the reef at
night. 300 victims perished in one of the greatest marine tragedies of all time. Also,
home of 'Colin' the Red Seas best known frogfish.
Entertainment
Safaga is mainly a watersports and diving destination, and as such, entertainment
revolves mostly around early evenings and quiet drinks with friends at the hotels. In
town there are only a couple of bars where local expats meet – or, on the picturesque
side of it, you can choose to spend some time in the typical “ahwa” or cafeteria,
where the locals meet after work to play backgammon, smoke a waterpipe and watch
TV. Nevertheless, the sporty local community often organises great beach parties in
some excellent venues, such as the surf hut at the Holiday Inn, with its cool wooden
terrace right on the beach. Mingle with the locals to be updated of ongoing parties
and barbecues. Apart from this, the hotels and resorts offer the customary selection
of oriental evenings with belly dancing, piano bar evenings and special weekly theme
events.
Activities
Safaga is famous for its watersports activities with its large sandy bay and crystalline
waters. It is a paradise for divers, wind surfers and snorkelers. With its proximity to
the Eastern Desert gives breathtaking views and fascinating landscapes.
Land Activities:
a tourist can take a 4x4 or quad runner and have a one day desert safari, or hiking
and trekking to enjoy the breathtaking landscapes of the desert provided that you are
escorted with a well experienced guide to direct. The resorts in Safaga provide a
variety of sports for leisure such as tennis courts, volley ball, beach volley ball, water
polo, gymnastics and aerobics. In addition to the presence of an animation team for
guest entertainment.
Water activities:
The scuba diving, snorkeling and windsurfing activities par excellent in Safaga they
are usually in connection with boat trips. Safaga has several diving centres, serving
groups, but usually with openings for individual travelers. Hotels and resorts along
the coast offer also a number of other aquatic activities, for those not so adventurous,
such as kayaking, sailing with small catamarans, banana boating and more.
Dining and Drinking
Safaga is considered a small town with few venture by their own. As most tourists
visit Safaga as package tourists, in such cases, the price for hotels can be quite
affordable. For independent travelers there exists a good range of hotels with good
prices compared to other holiday resorts in Egypt. The hotel complexes have a
variety of restaurants and bars and they offer entertainment facilities for their visitors.
Some cafees and modest restaurants that serve simple foot exist in the town of
Safaga.
Transportation
Safaga is located next to the shortest route that connects the Red Sea and the Nile
Valley. Daily buses run to main Egyptian cities such as Hurghada, Luxor, Qena,
Qusier, Marsa Alam, Aswan and Alexandria. Shared Taxis are another option of
transportation in Safaga but they cover less destination. The port of Safaga has
ferries with daily departures to the Dabi port in Saudi Arabia.
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60 km north: Hurghada
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85 km southeast: Quseir
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215 km southeast: Marsa Alam
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365 km south: Berenice
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160 km southwest: Dendera/ Qena
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225 km southwest: Luxor
Safaga Weather and Climate: Seasonal Variations
The summer weather and climate in Safaga during the daytime can be fairly hot and
temperatures only drop slightly at night, when balmy evenings can be expected and
air-conditioning in hot rooms is essential for a good nights' sleep. However, the
difference between day and night temperatures is more marked in the winter months
of January and February, when daytime highs of 21°C / 70°F plunge to 10°C / 50°F
or less, feeling chilly and meaning that a jumper and jacket become necessary.