Egypt

Thriving coral reefs laced with tropical fish, cerulean waters and sunken wrecks: the Red Sea by Abu Soma boasts some of the best underwater experiences in the world.

Abu Soma
Perched on the edge of the Red Sea on the east coast of the country, the resorts around new town Hurghada are the ideal base for watersports. Pre-tourism, the town was a simple fishing village, now it’s a diving mecca with a hundred-odd centres. Most are bona fide operators, but there are several rogue schools.The best way to avoid the cowboys is to plump for a package trip where you’ll have access to tried and tested experts and equipment with accommodation and flights thrown in. The Mark Warner resort on Abu Soma beach offers solid all-round service with a picturesque complex, long stretch of golden beach, and somewhere safe and fun to park any kids you might have in tow.
Mark Warner Holidays (0870 770 4222/www.markwarner.co.uk).

Diving & snorkelling

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Barakuda Diving runs boats morning and afternoon to a choice of over 20 sites about half an hour from Abu Soma marina. Non-stinging jellyfish, lionfish, bannerfish and clownfish, among others, dart through vibrant brain and feather coral in temperate waters. Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) open water courses start from around £220 and patient instructors and high safety standards make learning here a great option. Dives themselves cost around £25 each. Several shallow sites where the reef practically breaks the waves also makes the area superb for snorkelling. Masks and flippers and transfer to sites are included in the Mark Warner package price. Instructors and dive masters will also advise on reef etiquette – essential to maintaining the fragile ecosystem of the corals.
Barakuda Diving (www.barakuda-diving.com).

Other watersports
Wind sweeping in from the Eastern Desert makes the Red Sea coast ideal for sailing and windsurfing. There are lessons on how to sail one-man dinghies and catamarans twice a day at Abu Soma. A weekly regatta gives you the opportunity to show off your new skills.
Windsurfing is equally exhilarating and instructors who know their business are on hand throughout. The basics are fairly easy to pick up. You first learn the principles of wind orientation, then expect to put in two to four hours’ hard graft, though be prepared to suffer the indignity of an initial nosedive or two. Once you’ve got that sussed, it’s plain sailing.

Sightseeing
Luxor
One of Egypt’s most impressive sights is the Karnak temple near Luxor, half an hour by plane from Hurghada. Stretching over 100 acres, it’s a stunning collection of imposing pillars, behemoth statues, and priests’ anterooms illuminated by intricate artwork.
If you have the stamina – inland the heat is enervating – a visit to the Valley of the Kings is also impressive, particularly the strangely modern façade of the Deir el-Bahri temple and the tombs of Rameseses IV and VII. Guided day trips cost around £100.

The Red Sea Mountains
With towering crags of rock and basins of ochre sand, the ‘Star Wars’-esque desertscape inland of Hurghada is awe-inspiring. It’s not the sort of place you’d care to get lost, so the best way to see it is from a jeep. Once in the desert the depressing sightseeing trip round a specious Bedouin settlement is offset by a highly entertaining quad bike rally around the dunes. Authentic Egyptian cuisine dished up at the end of the day plus stargazing through a super-powerful Bedouin telescope are added highlights. All the local hotels can organise day excursions, which cost around the £40 mark. If you fancy a longer visit, the Four Seasons (065 549 882) in Hurghada can organise a five-day desert camping trip for around £80 per person, though you’ll need to get together a party of five.

Shopping
There are many replica Egyptian artefacts to choose from, with some gems such as carefully executed flintstone statues of deities from around £20 and colourful papyrus paintings among the gimcrack tat.The bazaars crowding the streets around Luxor temple are good places to seek out bargains – but make sure you barter hard, though. Shops in Hurghada are thinner on the ground, though you can still weasel a bargain out of the somewhat tacky tourist bazaar in
Ed-Dahar to the north of town.

Where to stay
The Mark Warner resort is based at the InterContinental and offers one of the area’s best deals to visitors from England. In June, one week at Abu Soma costs from£725 per adult including flights from Gatwick and £819 if you travel between July 22 and Aug 19. The all-inclusive deal covers windsurfing, snorkelling, sailing and has good rates on diving and waterskiing. It includes all meals, though alcohol is extra.

Eating
For an authentic bite grab a cab down to Hurghada town and head to El-Masri in Sigala Square or Felfela near the Holiday Inn to enjoy tajines, kebabs and other local dishes for around £1.50 in down-to-earth surroundings.

Fiona McAuslan
Time Out London Issue 1817: June 15-22 2005

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