kitesurfing on El Gouna

 

General Info

The location and the village

El Gouna is a charming small town build in the middle of the dessert located at the Red Sea. The center is small but full of bars, restaurants and small shops, very cozy. El Gouna is located 25 km north of Hurgada. It was commissioned by a very wealthy Egyptian who decided to reclaim land from the sea to build luxury hotels surrounded by inland waterways.
You can withdraw Egyptian Pounds at several ATMs throughout the town. There are no extra transaction costs charged for Europeans.

The seasons and Hotel info

The wind is good al year around. June has the least amount of wind. The strength of the winds vary greatly but are 4 bft or higher for about 70 % of the days al year around although the strongest winds are in the winter (September - January).
There are 14 hotels in El Gouna which vary in quality. The best deals are probably the last-minute all-inclusive deals. The Curse of the Pharao (Diarrhea) is a lot less in El-Gouna because they have a very good water network. Nevertheless one should not drink the tap water!

Possibilities besides kiting

No wind substitutes are wake-boarding, diving, snorkeling, fishing, golf, tennis, quad driving, go-karts, horseback riding or city trips to Luxor and Cairo. The Orange Concept is the wake-boarding school. It is run by dutch people.

Climate

In the summer the water in the shallow area is 25 - 30 degrees Celsius (no need for a wetsuit). The water in the deeper sea can be significantly cooler. The air temperature varies from 18 degrees Celcius in the winter to above 35 in the summer. The air only contains about 30% relative humidity which can make the air feel surprisingly cool.

Kitespot I: Mangroovy Beach

This is the main kitespot and is located 10 minutes from the town by foot or a few minutes by TukTuk or TocToc which cost a maximum of 5 Egyptians Pounds (about Euro 0.65) a person. There are no Hotels directly on Mangroovy Beach (not yet).

The beach

The beach is made of sand but with small pieces of dead coral. In the winter the beach is almost completely under water at high tide in the summer the beach is very wide at low-tide. The Beach is very clean.

The water conditions

Very clear turquoise flat water. There is a shallow area (where you can stand) of 1300 x 400 meter separated from the deep sea by a Reef 300 to 500 meters from the beach. Depending on the tide the water is up to 2 meters deep. In the summer months the low tide makes is impossible to kite in the shallow area because there is virtually no water left. Of course this is only during a maximum of 3-4 hrs during the lowest tide. There are also some areas with several stones / dead coral. The largest area of the spot is covered by beautiful soft sands. Behind the Reef there are small waves and the water is very deep.

The wind conditions

The winds are predominantly north-east (side-shore). At low-tide the wind drops and when the tide is rising the winds pick up again. Because of the thermal influence in general the wind is 5 - 10 knots more than the forecast. The strength of the winds vary greatly but are 4 bft or higher for about 70 % of the days al year around although the strongest winds are in the winter (September - January)

Facilities

There are 3 kite centers on the Mangroovy Beach at about 350 meters from one another. The one closest to the town is Kitepower followed by Red Sea Zone and finally by Kiteboarding Club El Gouna. All the kite centers offer storage, rescue sweet water showers, compressors, kite schools, beach boys, kite shops, drinks and snacks. To kite here you are suppose to register with one of the kite centers. Each kite center has claimed their own part of the sea and will warn you not to kite in the waters of another kite center. Next to the Kiteboarding Club El Gouna is the Three Corners Beach which belongs to The Three Corners Hotels Rihanna and Ocean View. It also facilitates a restaurant.

Trip possibilites

Tavila Island is located 30 km north-east of El Gouna and the perfect Paradise Island. Day trips to this island have been forbidden by the military. It is, however, possible to go on Kite Safari of minimally 2 days to the Dahlak Archipelago island group.

How bussy is the spot?

The spot is large, but because of the fragmentation due to the kite centers, lessons are spread over the whole area and it is not unusual that there are 300+ kiters on the water at one time. The busiest time is from 1000 - 1200 and from 1400 - 1700 hrs. Especially early in the morning or in the evening the spot is basically deserted (also because the kite centers are officially closed). Winds can still be good in the early or late hours.

Kitespot II: Zeytouna Beach

On the private beach of the Moevenpick Hotel there is a second Kite spot. Being on a smaller scale, there is an intimate atmosphere.

Spot conditions

Once again it is a shallow, flat water spot with a designated kite zone. The Kite zone is more effected by the tide so can be very shallow. It is about 1 km south of Mangroovy Beach and the wind and water conditions are comparable.

Facilities

There is 1 kite centers on the Zeytouna Beach: Kite People. The center is smaller than the centers at Mangroovy Beach. It offers the same services but is significantly more expensive.

Trip possibilites

Tavila Island is located 30 km north-east of El Gouna and the perfect Paradise Island. Day trips to this island have been forbidden by the military. It is, however, possible to go on Kite Safari of minimally 2 days to the Dahlak Archipelago island group.

How bussy is the spot?

Because the spot is smaller and there is only one Kite Center there are less kiters here compared to Mangroovy Beach.

Links

El Gouna:
http://www.elgouna.com

Kite Centers:
http://www.kitepower-elgouna.com
http://www.redseazone.com
http://www.kiteboarding-club.de
http://www.kitepeople.at

Wakeboard center:
http://www.theorangeconcept.com

Webcam:
http://www.kitepower-elgouna.com/webcam/webcam-archive

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