Giftun Island, Hurghada: the national park of Orange Bay, Paradise and Mahmya

Giftun Island in Hurghada is the island behind nearly every boat day sold in town. What confuses most visitors: Orange Bay, Paradise Island and Mahmya are not three islands. They are three beach concessions on one island, Giftun Kebir (Big Giftun), with a fourth spot, Eden Island, between the last two. "Orange Island" in a listing title is the same Orange Bay beach.

So the real choices are simple: which beach, which boat, and how much of the day you spend on the reef rather than the sand.

Where is Giftun Island? Big Giftun, Small Giftun and the beaches

Giftun is a pair of desert islands east of Hurghada. Giftun Kebir is the big one, about 10 km from north to south, and the closer of the two; its west shore faces the town. Giftun Saghir (Small Giftun) lies to the east and south-east, on the far side from Hurghada, with no beach club and no buildings. Boats moor off it for snorkeling and diving.

Orange Bay is about 8 km from Hurghada Marina in a straight line, the closest Giftun beach. Paradise and Mahmya, on the south tip, are about 12 km away, and Giftun Saghir about 13 km. Boat routes are a little longer than the straight line.

Three places are sold with Giftun but are not on it:

• Magawish is a separate island (Umm Agawish, about 0.8 km²) off south Hurghada, about 20 minutes by sea taxi. Many "3 islands" and sea-taxi trips pair it with Orange Bay. See Hula Hula, Magawish and the small islands.
• Hula Hula is a beach club sold as Hula Hula Island. Sellers place it on Giftun or pair it with Magawish, so ask which island your boat lands on.
• Utopia is a sandy island between Soma Bay and Safaga, about 45 km south: a road transfer plus about 40 minutes by boat. See Utopia Island.

Dolphin House is another place again: Sha'ab El Erg, a horseshoe reef about 20 km north-north-east of the marina, roughly opposite El Gouna, with its own trips.

Giftun Island national park: fee and rules

"Giftun Island National Park" is the name everyone uses. Legally, Giftun lies inside the Northern Red Sea Islands protectorate, a national park declared in 2006 (Prime Minister's Decree 1618 of 2006) and managed by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), the government body that runs Egypt's protectorates. The same protectorate covers Abu Minqar, the mangrove island closest to the marina.

Giftun is the only island in the area where light structures such as sunshades and beach restaurants are allowed. Nobody may stay overnight, so there are no hotels or resorts on Giftun. The Giftun Azur Resort you may come across is a hotel in Hurghada itself.

The fee today is USD 5 per foreign visitor (Egyptians EGP 25; children under 7 free; double if you stay after sunset). A rise to USD 10 was decreed in December 2025 but is postponed for the Northern Islands; in June 2026 the protectorates postponed it again by six months. No new start date is published; the current rates are on the EEAA protectorate fee page.

You rarely pay a ranger yourself. Some trips include the fee; others ask for it in cash at the marina or on board, usually about €5. A few listings exclude "National Park fees and VAT, €10 per person", and some operators add a coast-guard fee of about €5. Ask what each cash charge is for: no official marina fee for day passengers is published.

The rules are those of Law 102 of 1983 on protectorates: no fishing, no collecting shells or coral, no touching, feeding or disturbing wildlife. HEPCA (the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association, a local conservation NGO) lays the mooring buoys boats tie up to instead of anchoring on coral. A good crew uses them, tells you not to stand on the reef and hands out lifejackets unasked.

Giftun Island beaches: Orange Bay, Paradise, Eden and Mahmya

Each beach is a separate concession. Your boat decides where you land, so pick the trip by the beach.

Orange Bay is the default: most budget and "luxury" yachts land there, the crossing is the gentlest, and the lagoon is pale sand and shallow water. It also fills up, because the morning yachts all arrive after their two reef stops. The coral is at those stops, not off the sand.

Paradise shares the south tip with Eden Island and Mahmya. Visitors describe it as a little rockier than Orange Bay. It has nothing to do with "Paradise Island Hurghada", a seller name used for Hula Hula trips.

Mahmya is the odd one out and, for many families, the best value. It is a private beach club whose own boats leave from Mahmya Beach Marina by Sheraton Beach, not Hurghada Marina, so tell your taxi the right marina. It is the only Giftun beach with a public price list: currently EUR 38 for Day Use, EUR 60 with lunch and EUR 85 for the Full Program with a snorkel trip to Erg Sabina, all taxes and fees included. Children 7 and over pay the adult price; under-3s are free. Boats leave at 08:30 and return at 16:00, hotel transfer not included. Even the cheapest ticket includes a reserved shaded seat, which the first-come beaches do not offer. The mainland "Mahmya Beach" in Hurghada is a different place.

Giftun Island snorkeling: where the reef actually is

The snorkeling happens at the reef stops, usually two in a day, where the boat ties up to a mooring and a guide takes you in. Around Giftun the reef tops come up to about 1 m near shore, with hard and soft corals, gorgonian fans, Napoleon wrasse, moray eels, barracuda and the odd turtle. Further out a plateau at 15–25 m sits above a deep east wall: divers' water.

The sheltered west and south sides are the standard stops. The wind comes from the north and north-west, so captains snorkel in the lee of the island. The exposed east side, with its current, is left to dive boats.

Reefs worth knowing by name:

• Gota Abu Ramada ("the Aquarium"): shallow coral pinnacles about 5 km south of the Giftun islands, rated for beginners, with the densest fish in the area (bannerfish, sweetlips, goatfish, glassfish, triggerfish). The reef to ask for; Royal Cruise's Orange Bay day, for one, snorkels at Abu Ramada reef.
• Erg Sabina: a coral labyrinth between Big and Small Giftun, 5–14 m with shallower parts. Mahmya's Full Program stop, best on calm days.
• Banana Reef: between Big and Small Giftun, shallow on top with a deep north side; eagle rays and soft-coral pinnacles. Calm days only.
• Abu Minqar: the mangrove island closest to the marina. No activities are allowed on the island itself; boats stop at its sandbank.

Most listings never name their reef stops, so ask which reefs the boat uses and whether a guide swims with the group. The licensing body for diving and water sports (CDWS) allows at most 12 snorkelers per guide, counted from the boat list: 25 on board means at least three guides (CDWS rules). For the wider picture, see the best snorkeling spots.

Hurghada to Giftun Island: boats, times and departure points

There is no ferry from Hurghada to Giftun Island and no way to visit on your own: you go on a boat trip. The options:

• Shared yacht, full day (7–9 hours). Two reef stops, beach time, lunch, toilets and shade on board. About 30–45 minutes to Orange Bay, 45–60 to Paradise or Mahmya. Yachts roll at anchor. See Orange Bay by yacht.
• Speedboat (4–8 hours). About 20 minutes to Orange Bay and 25 to the south tip: more time ashore, less sailing. But it slams in a north-wind chop, and sellers warn it is not suitable for back problems. See Orange Bay by speedboat.
• Sea taxi. A fast ride to a beach, with 4- or 8-hour stays on some listings. A beach day, not a guided snorkel; several go "to Orange Bay or Magawish", so choose the Orange Bay option.
• Private boat. A whole boat for your group, priced per boat. See private boats.
• Semi-submarine combo. A few trips add a semi-submarine ride, whose cabin sits about 3 m below the surface and never dives.

Departure points. Most Giftun boats leave from Hurghada Marina (also called the New Marina) in Sakkala; the voucher names the meeting point. Mahmya's own boats use Mahmya Beach Marina; the TUI/Travco Paradise day boards at the Mashrabia Hotel marina.

Pick-up. Free within Hurghada. The time is usually confirmed the evening before, with a window of up to an hour in Hurghada and up to 90 minutes from Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh, El Gouna, Soma Bay and Safaga. The drive alone is about 30 minutes from Sahl Hasheesh, 40 from Makadi or El Gouna and 50 from Soma Bay or Safaga. A trip titled "Makadi:" or "Safaga:" is usually the same Hurghada boat with a longer pick-up, often with a surcharge.

All three platforms sell a plain "Giftun full day". They are similar days rather than one proven boat:

Today Headout and Tiqets are about $5 cheaper. The GetYourGuide listing is the "3 Islands" yacht (Orange Bay, Giftun reefs and Magawish, plus a dolphin search) with by far the most reviews. Headout's includes Hurghada transfers, two snorkel stops and lunch, and says it is not suitable for wheelchair users, pregnant travellers or people with back or heart problems. Tiqets' has only two reviews so far. Boat, beach, pick-up area and inclusions may differ.

A trip to Giftun Island, hour by hour

Most shared days follow one pattern: pick-up 07:00–08:15, boats out 08:30–09:00, two reef stops, a beach, lunch, back at the marina 15:30–16:30. Zanetta's published Orange Bay timetable, which gives more beach time than most:

Beach time runs from about 1 hour on the cheapest trips to about 2 hours on others: Royal Cruise publishes 75 minutes on Orange Bay, Zanetta about two hours. Check "time on the island" before you book.

Speedboat half days land earlier, and Mahmya's 08:30 boat gets you to a shaded seat before the yacht wave. Sunset trips cost more in fees: the park fee doubles for visits that run past sunset.

Giftun Island tour prices: what you pay on the platforms and in cash

On GetYourGuide today the cheapest well-reviewed Orange Bay yacht is from $26, a mid-range day like the "3 Islands" yacht from $45, and Royal Cruise's "luxury" yachts from about $53. "Luxury" and "VIP" are the seller's words: they add a massage, an intro dive or a barbecue, not more beach time.

Three good ways to do Giftun

1

First-timers who want variety

Orange Bay, Giftun reef stops and Magawish in one day, with thousands of reviews; the listing does not name the boat company

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull day

Hurghada: 3 Islands, Dolphins & Snorkel Yacht Trip w/ Lunch

4.7 (9,195)

from $45Check dates

2

Budget, with the most beach time

Zanetta's Orange Bay yacht: about two hours ashore, island fees covered, up to 35 guests, same price direct

◐ Full day

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

HRG: Orange Bay Island with Snorkeling, Lunch and Drinks

4.9 (6,122)

from $26Check dates

3

Families or groups of four or more

A whole speedboat, priced per boat; land before the yachts and leave when they arrive

◔ Speedboat

GetYourGuide5 hOrange Bay

Hurghada: Giftun Island Orange Bay Speedboat Cruise & Lunch

4.7 (1,238)

from $197 per boatCheck dates

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull day

Hurghada: 3 Islands, Dolphins & Snorkel Yacht Trip w/ Lunch

4.7 (9,195)

from $45Check dates

◐ Full day

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

HRG: Orange Bay Island with Snorkeling, Lunch and Drinks

4.9 (6,122)

from $26Check dates

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

Hurghada: Luxury Cruise Trip to Orange Bay with Lunch

4.9 (7,075)

from $53Check dates

◐ Full day

HeadoutFull dayGiftun Kebir

Hurghada: Giftun Island Full Day Snorkeling Tour with Lunch

4.3 (847)

from $40Check dates

◐ Full day

GetYourGuideFull dayGiftun Kebir

Hurghada: Luxury Giftun island w/snorkeling/lunch & Massage

4.9 (58)

from $41Check dates

◔ Speedboat

GetYourGuide5 hOrange Bay

Hurghada: Giftun Island Orange Bay Speedboat Cruise & Lunch

4.7 (1,238)

from $197 per boatCheck dates

See all trips on GetYourGuide →Also on Headout →Also on Tiqets →Prices checked on 20 October 2026

The speedboat card is a per-boat price: listings from about $170 upwards are usually priced for the whole boat, so check the group size. Royal Cruise's Giftun island trip with lunch and massage is $45 on its own site and from $41 on GetYourGuide today, a rare case of the platform being cheaper; on its Orange Bay trip, direct is cheaper.

For the plain Orange Bay yacht:

GetYourGuide is cheapest today, and Zanetta charges the same on its own site. Boat, beach time, pick-up area and inclusions may differ.

Cash extras are where a cheap day stops being cheap. Bring small dollar or euro notes for:

• the park fee if not included (USD 5; sellers usually ask about €5);
• a coast-guard fee of about €5 on some trips;
• outer-resort pick-up, roughly €8–15 or $15–23 depending on the seller;
• lunch where excluded (Go Shalabi's 6-islands speedboat charges $20);
• drinks on the island, the crew's photo package, and tips.

Tipping the crew is customary and modest: small Egyptian-pound notes in a crew box at the end of the day. Do not count on paying by card on board.

Hotel desks sell Giftun too: TUI's Mahmya-Giftun cruise from Hurghada Marina is from £41, plus an environmental fee of about €5 in cash. The price guide has every band, from semi-submarines to private yachts.

Crowds, wind and the best time for a Giftun day

Crowds. An often-quoted figure is 40–60 boats a day to Giftun, and they bunch up: most yachts snorkel first and land between about 11:00 and midday. For a quieter beach, take a speedboat, Mahmya's 08:30 boat or a private boat that lands before the yachts. Eid holidays fill Giftun with Egyptian families.

Wind. There is no calm season. The wind blows from the north and north-west all year, about 11 knots on average, strongest in May and September and lightest in November and December, and afternoons are windier than mornings. The open crossing is where boats pitch; the lee sides of the island stay calmer. On windy afternoons the beach lagoons turn milky while the outer reef edges stay clearest.

Port closures. The Red Sea Ports Authority, not your operator, closes Hurghada port in bad weather. Reported closures came at about 22–30 knots of wind with 2–4 m waves, usually for one to three days, mostly in winter and spring (an example). Book Giftun early in the holiday so there is room for a second try. If the supplier cancels a GetYourGuide booking for weather, you get a new date or a full refund; Headout refunds once the supplier has refunded it; a cash seller you chase yourself.

Seasickness. Choose Orange Bay (the shortest crossing) and a big yacht over a speedboat. Sit mid-boat, look at the horizon, stay in the fresh air, avoid a heavy breakfast and take a pharmacy tablet before boarding.

Water. Coldest in February and March (about 22.5 °C), warmest in August (about 29 °C); wear a shorty or 3 mm wetsuit from December to April.

Dolphins. "Dolphin watching" on a Giftun trip means the crew looks out for them on the way, "if spotted". Dolphins are wild: some days they are there and calm, some days not, and no operator can promise them.

Giftun Island diving

Giftun is also Hurghada's main local dive area. The plateau above the east wall, the Small Giftun drift along a 27–30 m wall, and Erg Somaya east of Small Giftun (a wall from about 5 m to 60 m and more) are dive sites with current, not snorkel stops. Dive boats moor off the south side of Small Giftun, and the drift is dived only in good weather.

Two ways in for non-divers:

• An intro dive on a snorkel yacht. From a boat, Egypt's rules require one instructor per intro diver, so ask "one to one?" before you pay. Royal Cruise's "6 x 1" Orange Bay day bundles an instructor-led intro dive.
• A dive-centre boat. Dive centres sell snorkel places on their Giftun boats: smaller and calmer, but divers come first, and centres add €5–7 a day in reef or permit tax.

Check any centre in the CDWS directory, and dive early in the holiday: no flying for 12 hours after one dive, 18 after several. More on snorkeling plus diving.

Giftun Island: questions before you book