Mahmya Island, Hurghada: the private beach club on Giftun

Mahmya Island in Hurghada is the name people use for a private beach club on Giftun Kebir (Big Giftun), the big island off the town that also holds Orange Bay and Paradise. In Arabic the name means "protectorate" or "reserve", which fits: the whole island lies inside the Northern Red Sea Islands protectorate. Mahmya runs its own boats, sells its own tickets and gives every guest a reserved seat in the shade.

That makes it a different kind of day from the group yachts. You pay more for less snorkeling, unless you buy the top ticket. In return you get a calmer beach, a guaranteed shaded seat and a published timetable. For couples and families who want a beach day more than a reef day, it is the most comfortable way to see Giftun.

Mahmya island Hurghada: where it is and what it is not

Mahmya sits on the south-east tip of Giftun Kebir, a few hundred metres east of Paradise, with the small beach spot sold as Eden Island between them. From Hurghada Marina it is about 12–13 km in a straight line; from Mahmya's own marina, about 11 km. Further east lies the undeveloped island of Giftun Saghir (Small Giftun).

Three things to get straight before you book:

• It is a beach, not an island. "Mahmya Island" is a selling name. You land on a beach of Giftun Kebir, the same island as Orange Bay. See our Giftun guide for the island as a whole.
• There is a second Mahmya on the mainland. Mahmya Beach in Hurghada is a separate town beach club with paid sunbed rows (EGP 800–1,000 per person). It is a different product from the island club, so make sure you book the one you mean.
• There is no hotel. Overnight stays on Giftun are not allowed, so Mahmya is a day visit only, back by 16:00 or at sunset.

Mahmya prices: the three tickets

Mahmya publishes its prices per person, the same for all nationalities. They are quoted in euros, charged in the equivalent Egyptian-pound amount, and "inclusive of all taxes and fees". So there is no separate park fee to pay in cash, which is not true of many group boats.

What each ticket gives you:

• Day Use, EUR 38 (child EUR 19). The boat to the island and back, beach use with a reserved shaded seat, and a Mahmya towel. Food and drinks are à la carte; no lunch, no snorkel trip.
• Day Use + Lunch, EUR 60 (child EUR 30). Adds the buffet lunch, with water and soft drinks at mealtime.
• Full Program, EUR 85 (child EUR 42.50). Adds a snorkeling trip by boat to Sabina Reef, with equipment.

Children: under 3 go free; from the age of 7 they pay the adult price. The child price therefore covers only ages 3 to 6, which is stricter than most group boats, where children often pay half up to 9–12.

What is not included: your transfer from the hotel to Mahmya Beach Marina, and drinks outside mealtime on the lunch tickets. Check the current prices on Mahmya's programme page before you go.

How does that compare? A budget group yacht to Orange Bay starts from about $26 on GetYourGuide, with lunch, two reef stops and usually the Hurghada pick-up. Mahmya's Day Use costs more and has no lunch or snorkeling. You are paying for the beach, the shade and the quiet, not for the reef. If the reef is the point, buy the Full Program or a group yacht day. More benchmarks are in Hurghada boat trip prices.

Getting to Mahmya Beach Marina, not Hurghada Marina

This is the mistake that costs people the morning. Mahmya's own boats leave from Mahmya Beach Marina on the mainland coast by Sheraton Beach (Sheraton Road, between Sakkala and Dahar), and they come back there. They do not leave from Hurghada Marina, and the taxi driver needs to know the difference.

Hotel transfer is not part of the ticket, so you get there yourself:

• From Hurghada hotels: a taxi or an app ride. Agree the fare before you get in, or use the app, and pay after you get out.
• From El Gouna, Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh, Soma Bay or Safaga: allow time for the drive. Hurghada Marina is about 30–50 minutes away by road from these resorts, and Mahmya's marina is on the same stretch of coast.
• Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure. The day boat leaves at 08:30, so plan to be at the marina by 08:00.

The TUI cruise described further down is the exception: it is a different product that boards at Hurghada Marina and includes the hotel pick-up.

A day at Mahmya: the timetable

Mahmya is the most predictable day on Giftun, because the club runs the boats and publishes the times. It also lands early: the 08:30 boat reaches the beach before the late-morning wave of group yachts that have stopped at two reefs on the way.

The sunset schedule leaves at 10:00 and comes back at sunset, which suits late risers and photographers. The table below shows sunset times by month, so you know roughly when the sunset boat gets back.

To add people to an existing booking, Mahmya asks you to make a new booking and refer to the first one.

Snorkeling at Mahmya: Sabina Reef

The beach is white sand and shallow water. As on every Giftun beach, there is little coral off the sand itself; the reefs are a boat ride away. Day Use and Day Use + Lunch tickets do not include a snorkel trip, so on those you swim from the beach and that is it.

The Full Program adds a boat trip to Sabina Reef (Erg Sabina), a coral labyrinth between Big and Small Giftun with shallower parts and depths of about 5–14 m. A drift current is possible, so it is at its best on calm days, and it is one of the reefs that suits the Mahmya side of the island. Our best snorkeling spots guide puts it in context.

The usual rules apply inside the protectorate: no standing on coral, no collecting shells or coral, no feeding fish. A rash guard and leggings protect you better than sunscreen does. Water is coolest in February and March, so a shorty is worth it then; see the best time to go.

Mahmya booking: direct, GetYourGuide or the hotel desk

There are three ways to book a Mahmya day, and they are not the same product.

Direct is the cheapest way in: even the Full Program at EUR 85 costs less than the GetYourGuide listing's from-price of $105. You book on Mahmya's site, and the price includes the fees. Before you pay, ask what happens to your booking if the boats cannot sail because of the weather.

GetYourGuide sells one Mahmya listing, the Mahmya sailing day, rated 4.7 from more than 200 reviews. The listing sails to the Mahmya area; whether beach entry at the Mahmya club is included is not clear, so check before you book. You get the platform's terms: with "reserve now, pay later" your card is charged 72 hours before the trip, and if the supplier cancels for weather you are offered a new date or a full refund. Our platform guide explains the rest.

TUI sells a "full-day snorkeling cruise to Mahmya Giftun Island" from £41, supplied by Travco Group for Tourism. It is a 7-hour day leaving Hurghada Marina at 09:00 or 10:00, with hotel pick-up, lunch, soft drinks with lunch, snorkel gear and insurance included. Towels and an environmental fee of about €5, paid in cash at the marina, are extra, and outer resorts pay a supplement (El Gouna €8, Safaga and Soma Bay €10). TUI's page does not say whether you get the club's reserved seats, so ask (TUI's page). More on hotel excursion desks.

◐ Sailing boat

GetYourGuideFull dayMahmya

Mahmya Island: Red Sea Sailing Experience

4.7 (229)

from $105Check dates

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayParadise Island

From Hurghada: Paradise Island Snorkeling Cruise with Lunch

4.6 (1,247)

from $44Check dates

◐ Full day

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

HRG: Orange Bay Island with Snorkeling, Lunch and Drinks

4.9 (6,122)

from $26Check dates

See all trips on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 20 October 2026

If Mahmya is booked out or too dear, the nearest alternatives are a Paradise day on the same south tip, or the cheapest Orange Bay yachts. Both mean group boats and first-come shade, but cost a lot less.

Mahmya with children

Mahmya suits families better than most Giftun days. The shade is yours from the start, so nobody spends the morning guarding a parasol, and the fixed 16:00 return makes the day easy to plan around naps and dinner. The beach water is shallow.

Do the maths before you book, though. From age 7 children pay the full adult price, so a family of four with two children over 7 pays four adult tickets: EUR 152 for Day Use, or EUR 340 for the Full Program, before the taxi. Under-3s are free and ages 3–6 pay half. Ask Mahmya about children's life-jacket sizes for the Sabina Reef trip. For other ideas, from semi-submarines to the aquarium, see the family guide.

Is Mahmya worth it?

Yes, if you want a calm beach day on Giftun with guaranteed shade, you are a couple or a family with young children, or you have done a group boat and hated the scramble for parasols. No, if snorkeling is the main event and you are on a budget: a group yacht with two guided reef stops gives you more reef for less money.

Wind can still stop boats. When the Red Sea Ports Authority closes the port in bad weather, closures are occasional and usually last one to three days, mostly in winter and spring. Book Mahmya early in your holiday so you have a spare day.

Mahmya island Hurghada: questions