Orange Bay boat trip by yacht: what a Hurghada day really includes

An Orange Bay yacht trip is the easiest boat day out of Hurghada: a big, slow boat with shade, toilets and a buffet, two snorkel stops on the Giftun reefs and a stretch on the best-known beach of Giftun. Orange Bay is a sandy bay on the west shore of Giftun Kebir, facing Hurghada — sold as "Orange Island", but a beach, not an island of its own. It is the shortest crossing to any Giftun beach.

Many yachts do this trip every day and most listings look alike. What really separates them is how long you get ashore, how many people are on board, and what you pay in cash once you are there.

Orange Bay yacht trip: budget or VIP?

Budget yachts start from about $24–33 per person; "luxury", "premium" and "VIP" boats from about $50 to $80. The extra money buys a massage, an intro dive or a barbecue — not more beach time. Often the reverse.

The two best-known examples show it clearly:

Zanetta is a German-market company founded in 2018 and based at Hurghada Marina; its own price and the GetYourGuide price are identical, so there is nothing to gain by booking direct. Royal Cruise Hurghada is a boat-trip brand whose trips are run by its partner aqua centre, Fun Aqua; "luxury" is its own word, and the boat is not named on its page. More in the Zanetta review and the Royal Cruise Hurghada review.

Whatever you book, ask how many guests the boat takes and how many snorkel guides come along: the rule is one guide for every 12 snorkelers (https://www.cdws.travel/rules-regulations).

Orange Bay yachts worth booking

1

Best value, most beach time

About two hours on the sand, island entry fees covered, up to 35 guests.

◐ Full day

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

HRG: Orange Bay Island with Snorkeling, Lunch and Drinks

4.9 (6,122)

from $26Check dates

2

Best for a pampered day

75 minutes ashore, but a massage, a buffet, banana boat and a reef stop at Abu Ramada.

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

Hurghada: Luxury Cruise Trip to Orange Bay with Lunch

4.9 (7,075)

from $53Check dates

3

A mid-priced alternative

Two coral snorkel stops and lunch; the listing does not name the boat company.

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

Hurghada: Premium Orange Island Cruise with Lunch & Transfer

4.8 (1,152)

from $37Check dates

A yacht day to Orange Bay, hour by hour

Zanetta publishes its full timetable, and it is a fair picture of a well-run yacht day:

Most yachts follow the same shape: out between 08:30 and 09:00, two reef stops, the beach, lunch, back between 15:30 and 16:30. The variable is the beach. The cheapest listings give about an hour; Royal Cruise gives 75 minutes. Look for "time on the island" in the listing before you book.

Orange Bay Hurghada prices: what you pay on the day

The ticket price is rarely the whole price. These are the extras to ask about:

• Park fee. Giftun is inside the Northern Red Sea Islands protectorate, and the official fee is USD 5 per foreign visitor (children under 7 free; https://www.eeaa.gov.eg/Topics/85/36/66/Details). Some trips include it; others ask about €5 in cash at the marina. A rise to USD 10 has been decreed but postponed, with no new start date published.
• Orange Bay entry. Some trips list a separate Orange Bay entry charge as not included; the amount is not published — check "not included" on the listing.
• Transfers from outer resorts. Royal Cruise adds $5 from Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh, Soma Bay, El Gouna or Safaga; other sellers charge €8–15.
• Drinks on the island, photos from the boat photographer, and tips. Tipping the crew is customary and modest — small Egyptian-pound notes in the crew box at the end of the day.

Direct or on a platform?

Royal Cruise sells its Orange Bay day for $45 on its own site against from $53 on GetYourGuide — about $8 a head saved by booking direct. The platform gives you a cancellation window and a paper trail in return: GetYourGuide's default is free cancellation up to 24 hours before, unless the listing says otherwise. Royal Cruise's own page shows no cancellation terms or child price, so ask before you pay direct.

The Headout listing in this comparison is a near-identical bundle with a massage and buffet; it does not name its boat company.

For the budget trip, GetYourGuide is cheapest today. The Headout version promises about two hours at Orange Bay with the entry fee included and a guide for non-swimmers, which can be worth the small difference. The Tiqets listing has very few reviews and lists the Orange Bay entry fee as not included. Beach, pick-up area and inclusions may differ between the three, so read each one. More on choosing in GetYourGuide vs Headout, and all the boat types side by side on Hurghada boat trip prices.

Orange Bay yacht trip with kids

A yacht is the best Orange Bay boat for children: shade, toilets and food are on board, and the crossing is short. A few things to check:

• Ages. Each operator sets its own age rules; one seller bars children under 5 from its Orange Bay yacht. Most sellers charge about half for young children and nothing for toddlers, but the age bands vary — ask.
• Lifejackets. Ask about children's sizes when you book. Zanetta's day includes support for non-swimmers, and the Headout budget listing mentions a guide for non-swimmers.
• Masks. Use a classic mask and snorkel; full-face masks are not advised for young children.
• Cold water. In February to April the sea is about 22–23 °C, so a shorty wetsuit keeps small children in the water longer.
• Seasickness. Patches are only for adults and children over 10; for younger children, ask a pharmacist.

More ideas for a family holiday are on Hurghada boat trips with kids.

Seasickness and the swell

Yachts are gentler than speedboats on the crossing but roll at anchor during the snorkel stops and lunch. The wind blows from the north and north-west all year and is stronger in the afternoon. If you get seasick, follow the NHS advice: sit in the middle of the boat, look at the horizon, get fresh air and go easy on the lunch (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/motion-sickness/).

When the wind is strong, the Red Sea Ports Authority closes Hurghada port and no boat sails, usually for one to three days. Book your yacht day early in the holiday. If you would rather trade comfort for time ashore, the Orange Bay speedboat does the crossing in about 20 minutes.

What you will see: reef stops and the beach

The coral is at the reef stops, not off Orange Bay's sand. The beach has a shallow sandy lagoon, lovely for a swim but milky on windy afternoons. Listings rarely name their reef stops, so ask the guide. If your yacht goes to Gota Abu Ramada — "the Aquarium", shallow pinnacles off Abu Ramada, south of Giftun, with the densest fish of the area — you are in luck; the best snorkeling spots page explains the rest.

On the beach expect umbrellas, bean bags, cabanas, a bar, a buffet restaurant and toilets. It fills up from about 11:00, when the morning yachts land after their reef stops; its PR manager put visitors at about 2,000 a day in 2022. The beach's own website publishes no programmes or prices, and its "open until 21:00" is its own claim — yacht days run roughly 08:00 to 16:00.

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

Hurghada: Luxury Cruise Trip to Orange Bay with Lunch

4.9 (7,075)

from $53Check dates

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuide6 hOrange Bay

Hurghada: Orange Bay Snorkeling cruise and optional diving

4.0 (10)

from $32Check dates

◐ Yacht

TiqetsFull dayOrange Bay

Orange Bay: Guided Boat Tour + Snorkeling & Water Sports + Transfer + Lunch

4.0 (1)

from $45Check dates

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

Orange Bay boat trip FAQ

For everything else about the beach — the crowds, the 2022 court case and the other ways to get there — see the Orange Bay guide or the private Orange Bay boat page.