Paradise Island Hurghada: the beach on Giftun's southern tip

Paradise Island Hurghada is the name sellers give to a sandy beach on the southern tip of Giftun Kebir (Big Giftun), the island that also holds Orange Bay and Mahmya. GetYourGuide's own label for it is "Paradise Beach, Giftun Island", which is the honest version. You come for the classic Giftun boat day: two snorkel stops at the reefs, a stretch on a beach with parasols and a bar, lunch, and back to the marina by late afternoon.

It is a good choice if you want that day with a slightly different beach from the Orange Bay crowd. It is not a separate wilderness island, it is not Hula Hula, and it has nothing to do with the seller called "Paradise Island Hurghada".

Where is Paradise Island in Hurghada?

Giftun Kebir lies about 8–12 km east and south-east of Hurghada Marina. Its west shore faces the town, and that is where Orange Bay sits, the closest of the Giftun beaches. Paradise is further round, on the southern tip, roughly 12 km from the marina in a straight line. Next to it, heading east, come a small beach spot sold as Eden Island and then Mahmya, the private beach club on the south-east tip.

So "Orange Island", "Paradise Island", "Eden Island" and "Mahmya Island" are all beaches of one island. The undeveloped island further east, Giftun Saghir (Small Giftun), has no beach clubs at all. The whole area belongs to the Northern Red Sea Islands protectorate, which is why there is a park fee and why nobody stays overnight. Our Giftun guide covers the island as a whole.

Two name traps are worth knowing:

• Hula Hula is not Paradise. One dive centre sells its island day as "Hula Hula (Paradise)", and some sunset listings mix the two names. Hula Hula is a separate beach-club brand whose island sellers disagree on; see Hula Hula, Magawish and the small islands.
• "Paradise Island Hurghada" the seller is a trading name used for Hula Hula trips, not the company behind this beach. Our review of that seller explains what is and is not known about it.

Paradise Island trip from Hurghada: how the day runs

Most Paradise days follow the standard Giftun pattern. The crossing is a little longer than to Orange Bay, so you spend a few more minutes on the water each way, and on some boats the last leg to the beach is by a smaller shuttle boat because the big boat does not run up onto the sand.

Times shift by seller. The pick-up time usually arrives the evening before by message, and from the outer resorts the bus may come almost two hours before the boat sails. If you are staying in Makadi, note that Makadi Bay: Nature with Snorkeling & Lunch Paradise Island is titled "Makadi Bay" but is a Hurghada boat day with pick-up from Makadi, not a trip that leaves from Makadi.

Paradise Island Hurghada price: what you pay and what is extra

On GetYourGuide, Paradise yacht days start from $32 and the best-reviewed listing, From Hurghada: Paradise Island Snorkeling Cruise with Lunch, from $44. A shared speedboat seat starts from $35 (Hurghada: Paradise Speedboat w/ Optional Snorkeling & Lunch). A Tiqets listing from a reseller has no reviews yet but comes in cheaper today:

The Tiqets price is lower right now, but the boat, the pick-up area and what is included may differ, and with no reviews you are buying blind. For most people the GetYourGuide listing with over a thousand reviews is the safer booking.

What decides the real cost is the "not included" line. The usual extras:

• National-park fee. USD 5 per foreign visitor; Egyptians pay EGP 25, children under 7 are free, and the fee doubles if you stay after sunset. Some trips include it, others ask about €5 in cash at the marina. TUI's own Paradise day, for example, charges an "environmental fee" of €5 per person in cash at the marina.
• Coast-guard fee. Some operators add about €5 per person. Ask what each cash charge is for.
• Outer-resort pick-up. Free within Hurghada on most trips; from Makadi, El Gouna, Soma Bay or Safaga, sellers add a supplement.
• On the day: drinks at the beach bar, crew photo packages and a tip for the crew.

A rise of the park fee to USD 10 has been decreed but postponed for the Northern Islands; no new start date is published. The current rates are on the EEAA protectorate fee page. Bring small USD or euro notes so you are not stuck if the fee turns out not to be in your price. For a wider view of what boat days cost, see Hurghada boat trip prices.

Yacht or speedboat to Paradise Island?

The yacht is the default and the right choice for most families. You get shade, toilets and lunch on board, and the crossing of about 45–60 minutes is gentle on a calm morning. The flip side: yachts roll at anchor at the reef stops, and you arrive at the beach with everybody else.

The speedboat does the run in about 25 minutes. The 4-hour Hurghada: Paradise Speedboat w/ Optional Snorkeling & Lunch offers morning, sunset, shared and private options, with snorkeling and lunch as add-ons, so read which option you are buying. Speedboats slam in chop: in a north wind the open crossing is hard on backs, and sellers themselves warn against speedboats for anyone with back problems or in pregnancy. From Hurghada: Paradise Island Snorkeling Cruise with Lunch lets you choose yacht or speedboat in the same listing.

From Hurghada: Paradise Island Speedboat Tour with Dolphins adds "dolphins" to a speedboat day, but it is rated 3.9 from a few dozen reviews, and dolphins are wild. Some days they are there and calm, some days not; no operator can promise them. If dolphins are the point of your day, look at Dolphin House trips instead, done by the rules.

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayParadise Island

From Hurghada: Paradise Island Snorkeling Cruise with Lunch

4.6 (1,247)

from $44Check dates

◔ Speedboat

GetYourGuide4 hParadise Island

Hurghada: Paradise Speedboat w/ Optional Snorkeling & Lunch

4.5 (988)

from $35Check dates

◐ Full day

GetYourGuideFull dayParadise Island

Makadi Bay: Nature with Snorkeling & Lunch Paradise Island

4.5 (906)

from $38Check dates

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayParadise Island

Hurghada: Paradise Island Yacht Cruise, Lunch & Snorkeling

4.5 (190)

from $32Check dates

◑ Sunset

GetYourGuideFull dayParadise Island

Hurghada Sunset Paradise Island Tour With Snorkeling & Lunch

4.5 (612)

from $32Check dates

◐ Speedboat

GetYourGuide6 hParadise Island

From Hurghada: Paradise Island Speedboat Tour with Dolphins

3.9 (34)

from $37Check dates

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

Snorkeling at Paradise Island: where the coral is

The beach itself is for swimming and lying in the shade. The water off the sand is shallow, and there is little coral right off the beach; visitors also mention rockier patches than on Orange Bay's all-sand beach. The real snorkeling is at the reef stops the boat makes on the way, usually on the sheltered west and south sides of Giftun, with corals and reef fish in easy depths. Listings rarely name their reefs, so ask the seller which ones they use. If you get the chance, ask for Gota Abu Ramada, the shallow pinnacles south of Giftun that our best snorkeling spots guide rates first for fish.

Conditions matter more than the brochure. The south tip is partly sheltered from the north wind, but on windy afternoons the shallow sandy water turns milky and the outer reef edges stay clearer. Wear reef shoes or fins, never stand on the coral, take nothing, and do not feed the fish. Inside the protectorate it is illegal to collect or disturb wildlife, and boats should tie up to the HEPCA mooring buoys rather than drop anchor on the reef.

Paradise vs Orange Bay vs Mahmya

All three are beaches on Giftun Kebir and all three sit inside the same park. The differences are in the crossing, the crowd and how predictable the day is.

Orange Bay is the cheapest and the shortest ride; it is also the busiest, with about 2,000 visitors a day according to its PR manager in 2022. Mahmya is the calm, priced-up option with a fixed timetable. Paradise sits between them: a classic group-boat day with a beach that is a little further from the town.

Booking Paradise Island: platform, hotel desk or local seller

On a platform. GetYourGuide is where most Paradise listings and reviews are. Unless a listing says otherwise, you can cancel for free more than 24 hours before, and with "reserve now, pay later" the card is charged 72 hours before the trip. If the supplier cancels because of the weather, you are offered a new date or a full refund. The contract is with the local boat company; most listings do not name it. Our platform guide explains the small print.

At the hotel desk. TUI sells a full-day Paradise Island tour run by Travco Group for Tourism. It goes on Mondays and Wednesdays and boards at the marina of the Mashrabia Hotel, not Hurghada Marina. The boat sails for about an hour, then a shuttle boat takes you to the beach. The €5 environmental fee is paid in cash at the marina, and you may be asked for your passport (TUI's page). TUI also sells an Eden Island day (from £34) for the beach next door. More on hotel excursion desks.

With a local seller. Pay-on-the-day sellers can be quick and flexible. But if the Red Sea Ports Authority closes the port for wind, which happens occasionally and usually for one to three days, you chase the refund yourself. Check any seller in the CDWS black list before you pay, and get a receipt.

Our picks for Paradise Island

1

Most people

The best-reviewed Paradise day, with a yacht or speedboat option and lunch included.

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayParadise Island

From Hurghada: Paradise Island Snorkeling Cruise with Lunch

4.6 (1,247)

from $44Check dates

2

Tight budget

A cheaper Paradise yacht day; check how long you get on the beach.

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayParadise Island

Hurghada: Paradise Island Yacht Cruise, Lunch & Snorkeling

4.5 (190)

from $32Check dates

3

Short on time

A 4-hour speedboat with morning or sunset options; book snorkeling and lunch if you want them.

◔ Speedboat

GetYourGuide4 hParadise Island

Hurghada: Paradise Speedboat w/ Optional Snorkeling & Lunch

4.5 (988)

from $35Check dates

Paradise Island with children and non-swimmers

Paradise works well for families: the beach water is shallow, the reef stops are guided, and on a yacht there is shade and a toilet all day. Each operator sets its own age rules, so ask about children's life-jacket sizes when you book. Children's prices are often half for roughly ages 3–4 to 9–12, but every seller draws the line differently. Under-7s are exempt from the park fee.

Some crews offer support for non-swimmers in the water with a lifejacket; ask before you book whether yours does. Egypt's diving and water-sports chamber sets a limit of 12 snorkelers per guide, counted from the boat list, so a boat with 25 guests needs at least three guides. Ask how many guides yours carries. If a small child or a nervous swimmer would rather stay dry, a semi-submarine shows the reef through the windows without anyone getting wet. Our family guide has more ideas.

Tipping the crew is customary and modest: small Egyptian-pound notes into the crew box at the end of the day.

Paradise Island Hurghada: questions