All the gold and blue of a holiday in Marsa Alam

While Europe wonders about the change of seasons, there is a place where time seems to stand still in an eternal summer. That place is Marsa Alam, Egypt, which can be reached by a four-and-a-half-hour flight from Italy. Until a few decades ago, it was a remote fishing village and mining centre. Its transformation did not happen gradually, but is linked to a precise external entrepreneurial vision. At the end of the 1990s, Sheikh Nasser Al-Kharafi, head of the Kharafi Group and member of one of the five richest and most influential families in the Arab world, identified the stretch of coast south of Hurghada as having untapped potential and decided to finance the construction of the Marsa Alam International Airport, inaugurated in 2001, Egypt's first private airport. Together with the airport, the Al-Kharafi family developed the Port Ghalib complex, equipping it with a marina and luxury infrastructures, giving the decisive impulse to the tourist vocation of the entire area. The destination, nestled between the eastern desert (also known as the Arabian Desert) and the turquoise waters of the Red Sea, has thus become a destination of choice for those seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle, immersed as it is in a still wild nature.

Anyone choosing a holiday in Marsa Alam over Sharm El Sheikh must be clear about the difference between the two locations, which lies mainly in the level of urbanisation. Sharm El Sheikh is a well-established tourist town, with dense urban centres (Naama Bay, Soho Square), restaurants, nightclubs and a wide range of services outside the hotels. Marsa Alam, on the other hand, retains a more isolated and quiet profile. Here, the resorts are spaced out and the holiday is oriented towards relaxation and direct contact with marine nature, less subject to tourist pressure than in the north. The landscape is characterised by the combination of the rocky desert and the coral coast.

The beating heart of the holiday are the holiday villages. These facilities (which are on average 60-90 minutes away from the airport), often of a high standard and equipped with every comfort, are designed as self-sufficient oases. Most activities are concentrated within the villages: diving, snorkelling, sports in equipped areas. In addition to these, there are services such as entertainment, swimming pools (also heated to be enjoyed all year round), wellness centres, gyms and an all-inclusive restaurant that blends local tradition with international recipes.

The first impact with Marsa Alam is visual. The panorama is dominated by a powerful colour contrast: the burnt gold of the desert mountains plunging powerfully into the cobalt blue of the sea. Unlike other more urbanised resorts, the gaze sweeps freely over wide horizons, interrupted only by the sinuous outline of the palm trees surrounding the resorts. The real magic, however, lies just below the surface of the water: a still intact coral reef that serves as an underwater garden for underwater creatures.

Marsa Alam's location allows access to relevant natural and historical sites. Although somewhat tiring because of the distance (365 km for a 5-hour drive), Luxor is one of the most interesting stops on the historical front. A whole day is dedicated to following in the footsteps of the great Pharaohs, passing by the most significant sites of Ancient Thebes: the temples of Karnak and Luxor, with their avenue of sphinxes, colossi of Memnon and the enormous statues that whispered the will of the gods, to the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the Nile. For those seeking adventure in the desert, you can reach the Bedouin tents on board jeeps and quads, take a camel ride and end the day with dinner under the stars in the Bedouin village. There is also the option of opting for a quad bike ride through the desert and then enjoying mint tea at the Bedouin camps. Those who want to enjoy the sea can instead choose a day exploring the most striking coral reefs on the coast. In this case, one arrives at Sharm El Luli, an enchanting wild beach where one can swim and then move on for lunch to the mangrove beach, El Qulan, where one dives into a natural pool. Port Ghalib is also worth a visit. Here, you can stroll through the ultra-modern marina, past bars and shops and luxury boats moored in the harbour.