Egypt - The Desert and its Storm

by Petra Goeschl, www.kitesurfschool.nl

Popular female pro kiteboarder and kiteboarding instructor, Petra Goeschl– from the Netherlands, went to Egypt the 2005 European summer:

A flight from Amsterdam will take you around 4 ½ hours to land in Hurghada, Egypt.  Upon arrival in Egypt you will need to get stamps for your visa.

I would recommend that you get purchase them from the bank, and they cost around 13 euro.  The exchange rate is better at the bank than in the hotels.

The spot to aim for is Colona Watersports (www.colonawatersports.com) in Hurghada, which is located in the Magawish hotel.  This flat water spot is guaranteed to give you wind almost every day.  The average temperature during July is about 30 degrees and the wind blows around 20 knots.

Taxis are very cheap. A taxi from the airport to Colona Watersports (6 km) will cost you 20 Egyptian pounds, which is about 3 Euros.  I also paid about 10 euros for a taxi trip to El Gouna, (35 km), don’t let them rip you off the second time around… It doesn’t really matter in which hotel you stay in Hurghada; because you can always store your kit at Colona Watersports.  It really is no problem to get around here, because the busses and taxis are super cheap.

In the summer the water is super warm and you will not need a wetsuit either.  Your baggies and rashie should be fine to protect you from the sun, but remember that you will not be protected from the impact of the water. 

If you are used to a wetsuit, you might find that your harness is a little big for you when you suddenly kite without your suit.  Upwind Bay, is about a 3 minute walk, but if you are really very lazy, you can take a camel for a euro to bring you with your kit… This spot is really shallow.  The team from Colona uses this spot to teach their beginners.

Sandbar is between Upwind Bay and the kite centre, this spot is famous for its sandbar and super flat water, just ask Aaron...

Colona Watersports will cost you 5 euros per day.  The facilities include storage of kite gear, showers, toilets, free wireless internet, boat rescue, and compressor pump, guys that will assist you to launch and re-launch your kite.  You can chill out and watch the kite action from the snack-bar.  Rental gear is also available for those who wish to learn first before they buy, and they offer all levels of courses.

For reservations or more information about this spot and Magawish Hotel you can email Melissa at info@colonawatersport.com.  Other hotel options in the vicinity are the Hilton Resort, Sofitel, Inter Continental, and Beach Albatross.

Another great spot is called El Gouna, which is located by Mangroovy beach.  This spot boasts itself with very shallow, flat water.  This super chilled village will help you relax, and is perfect to bring the kids along.  There is no traffic and for the party animals, you had better stay in Hurghada.  Every Friday there is festival in El Gouna, as Fridays are like our Sundays in Egypt.   Live music, belly dancers and other dancers are running thru the Marina Centre.  Hurghada has a festival similar to this every Saturday.

If you want to get away, and you don’t have a lot of time or a small travel budget, your solution is Egypt!