If you're thinking about a kitesurfing holiday to escape the UK winter, we’d definitely recommend Egypt. We’ve been twice recently, in March 2024 and February 2025, staying at the Mövenpick, El Gouna and kiting from Kite People both times. We’re heading back again soon, this time to Soma Bay for our second trip of the year. Based on our experiences in El Gouna, we’ve put together some useful info to help you plan your own trip.
Before you go
What to Pack for Kitesurfing in Egypt
If you're heading out in February or earlier in the season, we recommend a long 4/3mm or 3/2mm wetsuit. March 2024 was noticeably warmer, where everyone appeared to be wearing more of a range of suits, from a long 3/2mm, a shorty, or even still a 4/3mm, depending on how you handle the cold.
If the wind’s been blowing, we’ve found that most evenings in El Gouna we were wearing jumpers. While it depends on how warm the day has been, as expected, if the winds been blowing then it brings the temperature down pretty quickly. Everyone’s different, but we’d definitely recommend bringing a jumper or two and a pair of trousers for the evenings.
Travel Insurance
Having the right travel insurance is essential for a kitesurfing trip. We have used Sports Cover Direct for the past couple of years because it specifically includes kitesurfing, whereas our previous insurance only covered basic sports and some watersports like windsurfing. If you're planning more than one kite trip in a year, it’s definitely worth getting annual cover instead of a single-trip policy, as we’ve found it doesn’t cost much more but provides far better value.
Booking Baggage with EasyJet
If you're taking your own kitesurfing kit, EasyJet allows you to book your gear as windsurf equipment for £50 each way if pre-booked (£60 at the airport). This gets you a 32kg weight allowance, compared to the 20kg for the smaller sports bags. Double-check your bag’s length against EasyJet’s guidelines before departure. We usually manage with just a large kit bag each, packing clothes in our hand luggage and wetsuits with our kite gear to save on baggage costs.
Arriving in Hurghada: Visa & Entry Requirements
Upon arrival in Hurghada, you’ll need $25 or £25 in cash for your visa. This was the most widely accepted currency, and we recommend having this ready before you fly so you don't need to use any of the cash machines in the airport. The airline provided visa forms during the flight, so bring a pen to fill it out in advance and avoid delays at immigration.
Getting from Hurghada to your hotel
Each time we visited, we flew into Hurghada International Airport and booked a taxi transfer via Booking.com. Choosing a larger vehicle (mini-bus size) ensured our large kite bags fit. Prices were around £10-£12 to El Gouna and the transfer time was around 40 minutes, we found prepaying made the process smooth with no issues.
The Kitesurfing
As with any wind sport destination, you need to be ready for all conditions, so we’d definitely say take as many kites as you can! We are lucky to share kit and took 6m, 8m, 10m, 11m, and 12m between 2 of us. We used every kite we brought, so it was 100% worth cutting down on unnecessary clothes to fit them in. You don’t want to be left short and end up renting gear if you can avoid it.
One thing to note - you have to pay to kite in Egypt. In El Gouna, it was about €20 a day, but cheaper if you booked multiple days. That covered launching and landing, and use of compressors, so we didn’t take pumps with us. Although if you're planning on kiting early in the morning when the schools aren't open yet it's likely you'll need to take a pump. If you’re planning to kite without lessons, you’ll need to show proof of your ability with a certificate. If you're coming on our club trip in March, drop us a message and we can explain what you need to do.
Staying in El Gouna
Hotels in El Gouna are often large resort-style properties, and if you’re staying at the same hotel as your kite school, it’s worth requesting a room close to the kite school. The first year, we didn’t do this and ended up paying a reasonable €2 per day for a locker. The second time, we were close enough to store our kit in our room, which was great – waking up, looking out the patio doors, and checking the wind before heading out.
El Gouna itself is a busy town with plenty of cafés, restaurants, and cocktail bars. We went out for coffees, lunch, and dinner occasionally, and while it’s cheaper than the UK, be mindful of added taxes, which made prices slightly higher than we remembered from 2024. Getting around is easy with tuk-tuks, which cost 50 LE (Egyptian pounds) and are extremely frequent.
Final Thoughts
Egypt remains one of our favourite kitesurfing destinations. The wind, the beautiful waters, and the relaxed yet lively atmosphere make it a perfect getaway for kitesurfers of all levels. Whether you're planning your first trip or returning, being prepared makes all the difference. We hope this guide helps you make the most of your kitesurfing adventure in Egypt!
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