A Red Sea resort town: year-round sunshine, coral reefs, clear water and all-inclusive hotels. Orange Bay on Giftun Island, swimming with wild dolphins, diving, the lagoon town of El Gouna, desert quad safaris and a day trip to Luxor. No direct flight from Ulaanbaatar — via Istanbul or Cairo, ~20–26 hours. Mongolian citizens get a 30-day visa on arrival at the airport ($30, cash). Best October–May; July–August reaches 37°C.
🛂 Visa: Visa on arrival · 30 days✈ Flight: 22h☀ Best months: October, November, December, March
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: October, November, December, March, April, May.
Things to see (12)
📍🧸 for kids
Giftun Island (Orange Bay, Mahmya)★ 4.4 (14,000)
BeachTours ≈$25–40 (Orange Bay), Mahmya $80–100; national-park fee ≈$5 in cashBoats leave ≈8:00–9:00, back 16:00–17:00
30–45 minutes from Hurghada by boat: white sand, shallow turquoise water and a day trip with two snorkelling stops on the coral reefs. Orange Bay suits families; Mahmya is quieter and pricier. Ask whether the national-park fee is included in the tour price.
About 45 minutes north of Hurghada by speedboat — a reef lagoon where a wild dolphin pod rests by day. HEPCA allows only up to 10 boats a day: no touching, chasing or blocking the dolphins, and swimmers enter quietly as a group. Sightings aren't guaranteed and the water is deep, so it's for confident swimmers.
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goThe visa is issued at the airport, but sort out three things at home: the airline, cash dollars and insurance.+
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Visa: 30 days on arrival in Hurghada
According to Mongolia's consular department, Mongolian citizens get an Egyptian visa on arrival at the airport: single entry, 30 days, $30 (since 1 March 2026). Mongolia is not on Egypt's e-visa list, so you cannot apply online in advance. Passport valid 6+ months; print your return ticket and hotel booking.
Tip: Some airline systems show 'embassy visa' for Mongolians — before buying, ask the airline in writing whether they will board you on a visa on arrival.
At Hurghada Airport the visa is sold for cash dollars ($30) at the bank counters, so bring clean, untorn notes. Luxor's sites sell tickets by card only — enable your Visa/Mastercard for use abroad.
Get travel insurance that covers diving, water sports and evacuation. Bring reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes, a hat and sunglasses.
Tip: Drones are banned in Egypt and confiscated at customs — leave yours at home.
🛬Landing and getting to your hotelHurghada Airport (HRG) is close to town; El Gouna, Makadi and Soma Bay are further out.+
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Visa and passport control
Before passport control, pay $30 cash at a bank counter (Banque Misr, NBE) for the paper sticker visa, then show it with your passport to the officer. The QR-code digital visa being piloted in Cairo is not yet running in Hurghada.
From the airport Uber costs roughly EGP 170 to the Marina and EGP 140 to Mamsha; Careem is a little more. Street taxis open at EGP 400–450, so always negotiate.
Resort hotels, especially in El Gouna, Makadi and Soma Bay, offer transfers. With children, lots of luggage or a late landing, booking one in advance is the calmest option.
Tip: Outside cars entering El Gouna must show a booking at the gate — keep your hotel confirmation on your phone.
📶Phone and internetEgyptian SIMs are registered with your passport, and foreign phones get a 90-day grace period.+
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Tourist SIM or eSIM
Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat and WE have counters at the airport and shops in town; the tourist SIM is registered with your passport. Town shops are cheaper than the airport. You can install an eSIM such as Airalo before leaving home.
Since 21 January 2026 phones brought from abroad are taxed, but tourists keep a 90-day exemption: once you insert an Egyptian SIM, your phone's IMEI is registered and works for 90 days. Foreign SIMs and eSIMs need no registration.
🚇Getting aroundHurghada stretches along the coast — ride-hailing, hotel shuttles and tour transport do most of the work.+
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Uber, Careem, taxis
Ride-hailing is cheapest and shows the price up front. Street taxis are unmetered — agree the fare before getting in. Many hotels run free shuttles to Senzo Mall and the Marina.
Giftun Island, Dolphin House and dive trips usually include hotel pick-up. Ask whether the national-park fee (≈$5) is included; pick licensed operators that provide life jackets and a safety briefing.
Go Bus and Super Jet coaches reach Luxor in about 4 hours, several times a day in each direction; tickets are cheap. Organised day tours leave early in the morning and return in the evening.
💳MoneyThe Egyptian pound (EGP) was floated in 2024; resorts also quote prices in dollars and euros.+
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ATMs and cards
CIB, National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr ATMs are reliable. Hotels, larger restaurants, malls and Uber take cards; markets, small cafés, taxis and tips need cash pounds.
Boat, safari and dive trips are usually priced in dollars or euros. In restaurants and shops paying in pounds is cheaper — paying in dollars gets you a poor rate.
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Baksheesh
Small tips for hotel staff, boat crews, guides and drivers are customary — keep small notes handy. Always bargain at the markets.
🍜FoodMost visitors eat at all-inclusive hotels, but seafood and Egyptian food in town are cheap.+
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Must-tries
Fresh fish and prawns (pick by weight and have them grilled), koshari, ful, ta'ameya, molokhia soup and Bedouin bread. Old Dahar and Sakkala are full of local eateries.
Tip: Fish restaurants price by the kilo — ask the weight and total before ordering.
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Stomach safety
Be careful with tap water, ice and raw salad; drink bottled water. Drink plenty in the heat, and pack stomach medicine and rehydration salts.
Tip: During Ramadan avoid eating and drinking in public in the daytime; inside resorts meals run as normal.
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Delivery and supermarkets
Order to your hotel with Talabat. Supermarkets such as Spinneys and Carrefour have fixed prices and cheap baby food and water.
The UK FCDO warns that Red Sea boat and dive operators' safety standards vary; in March 2025 a tourist submarine sank off Hurghada, killing 6. Shark attacks are rare but do happen — stay inside protected areas, avoid the water at dawn and dusk, and obey any beach closures. Don't stand on or touch the coral.
The UK FCDO advises against travel to North Sinai, the Libyan border zone and most of the Western Desert; Hurghada, the Red Sea resorts and Luxor are not in those areas. Middle East conflict can disrupt flights.
The first price at a market is always high — bargain with a smile. Turn down 'cheap trip' offers on the beach or street, and book tours through your hotel or a well-reviewed company.
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Photography
Don't photograph people, especially women, without permission. Photographing soldiers, police and government buildings is forbidden.
📱Useful appsRides, translation, delivery — three apps are enough.+
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Uber, Careem
The best way to avoid unmetered taxis and haggling; they work from the airport too.
🛫LeavingHurghada Airport is close to town, but queues are long at peak charter times.+
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Getting to the airport
Go by Uber or hotel transfer; El Gouna, Makadi and Soma Bay are further away, so leave early. Bags are X-rayed at the terminal entrance, so arrive in good time for an international flight.
Spend or change your pounds before leaving Egypt — they can't be exchanged in Mongolia. Taking coral, shells or marine life out of the country is banned and confiscated at customs; exporting genuine antiquities is illegal.
A promenade along the Sakkala yacht harbour: cafés, restaurants, ice cream and evening lights. Most boat trips leave from here. The white minaret of El Mina Mosque stands next door.
RelaxFree entry; outside visitors need an advance permit/booking24 hours
25 km north of Hurghada, the 'Venice of the Red Sea' — a resort town of lagoons and canals: Abu Tig Marina, kitesurfing, beach clubs. If you're not staying there, book a restaurant or beach club in advance and bring your passport.
Sahl Hasheesh (Old Town and sunken ruins)★ 4.6 (800)
BeachFreeOld Town ≈10:00–17:00
A quiet bay of upscale resorts 20 km south of town: an Arab-style 'Old Town' square, a long pier and, close by, the ruins of sunken buildings in shallow water — great for snorkelling with children.
KidsAdults $35, ages 4–9 $17.5, under 4 free (card or EGP accepted)9:00–20:00 (last entry 18:00)
A large aquarium and tunnel of Red Sea fish, sharks and shellfish; one ticket also covers a small zoo, rainforest, rope bridge, shark-feeding show and the Wadi El Hitan whale-fossil museum. A good family option on a hot or windy day.
Desert safari: quad, jeep and Bedouin dinner★ 4.5 (5,000)
NatureTours ≈$25–45 (with hotel pick-up)Morning, or afternoon until sunset
Quads, jeeps or camels into the Eastern Desert mountains behind town, then bread-baking, tea, dinner and stargazing at a Bedouin village. Quads are usually for ages 16+ — pick a jeep safari with young children. Bring a scarf and sunglasses for the dust.
See the reef and fish without getting wet — ideal for small children and non-swimmers. After the Sindbad submarine accident in March 2025, choose only licensed operators with life jackets and a safety briefing.
A bay of big all-inclusive resorts 30 km south of Hurghada: private beaches, water parks, kids' clubs and reefs right off the shore. The best fit for families who want to stay put at the hotel.
A peninsula 45 km south of town, sea on three sides: luxury hotels, golf, spas and, thanks to the steady wind, kitesurfing and windsurfing centres. A calm break away from the town bustle.
CultureKarnak EGP 600; Valley of the Kings EGP 750 (+ tour ≈$60–100)Leaves Hurghada ≈5:00, back in the evening
About 4 hours each way: Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Colossi of Memnon — ancient Egypt in one day. It's a long, tiring day, so with young children an overnight in Luxor is better. You can also go independently on Go Bus.
