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This up-and-coming cruise port along the Red Sea is growing in popularity among Egyptian and international guests alike. Beach bums feel most at home here, finding bright sun, golden sands and strong winds -- best used for a day of windsurfing -- almost year-round. Coral reefs dot the coastline, too, so divers can look forward to an afternoon of underwater fun.

Safaga also serves as the gateway to a number of Red Sea attractions. Hurghada, a beach resort just 20 miles north, offers premier scuba-diving sites scattered along the Egyptian coast. Giftun Island, a snorkeling mecca east of Safaga, welcomes tourists for afternoon swim-and-sun packages. The barren but beautiful landscape of the Eastern Desert beckons to those looking to experience Bedouin tribal culture. Luxor and the famed Valley of the Kings, the final resting place of several Egyptian pharaohs, also are accessible through a number of Safaga-based shore excursions.

Language: Arabic     Currency: Egyptian pound (EGP)