Kite Safari in Egypt: What It Is, Prices, and Why It’s the Best Holiday

When is the Kite Safari Season and Weather Conditions

What is a Kite Safari Experience?

Here are our 2 yachts: some are riding, some relaxing on board, others learning in the water

Briefly, a kite safari works like this: You check into the yacht (usually on a Friday). Early the next morning, the ship sets sail for the first island (the organizer decides the route based on the guests' skill levels, wind forecast, tides, etc.).

We arrive at an island, drop anchor, transfer to Zodiac boats, and land on the island. We pump up the kites and start training, riding, or just chilling and enjoying nature. At any moment, you can relax on the island (where food and drinks from the yacht are available) or take a Zodiac back to the ship. There, you can chill in the large saloon with Internet access or rest in your cabin. Everything is air-conditioned with pleasant scents—no sewage smells here.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are on schedule, and snacks are always waiting for you both on the yacht and on the island.

In the evenings—parties, dancing, games, and more.

This continues every day, with transitions between the islands of the Red Sea.

That is a brief description of a kite safari. Now, let’s go into a bit more detail.

Who is a Kite Safari For? Beginners & Pros

Many of our students ask: "Is a kite safari only for those who already ride well?" The answer is: "Absolutely not." A kite safari is for absolutely everyone—whether you want to learn from scratch or already know how to ride. Very often, out of 20 guests on our kite cruise, 15 are complete beginners who have never tried kitesurfing or wingfoiling before.

Adjusting foot straps for a water start lesson with a young beginner

Why is this so suitable and not scary for beginners? The places where we train are ideal and, most importantly, safe for students of all levels. There is steady wind, shallow water, constant sunshine, and fantastic water and sand colors. During kitesurfing lessons and riding, we often fall into the water and lose the board. In shallow water, we simply stand up, grab the board, put it back on, and keep going—instead of struggling and waiting for help in deep water.

It is very hard to find better places for beginners and kitesurfing training than here in Egypt.

What Defines "Ideal Kitesurfing Conditions"

Criteria that make a kite spot in Hurghada ideal:

• Wind – excellent wind strength from 6 m/s to 15 m/s (for beginners) and up to... no limit (for pros).
• Temperature – water between 25-30°C and air between 25-40°C. You can forget about wetsuits and ride in just a t-shirt and shorts.
• Shallow water for kitesurfing (50-100 cm) and deep water for wingfoiling (120 cm and deeper).
• "Flat" water (no chop or breaking waves).
• Beautiful, clean water for riding, without trash or dangerous inhabitants (no Portuguese man o' war, jellyfish, or sharks).
• Lots of open space for riding.

In the photo: an ideal kite spot – an island in Egypt, shallow water, sand, and wind.

If we are talking about a kite safari in Egypt, we have almost everything. The only thing missing is a 100% perfect sandy bottom everywhere. There is almost always a risk of stepping on a shell, so for beginners, footwear is 100% necessary. We haven't seen sharks in the shallow water (and we've been riding here since 2013), nor Portuguese man o' wars or jellyfish.

The Atmosphere: Community, Family, and "The Party"

In the photo: a party on the island during a kite safari in Egypt

The group on the ship means a lot. In fact, if angry, aggressive people obsessed with politics or heavy drinking arrive, the whole point of the kite safari is lost. Since participating in a kite safari isn't exactly cheap and the sport itself implies a certain level, the majority of people on a kite safari are mega-positive, free of political hang-ups, and super friendly.

Hanging out in such a society—during the day on the water, and in the evening after excellent kiting, with a glass of wine and pleasant music, enjoying the jacuzzi or relaxed fishing for squid from the yacht deck—is super pleasant and makes your holiday unforgettable. Thank you to the 99% of such people who join our safaris.

Wind Conditions on a Kite Safari

If there is wind, we ride until we drop and have fun. If there is no wind, we sit on the shore upset and in a bad mood, waiting for it.

The islands where we ride on a kite safari are among the best in the world for wind statistics. It blows much more steadily and densely here than on the mainland. Sometimes we return to Hurghada, and guys there have been waiting for wind all week, while we rode every day on the safari. We kited 100%.

What to Do on No-Wind Days

Does it happen that there is no wind?

In the photo: riding boards behind speedboats. One girl is on a regular kiteboard, the other on a hydrofoil.

Yes, just like everywhere in the world (and we have traveled to many countries, oceans, and continents), there are days without wind. But on a kite safari, this happens very rarely (total zero wind days are scarce). In such times, we don't waste time but engage in activities: wakeboarding behind boats (we always have at least 2 zodiacs), foil riding (hydrofoil), and SUP boarding.

Quite often we play volleyball (we have a net, a ball, and a place to play beach volleyball).

We always have at least one person on the safari who is up for beach volleyball. Usually, it's just for fun, but if we get two pairs for "proper" beach volley, it gets very cool.

In the photo: playing volleyball on a "chill-out" island

Quite often (or guaranteed upon request), we have a diving instructor, so you can just dive for pleasure or get PADI certified.

Standard entertainment includes yoga and fishing (we always have gear for catching fish and squid).

Our Main Goal is Kitesurfing Progress

Besides practical lessons on the water, we conduct theoretical classes and analyze students' mistakes.

In the photo: we are conducting a theory class. Often in the evening, not everyone is ready to sit in a classroom :-), so we keep it short to get back to relaxing fully.

In the evening, on a large screen, we review the material shot by the photographer, work on mistakes, and answer questions from guests and students.

The Yacht: Your Floating Hotel

This is what a high-class yacht looks like on our kite safari.

The ship for a kite safari is a large motor yacht (with 2-3 engines) and a certain number of double cabins (10-20). Some cabins have separate beds, some have large double beds. If you come on a kite safari alone, keep in mind that you might share a cabin (unless you pay for the whole cabin). However, since all safari guests are mega-positive, issues with shared living almost never happen.

This is a standard cabin on a good, mid-range yacht.

Cabins also vary in class—Standard or Master Suite. A Master Suite is larger, with a big bed for two and large windows with a beautiful view. Naturally, Suites cost a bit more.

The entire ship is necessarily equipped with an air conditioning system in all cabins and areas.

One of the main places is the dining area, where 3 times a day you are served very delicious food (an order of magnitude better than in Egyptian hotels).

Remember: the better (newer and larger) the yacht, kitchen, rooms, and cabins, the more it costs the organizer.

A nice addition to relaxing on the yacht is the jacuzzi. What else is there to do with my beauty and my dog but soak in this tub :-)))

What else is there to do with my beauty and my dog but soak in this tub :-)))

We do not use cheap ships where everything is worn out, with torn bedding and unpleasant smells in the cabins. But the choice is always yours: take a cheaper, tired yacht or pay a bit more for a newer one. Both options have their pros and cons.

Activities and Entertainment on Board

Regarding entertainment, I advise you to check our page: Activities and Entertainment on Kite Safari. There are photos and descriptions of what you can do besides kiting.

What to Pack for a Kite Safari

Everything is described in detail in the Kite Safari Conditions. What I would highlight:

• 🩳
  Wetsuit (depending on the month)
• 👟
  Reef shoes / Booties (if you are a beginner, this is mandatory, as there can be pieces of coral or shells in the sand)

If you need alcohol, tell the organizers or bring it with you by buying it at the Duty-Free shop at your departure airport. Alcohol in Egypt is not the best. Also, some yachts do not allow bringing your own alcohol or may ask for a so-called "corkage fee" (a payment for drinking your own bottle).

Be sure to get sports insurance in your country of residence. As the saying goes: "Better safe than sorry".

Best Time for a Kite Safari in Egypt

The peak months for a kite safari in Egypt, with the best wind and comfortable temperatures, are September, October, April, and May.

Large kite schools and organizers run safaris in winter and summer too, but then there is less wind or uncomfortable temperatures.

What Makes Up the Kite Safari Price

It seems to some guys that the cost of a kite safari is very high and that kite schools are making a pile of money. In reality, everything depends on the organizer and what they spend your payments on.

A small calculation for those interested:

Total, roughly for an inexpensive yacht: 20,000 + 4,300 = 24,300 €. With 20 free spots (the dive instructor and masseur might sleep on the deck—it happens :-)—but 6 spots are taken by instructors and staff), it comes out to 1,215 € per guest. This is just the cost for the organizer to pay the yacht owner. This assumes the organizer fills 100% of the spots and no one cancels before the flight. If they miss even 1 person, that equals a loss of 1,215 €; two people — 2,430 €, and so on.

This calculation is rough and can change in both directions, but I think the principle is clear. Also, the guest must remember that besides this price, they separately pay port and service fees (this is 150-200 €, depending on the yacht; the yacht owner collects this).

Service fee — this is what I call "tips" for the yacht crew. Do not confuse this with the kite school staff or organizers. These "tips" are mandatory.

How to Book Your Spot

It is very simple — fill out the kite safari booking form, and the organizer will contact you to agree on cabins, conditions, services, etc. Then, you leave a deposit (depending on the organizer's conditions), buy your flight to Hurghada, and arrive in Egypt on the appointed date.

As soon as you walk out of the airport building, all your worries end. Now it is the organizer's responsibility to meet you, transfer you to the yacht, settle you in, feed you, and take care of you throughout the kite safari.

In the photo: riding kiteboards with our design and waiting for you to visit!

I hope I have explained clearly what we call a kite safari. Have questions? Write, call, I will answer with pleasure, and we will be glad to see you on our kite safaris.