Hurghada Luxury Sailing Trip to Orange Bay with Lunch — Complete 2026 Guide: Reviews, Price & Full Itinerary

Of all the experiences available from a Hurghada hotel, the luxury sailing trip to Orange Bay is the one most consistently described by returning guests as the day they would most want to repeat. The reasons are straightforward: Orange Bay — a protected beach on Giftun Island within the Egyptian national park system — is simply the most beautiful beach accessible from Hurghada, with water colours that range from pale turquoise in the shallows to deep electric blue in the channel. The sailing vessel is elegant and comfortable, far removed from the crowded motor boats of the standard island tours. And the full-day format — snorkelling, sailing, swimming, kayaking, and a gourmet lunch on the water — provides a quality of experience that no half-day trip can replicate.

The Hurghada luxury sailing trip to Orange Bay price through Hurghada To Go starts from €65 per person — including hotel transfers from any Hurghada resort, national park entry fees, all snorkelling equipment, kayaks, a gourmet Egyptian lunch with soft drinks, and a full day on the water. The sailing boat carries a maximum of 20–24 guests, creating an experience that feels private and spacious rather than crowded and rushed.

What Is the Orange Bay Luxury Sailing Trip?

The Hurghada luxury sailing trip to Orange Bay is a full-day excursion aboard a traditional sailing vessel — a carefully maintained wooden or fibreglass sailing boat designed specifically for Red Sea conditions — combining the journey (itself beautiful) with two snorkelling stops, beach time at Orange Bay, kayaking, swimming, and a gourmet lunch. The boat departs Hurghada marina in the morning, sails south to the Giftun Island National Park, visits two reef sites and Orange Bay beach, and returns to Hurghada in the late afternoon.

The “luxury” distinction is genuine and meaningful. Standard Hurghada island boat trips carry 40–60 guests on motor launches — crowded, noisy, and with a standard Egyptian buffet lunch. The luxury sailing trip carries a maximum of 20–24 guests on a vessel designed for comfort and elegance, with genuine sailing when conditions allow, a gourmet lunch prepared to order, private deck areas, and a crew focused on quality service rather than volume throughput.

Full Day Luxury Sailing Itinerary — Hour by Hour

The luxury sailing trip to Orange Bay is a full day — departing in the morning and returning in the late afternoon. Here is the complete programme:

Orange Bay — The Most Beautiful Beach from Hurghada

Orange Bay (officially part of the southern coast of Giftun Island within the Giftun Island National Park) is consistently rated as the finest beach accessible from Hurghada — and the comparison with other Red Sea beach destinations holds up entirely to scrutiny. The bay faces east, protected from the prevailing northerly winds by the body of Giftun Island, creating a permanently calm, sheltered environment regardless of open-water conditions. The sand is brilliant white and exceptionally fine. The water immediately inside the bay is pale turquoise over the sandy bottom — deepening progressively to the electric blue of the open Red Sea channel beyond the bay entrance.

The name “Orange Bay” derives from the orange-yellow colour of the limestone cliffs at the bay’s southern headland — a geological feature that provides a warm contrast to the white sand and blue water and makes the bay one of the most photographically dramatic beach settings in Egypt. The reef on both sides of the bay entrance provides excellent snorkelling from the shore; the sandy bottom of the bay centre is ideal for swimming, wading, and kayaking.

Snorkelling the Giftun Island Reef — Marine Life Guide

The Giftun Island reef — the snorkelling environment of the Orange Bay luxury sailing trip — is one of the finest snorkelling destinations in the northern Red Sea. Protected within the Giftun Island National Park since 1986, the reef has developed in excellent health — unlike the degraded inshore reefs near the Hurghada hotel zone. Here is what to expect underwater:

The Gourmet Lunch Onboard — What to Expect

The lunch on the Hurghada luxury sailing trip to Orange Bay is not a standard buffet — it is a freshly prepared gourmet Egyptian spread that consistently receives specific mention in guest reviews as one of the highlights of the day. Served onboard while anchored in Orange Bay, the lunch uses fresh ingredients sourced that morning and prepared by the boat’s cook during the sailing crossings:

The lunch is served on deck or at the shaded dining table area depending on the boat design — with the full panorama of Orange Bay visible in every direction. Eating fresh grilled Red Sea fish in the anchorage of Hurghada’s most beautiful beach, with the sail furled and the boat gently rocking in the turquoise water, is one of the finest dining experiences available to any traveller in Egypt.

3-Island Tour Option — Nemo Island, White Island & Orange Bay

The Hurghada 3-Island tour is an extended version of the sailing day — visiting three distinct island and reef sites rather than two, adding Nemo Island (the clownfish reef) and White Island (a brilliant sandbar with shallow snorkelling) to the Orange Bay visit. The 3-island format is better suited to guests who want maximum variety across multiple locations rather than extended time at any one site. Here is the comparison:

Hurghada Luxury Sailing Trip to Orange Bay Price 2026

What Is Included

Luxury Sailing Trip to Orange Bay Reviews — UK Guests 2026

10 Insider Tips for Your Orange Bay Luxury Sailing Day

Tip 2 — Use reef-safe sunscreen. The Giftun Island National Park prohibits chemical sunscreens that damage coral reefs. Reef-safe mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide based) are required — available in Hurghada pharmacies and the boat captain can confirm what is acceptable. Apply before leaving the hotel.

Tip 3 — Bring a waterproof camera or GoPro. The snorkelling conditions at the Giftun reef — 15–20 metres visibility, excellent natural light at the shallow sites, abundant marine life — produce extraordinary underwater photography. A GoPro with a red filter for underwater use (corrects the blue cast at depth) produces the finest results. Clip it to your snorkel strap or use the provided mount on the life jacket.

Tip 4 — The kayaks are the best activity for non-snorkellers. Guests who do not snorkel or who want a break from the water have the kayaks at Orange Bay — exploring the bay edge, paddling to the reef fringe, and viewing the underwater coral from above in crystal-clear water. The kayaks are single and double, stable, and suitable for all paddling abilities. Free unlimited use during the Orange Bay stop.

Tip 5 — Sit on the bow of the boat for the sailing passage. During the sailing sections, the bow is the finest position — the view forward, the sound of the bow wave, and the sensation of the boat’s motion are most vivid at the forward deck. The stern is more stable but less exciting. Children particularly enjoy the bow experience (supervised by crew).

Tip 6 — The gourmet lunch is best eaten on deck in the anchorage. Resist the temptation to eat below decks or under the canopy when in the Orange Bay anchorage. Eating on the open deck with the full panorama of the bay — white sand, turquoise water, the Giftun cliffs, the sail furled above — is the finest setting of any meal during the day. Position yourself on deck before lunch is served.

Tip 7 — Stay at the first snorkelling stop for the full 2 hours. Some guests get back on the boat after 45–60 minutes at the first reef stop, feeling they have seen enough. Those who stay for the full 2 hours consistently report the most interesting encounters — turtles appear later in the session when the disturbance of initial entry has settled, and moray eels become more active as the morning progresses. Stay in the water.

Tip 8 — Seasickness — take precaution if prone. The open-water crossing from Hurghada to the Giftun Island area (approximately 45 minutes in each direction) can be uncomfortable in winter (November–February) when the northerly wind creates wave conditions. Take Stugeron or Kwells the night before and the morning of the sailing trip. Under sail, the motion is more gentle and rhythmic than under power — many guests who experience motion on motor boats find sailing more comfortable.

Tip 9 — Combine with the Cleopatra Spa for a perfect two-activity day. The sailing day returns by approximately 17:00. The Cleopatra Spa accepts late afternoon bookings. Some guests combine the sailing morning with a spa hammam and massage in the early evening — the combination of a day on the water followed by a full body scrub and massage is consistently described as the finest 2-activity day available in Hurghada.

Tip 10 — The light at Orange Bay is best for photography between 11:30 AM and 14:00. The sun is overhead and slightly behind the photographer at this time — producing the finest water colour (the turquoise is most vivid in direct overhead sun) and the clearest visibility through the water for underwater shots taken from the surface.

Frequently Asked Questions — Orange Bay Luxury Sailing Trip