When we started our kite school in Egypt back in 2004, El Gouna was a small tourist town where barely anyone had heard of kitesurfing. Today it’s one of the best kite destinations in the world — and that’s no accident. Here’s everything you need to know before you pack your kite bag and head out.
Where Is It?
El Gouna sits on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, about 25 kilometres north of Hurghada. It’s a private resort built around a network of lagoons and canals — think Egyptian Venice, but with palm trees and constant wind.
From Hurghada airport (HRG) it takes about 30 minutes to reach us. Plenty of charter flights from Europe fly here, so getting to El Gouna is easy and relatively affordable. Direct flights from many European cities take around 4–5 hours.
How to Get from the Airport
We offer our own transfer from Hurghada airport for 35–40 €. A driver will be waiting for you at the airport with a “Kitepower” sign — no searching for taxis, no haggling. You simply get in and 30 minutes later you’re on the beach.
If you prefer going on your own, Uber works in Egypt and from Hurghada to El Gouna it’ll cost just a few dollars. Regular taxis are also an option, but be prepared to negotiate the price.
Details about transfers and arrival can be found on our contact page.
The Lagoon — The Heart of the Spot
And this is the main reason kitesurfers keep coming here. Our lagoon in the north of El Gouna is 2–3 kilometres long and about a kilometre wide. Depth? From 40 centimetres to chest height on an adult. The bottom is sandy with no dangerous coral near the shore.
What does that mean in practice? When you fall (and you will fall — that’s part of the deal), you simply stand up. No swimming, no panic, no searching for your board in three-metre waves. That’s why people learn to ride here faster than anywhere else.
We’ve divided the lagoon into three zones — a teaching zone for beginners, a zone for independent riders, and a zone for wingfoil and hydrofoil. This way nobody gets in anyone else’s way and beginners can learn undisturbed.
A rescue boat is on the water all day, so if anything happens, help arrives within a minute. More about our spot on the spot page.
Wind — When and How Much
This is question number one from everyone visiting for the first time. So here’s an honest breakdown of the wind in El Gouna:
January–February: The coldest months (although “cold” here still means a pleasant 18–22 °C). The wind doesn’t blow every single day — count on about 5 out of 7 days. You’ll need a full wetsuit. But — and this is important — there are very few people. The lagoon is empty, instructors have time to focus on you, and accommodation prices are the lowest of the year. For someone who’s in no rush and wants peace and quiet, it’s the ideal time.
March: It starts to warm up, a shorty wetsuit is enough. The wind is more consistent. A great month for a kite holiday.
April–June: Warm weather, boardshorts are enough. The wind blows almost constantly. It gets busy around Easter, but otherwise it’s a relaxed vibe.
July: I’ll be honest here — the wind blows but sometimes switches off for a day or two. And without wind, it’s 40 °C, which isn’t exactly comfortable. On the flip side, there are very few people because Europeans are on holiday elsewhere. If you don’t mind a few windless days, you’ll have the lagoon almost to yourself.
August–October: The best kite season. The wind blows reliably, the weather is beautifully warm. People start arriving from mid-August and by September–October it’s packed. Book in advance.
November: Still a good season, it starts to cool down to shorty wetsuit territory.
December: Transition to full wetsuit. Quiet until Christmas, then holiday guests arrive.
Accommodation — Where to Stay
El Gouna offers accommodation ranging from simple apartments to luxury hotels. Prices range from roughly 50–500 € per night, so there’s something for everyone.
A few tips from us:
Hotels by the lagoon: Ideal if you want to be as close to the kite spot as possible. You wake up in the morning, walk to the beach, and you’re off. There are both four-star resorts and smaller boutique hotels.
Downtown El Gouna: A more affordable option with good access to restaurants and nightlife. Getting to the spot takes 5–10 minutes by tuk-tuk.
Apartments via Airbnb: Best value for money, especially for longer stays or groups. El Gouna has plenty of apartments with pools, terraces and kitchenettes.
How to choose: We recommend Booking.com or Airbnb — you get a clear view of prices, reviews and easy booking. Everything in El Gouna is reachable within 10 minutes by tuk-tuk, so you don’t necessarily need to be right by the lagoon.
Getting Around El Gouna
You won’t get lost in El Gouna. The main mode of transport is the tuk-tuk — a small three-wheeled vehicle that takes you anywhere in town for about 1 €. A regular taxi costs around 2 €. Uber works here too.
Many people rent bikes or scooters — El Gouna is compact and flat, so you can get anywhere by bike in minutes.
What to Do When There’s No Wind
Even during the best season, the wind can drop for a day or two. No tragedy — you won’t be bored in El Gouna:
- Snorkelling and diving — The Red Sea is one of the best places in the world for diving. Boats head out daily from El Gouna to coral reefs.
- Wakeboarding — The lagoon also offers wakeboarding, so you get your adrenaline fix even without wind.
- Golf — El Gouna has an 18-hole golf course. Seriously.
- Downtown and Marina — Restaurants, cafes, shops, pools. Live music and bars in the evening.
- Day trips — Luxor (a full-day trip to pharaonic temples), Giftun Island (a paradise island for snorkelling), desert safari on quad bikes.
- Coworking at our centre — We have a glass-walled air-conditioned room with a view of the lagoon. So if you need to work, you can do it while watching kites. You won’t find a better office.
Our Restaurant
Right at our beach, we have a restaurant serving Mediterranean and international cuisine. Fresh food, cold beer, lagoon views. You sit in the sand, watch the kites, and eat fresh fish. In the morning you have breakfast, a light lunch during the day, and in the evening you relax with a glass of wine at sunset.
Details on our restaurant page.
Why El Gouna and Not Another Spot?
Let’s be fair — there are other kite destinations out there. Tarifa, Zanzibar, Brazil, Dakhla. Each has something going for it, but none has everything. El Gouna does. Here’s why:
Shallow lagoon. Most world-class spots have deep water, waves, or both. El Gouna has standing-depth water with a sandy bottom. For learning, it’s unmatched.
Close to Europe. 4–5 hours of flying from most European cities. No layovers, no 12-hour flights. You board a plane on Friday afternoon and by Friday evening you’re on the beach.
Infrastructure. El Gouna isn’t some remote stretch of sand with a single shack on the beach. It’s a modern town with hotels, restaurants, a hospital, supermarkets. Your non-kiting partner won’t be bored.
Safety. El Gouna is a gated resort with its own security. It’s one of the safest places in Egypt.
Price. Compared to Tarifa or Cape Verde, Egypt is significantly cheaper — accommodation, food, transport, everything.
Kitepower El Gouna — Why Us
We’ve been operating since 2004, making us one of the longest-running kite schools in El Gouna. In 2016, we moved to the north of El Gouna — the last kite base on the lagoon, where you have unlimited downwind space.
We have over 250 kites and 70+ boards of all sizes (from 2.5 to 21 m²). We’ve been the exclusive partner of Flysurfer since 2009 and Levitaz since 2015 — so you ride on the best equipment available.
We speak 7 languages (Czech, English, German, Arabic, Italian, Russian, Polish) and during peak season we have up to 25 instructors. The fact that 80–90% of our customers come back probably speaks for itself.
You can find all our kite courses on our website, and if you have any questions, just reach out via contact.
Practical Tips to Wrap Up
- Visa: EU citizens need a visa for Egypt, purchased at the airport upon arrival for about 25 USD.
- Currency: Egyptian Pound (EGP), but euros and dollars are accepted almost everywhere. ATMs are readily available in El Gouna.
- Insurance: Travel insurance covering water sports is a must. Most standard policies cover kitesurfing, but double-check yours.
- What to bring: High-SPF sunscreen (the sun here is no joke), sunglasses, water shoes (there are occasional shells on the beach).
- SIM card/Internet: You can buy an Egyptian SIM card at the airport for a few dollars. WiFi is commonly available in hotels and restaurants.
El Gouna isn’t a place you visit once. It’s a place you keep coming back to. And that’s not a marketing phrase — just check our references to see how many people are here for the second, third, or tenth time.
See you at the lagoon.