El Quseir
El Quseir (spellings vary: Kosseir, Al Qusair, Quseir, Qusseir, Qosseir; Arabic: القصير el oSēr) is a fishing town 100 km north of Marsa Alam on the Red Sea Coast of eastern Egypt.
Understand
El Quesir is one of the few cities on the Red Sea with some sort of history. It was a crucial harbour for goods from the far east (silk, spices) which got transported with caravans to the Nile. On the way back the caravans brought pilgrims and wheat to ship them to the Arabian peninsula.
The city of around 18,000 people is surrounded by coral reefed beaches, and hotels. We probably live in the early stages of this coast becoming another Sharm. It still retains its charm with the locals, and the hotels are impeccable.
Climate
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- See also: Egypt#Climate
The climate is sunny and very dry. Rainfall is almost non-existent. Summer days are very hot and summer nights are quite hot. Winters are warm with cool nights. It has one of the warmest night temperatures of any city or resort in Egypt.
Get in
There are Buses from the Upper Egypt Bus Company twice a day. From Hurghada and other neighbouring cities you can get the old Peugeot Taxis (shared between 7 passengers) for about LE20. and from Marsa Alam airport.
Get around
It is a pretty small town where you can walk everywhere within half an hour. There are some microbuses as well.
See
The city is an old harbour for pilgrims, goods from far east and trade to the Nile valley.
- 🌍 El Qoseir fortress. Historic fortress enlarged by the French around the turn of century 1800. Entrance around LE15.
Do
The underwater life is very attractive and diverse, with visibility on a calm day about 20 m. The diving and snorkelling is excellent, with a good number of PADI-registered dive centres in the hotels.
- Nemo Tec, 66 El Kornesh, ☏ +20 653336478, +20 122453369. A local one owned by Egyptians.
- Pharaoh Dive Club (Roots Red Sea), KM14, Safaga Road, Abu Sauatir, Hamawein (on the main coast road, north of town.), ☏ +20 1006822000, info@pharaohdiveclub.com. European run club and dive centre. BSAC affiliated, with discounted packages for BSAC members and offers both BSAC and PADI training out of their Roots Red Sea eco-resort north of town. The centre also hosts an array of marine conservation volunteer and citizen science programmes, as well as offering marine biology short taster courses (coral identification, reef surveying etc.) Accommodation on site, from "eco-huts" up to mid-range comfortable bungalows.
Buy
Around the fortress you can find the normal Egyptian souvenirs.
Eat
- There is a good and cheap 'Koshery place at the corniche, north of the old police station.
- Right in front of the Koshary place is a nice and good priced seafood restaurant.
Drink
Tea is the drink to have. It's pretty hard to find any restaurant or shop to buy alcoholic drinks.
Sleep
Budget
- Simon Hotel. Rooms from LE80.
- Sea Princess Hotel (on the southern end of the main road by a gas station). Rooms with shared bathroom, single LE30, double LE50. Rooms with private bathroom & TV, single LE70, double LE100.
Splurge
- 🌍 Radisson Blu Resort El Quseir, Safaga Rd, ☏ +20 653350260. Spectacular views of the Red Sea.
Go next
- Safaga, Hurghada – The Upper Egypt Travel runs two buses a day in this direction (north), 5AM and 10PM. Next to the Upper Egypt Travel Bus Station is the local station where you can find shared Peugeot taxis for LE10 to Safaga and LE20 to Hurghada. The taxi driver might try to convince you to take the special tourist taxi for LE100 to Hurghada.
- Port Ghalib in Marsa Alam, and the high-end resorts, beaches and dive spots along Marsa Alam