Giftun Island
A Slice of Red Sea Light
Off Hurghada’s coast, the water turns to glass and the sand to silk. Giftun Island rises low and pale from the sea—nothing grand, just a ribbon of powder-white shore, a line of turquoise shallows, and reefs that begin almost at your toes. The desert ends; the color begins.
Boats moor in blue so clear the anchors seem to hang in air. Wade a few steps and the sea opens: dancing ripples on bright sand, coral heads like miniature gardens, quick flashes of butterflyfish and parrotfish grazing in sunlight. Farther out, the reef edge drops away into cobalt, and the Red Sea takes a deeper breath.
Giftun isn’t about doing much. It’s soft landings and barefoot hours—swim, dry in the breeze, repeat. Snorkel guides trace easy loops over coral patches; kids spot rays ghosting along the shallows; the boat crew calls you back for lunch and another unhurried hour of light and water.
Experience It
This is part of a protected marine area, and it shows. The beach is clean, the water startlingly clear, and the reef close enough to feel like a living shoreline. Care is simple: float, don’t stand; hands off coral; reef-safe sunscreen; take only memories. The sea gives more when you touch less.
Days follow a rythm. Morning sail from Hurghada → first snorkel stop over a calm garden reef → land on Giftun’s beach for swimming and lazing → simple lunch aboard or at a beach camp → second snorkel or a drift over sandy lanes → unhurried ride back with the sun slipping west.
Bring along a light long-sleeve or rash guard, hat, and sunglasses (the glare is real). Water shoes if you like gentle footing over shell bits. Dry bag for phone and a towel that actually dries fast. Mornings for brighter color; late afternoons for softer gold.
Experience a paradise island.
