Holidays in Madinat Coraya

Madinat Coraya is located about 65 km from Marsa Alam City and just 5 km from Marsa Alam International Airport.  The resorts of Madinat Coraya overlook Coraya Bay, an untouched Red Sea paradise renowned for astonishing emerald and turquoise waters. Visitors  can enjoy an unhurried pace and tranquility with first class service against majestic mountain views, a breathtaking sea environment and mystifying reefs set  in  the protected beauty of a nature reserve stretches from Madinat Coraya to Gebel Elba in the south. Madinat Coraya and Coraya Bay in particular are tipped to be the next diving "hot spot".  The whole coastline offers exceptional diving sites as well as an array of sporting activities on land and in the water for those who prefer a more active Egypt holiday experience.  The most immediate attraction of the area is undoubtedly the underwater world of reefs and marine wildlife.
Madinat Coraya is one of Egypt's most peaceful destinations on the Red Sea coast. It’s a truly idyllic getaway and is the perfect base for a relaxing or exciting Egypt holiday.  Aside from its growing reputation as one of the best diving resorts on the Red Sea, Madinat Coraya’s proximity to Luxor makes it an excellent base for trips to the various historical sites inland to the west along the Nile.  However you decide to spend your time, Madinat Coraya will deliver a truly memorable holiday under the Egyptian sun.

About Marsa Alam, until very recently, Marsa Alam was just a small fishing village on the west coast of the Red Sea, but since the opening of International Marsa Alam Airport in 2001, it has become the rising star of Egypt holidays. Many believe Marsa Alam is destined to become even more popular than Sharm El-Sheikh or Hurghada within the next few years.  Marsa Alam has some inland attractions, such as the gold and emerald mines of Ptolemy II, who built a road linking Marsa Alam and Edfu that is still in use today, and the Temple of Seti at Khananis. Wind surfers, scuba divers and sun worshippers have discovered this remote and as yet intimate paradise with its palm trees, mangroves and sea coasts fringed with coral reefs.   Its reputation amongst scuba divers is high because of the numerous unspoilt diving sites with frequent sightings of spinner dolphins, dugongs and hammerhead sharks.

Madinat Coraya Hotels

In Madinat Coraya there are many different Iberotel or Sol-y-Mar hotels and self contained resorts to choose from, all offering first class service in comfortable and relaxed surroundings.  The main attraction of these hotels for many is undoubtedly the pristine beaches and the clear, warm waters of Coraya Bay.    Ideal for Scuba diving or snorkelling, the sheltered calm bay also makes for a great family beach holiday.  The hotels and resorts can also offer a variety of other activities such as beach volleyball, speedball, swimming pools aqua gym sessions as well as a fully equipped health club with sauna, Jacuzzi and massage. 

Having all the facilities you’d ever want on hand, it is possible not leave the resort before the end of the holiday at all, but that would deny you the opportunities for fantastic sightseeing and watersports activities.  Madinat Coraya is one of Egypt's most peaceful destinations on the Red Sea coast where you can have fun with the crowd or simply relax on the private beach or at one of the spectacular swimming pools.  Those who prefer more passive entertainment can join the animation programmes during the day while the kids are looked after in the supervised Kids Club or take in the shows and live music and dancing that are regularly presented in the evenings by experienced and enthusiastic hotel animation teams.

Diving in Madinat Coraya
About 45 kms north of Marsa Alam, Madinat Coraya has easy access to some of the most beautiful diving sites in the southern Red Sea.  Madinat Coraya has everything that Marsa Alam, Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh has, but without the crowds.  It’s also got its own house reef in Coraya bay (Marsa Umm Geirfat) which is a wide spreading, very sheltered bay facing North-East.  This prevents strong currents and high waves from reaching the shores and is why there are beautifully formed reefs at both the northern and southern ends of the bay that can be dived 365 days a year.  Aside from the house reef with its fascinating variety of marine wildlife, including manatees, dugongs and rays, the dive sites of Marsa Alam such as the famous Elphinstone reef and the Dolphin House are easily accessible. The reefs of Madinat Coraya and Marsa Alam are pristine compared with some further north because they are less busy.

Madinat Coraya/ Marsa Alam Dive Sites
Coraya Bay (Marsa Umm Geirfat):  calm and sheltered bay with a wide variety of dive options from day trips by boat to shore based on the house reef. Nitrox is available but you can see a huge amount by sticking to air.  There are three options for diving: directly from a jetty into four metres of water, a zodiac that will take you along either the south or the north wall or a speed boat to various dive sites outside the bay.  The reef bottoms out at around 30 metres, but most of the marine life can be seen at a depth of 18 metres.

Elphinstone Reef:  is an excellent choice if you are looking for sharks (especially the usually solitary oceanic white tip) and divers have reported up to four sightings on a single dive as well as jacks, tuna, black snapper and barracuda.  Legend also has it that a large arch at the southern end of the reef, about sixty metres below the surface, contains the sarcophagus of an unknown Pharaoh and divers have reported a coral encrusted rectangular shape in the area.

Samadai Reef (Dolphin House): this reef is one of the most popular dives in the Red Sea and is also one of the world's most important dolphin habitats with around one hundred spinner dolphins making it their home.  Access to the reef is limited to protect the dolphins and areas are demarcated for dolphins only, for divers only, for snorkellers only and another for mooring boats. Visiting times are also restricted between 10am and 2pm and the number of ticket permits sold is also restricted to 100 snorkellers and 100 divers daily.   The reef itself is crescent shaped with a small lagoon of sand and sea-grass which is rich in marine life including sea horses. 

Madinat Coraya Beaches & Water Sports

Madinat Coraya hotels have their own private beaches exclusively available to hotel guests clustered around the calm and clear Coraya Bay.  Beaches are sugary white sands pierced with straw sunshades fringing sapphire seas and spectacular coral reefs.   The place has an unhurried ambience that matches the soft rhythm of the waves on the beach.  Other water sports are available on the doorstep but the main activity on and in the bay is scuba and snorkelling.  Most hotels offer an array of pool-based watersports, including water polo.  

If it’s more organised and active water sports you’re after, then a trip to Aqua Coraya is a must.   The only water park in the Marsa Alam area, it offers various fun and exciting activities for all ages, with water slides reaching up to a staggering 10 metres high.  Aqua Coraya is a premiere attraction for the entire family, catering for very young ones with its children's slide pool and shorter slides landing in shallow waters. The Free Fall, Kamikaze and Turbo Slides are sure to provide an electrifying experience and for those who dare, there is the Black Hole with its 40 metre slide, the Rafting Slide with heart-pounding drops and dips, the Wide Slide and the Twister Slide with spiralling and twisting flumes. The park is fully staffed with certified lifeguards to ensure safe fun for everyone.

Ancient Egypt From Madinat Coraya

Madinat Coraya is a great base for sightseeing inland.  The little town of Al Quesir is an unspoilt piece of the real Egypt untouched as yet by excessive tourism and about a 45 minute bus ride from the resort. 

Luxor is within easy reach.  It’s often called the world’s greatest open air museum because the number of well preserved ancient monuments throughout the city and its surroundings, Luxor is close enough to make a day trip worthwhile.  Built on the ruins of the ancient city of Thebes, the City of Luxor is on the east side of the Nile with Karnak just to the north and Thebes on the west bank.  It’s a “must see” for any holiday in Egypt to view the Temple of Luxor built by Amenophis III and the Temple of Karnak. Luxor is also within easy reach of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.  

Cleopatra’s Emerald Mines
Madinat Coraya is also close enough for a trip to Mons Smaragdus (Emerald Mountains) of Cleopatra’s Emerald Mines located in the desert between Marsa Alam and the Nile Valley. Emeralds were prized by the ancient Egyptians as symbols of eternity and power and these mines were still productive up to the 14th century. You can still see a number of ruins near around the Emerald Mines, Marsa Alam. The structures are well preserved and still have mine shafts as well as some temple remains.