Hamata & Wadi Lahami, Egypt

About Hamata & Wadi Lahami

Hamata sits in Egypt's deep south, roughly two and a half hours by road from Marsa Alam, on a stretch of Red Sea coast where the desert simply runs into the water. There is very little here — a handful of resorts and kite camps, mangroves upwind, three reef islands offshore, and no town to speak of. That emptiness is the point.

The lagoon is enormous, shallow and startlingly clear; riders describe it as kiting in an aquarium. A vast standing area makes it one of the best places in Egypt to learn, and the water stays flat to lightly chopped, flattest at low tide. Reefs protect the bay and reward caution. Notably, and unusually for this coast, there are no sea urchins.

Hamata records some of the best wind statistics in Egypt. The most reliable windows are roughly May to June and September to mid-October, with strong but slightly less consistent wind from November through March; July and August blow thermally in punishing 45°C heat. Nine and twelve metre kites cover most of it. Come for the water and the diving on the reefs — not for restaurants or nightlife, of which there are effectively none.

When to go

Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October.

Kite areas

3 distinct riding areas documented within this destination.

• El Naaba

  Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October.

• Hamata

  Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October.

• Lahami Bay

  Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October.