Overview
Safaga is a rough-and-ready port town that most people pass through, but if you are a windsurfer or diver, you might want to stop a while to enjoy its turquoise waters and some excellent offshore reefs. However, Safaga's main business, is the export of phosphates and acting as a major local terminal for the ferry to Saudi Arabia – during the hajj, thousands of pilgrims from the Nile Valley set off from here on their voyages to Mecca. The centre of town is an unattractive grid of flyblown, dusty streets, but the resort strip at the northern end of the bay has its sleepy charms.