The Summer_in_Egypt
Giftun Island (protected area) Hurghada. It is located 11 kilometres from the beaches of Hurghada. This island consists of sedimentary rocks. The thickness of its sediments reaches 120 meters. Most of them consist of sandy limestone rocks and coral reefs dating back to the Pliocene era, including what dates back to the Pleistocene era, and the height of these reefs reaches 20 metres.
It is noteworthy that Giftun Island is the first natural reserve in the Red Sea. It constitutes a natural habitat for seagulls, as 50% of the seagulls in the world are present and many types of birds and reptiles.
Its distinctive beaches and clear waters distinguish it. The island witnesses the visit of many delegations of Egyptian and foreign tourists and contains the largest meter of diving sites in the Hurghada area and several important fishing places surrounding the island’s waters. Home to several animals, including eagles and gulls
The Giftun Islands are divided into the Great Giftun Island, which is the largest island of the Giftun group, with an area of ​​18 km2, and extends in a longitudinal form at a distance of about 11 km from the coast of Hurghada. It is located in the southeast of the large island of Giftun, with a coastline of 8 km in length and wider in the south than in the north.
Giftun Island has unparalleled economic and tourist importance. It ranks first in terms of tourism importance in the Hurghada region. It contains tourist attractions, represented by the multiplicity of its natural resources and soft sand, and its wonderful beaches. Tourism importance has contributed to enhancing the island’s importance at the level of economics, which is one of the pillars of the Red Sea economy and the national economy.
It is the only island that is allowed to descend on it only and is characterized by its location near the city of Hurghada and its soft sand and surrounding diving sites.
Giftun includes 14 of the most beautiful diving sites in Hurghada, in addition to its many natural resources, starting with fine sand and beautiful beaches.
Many workers in the tourism sector depend on Giftun Island as a main source of livelihood. About 40-60 floaters visit the island daily and receive 188,000 visitors annually, representing 32% of the practitioners of marine activities in Hurghada, and Giftun attracts about 12% of the total visitors.