Hurghada with kids when the boat doesn’t sail: the Plan B for windy and hot days

Every seaside resort has an article somewhere about what to do with kids on a rainy day. For Hurghada, it would be pointless. According to the 1991–2020 climate normals, around 8 millimetres of rain fall here a year, on average on less than one day. Hurghada climate table

Hurghada’s rainy day is the windy day. And in summer, a second one joins it: the hot day. Both are more common than the brochures suggest, and both hit families especially hard, because almost everything kids look forward to happens on a boat or in blazing sun.

Why the wind stops the boats here

On this coast, the wind comes from the north almost all year round. On average it is strongest in September and weakest in November, but an average says little about any single trip day. Weather Spark More on the coast: The Red Sea in Egypt.

Most of the time, wind just means a rougher ride. On some days, though, it means more. In strong wind, the Red Sea Ports Authority closes Hurghada’s harbour. Shipping and all activities on the water then stop, for small and large boats alike, whatever’s booked. In 2025, for example, this happened in January, February, March and April, each time with waves of three to four metres. SIS · Masrawy, in Arabic

Between “calm” and “closed” lies a wide grey area. Whether a trip on a windy morning goes ahead, switches to a more sheltered destination, or gets cancelled is the operator’s call. There’s no knowing this in advance, only planning for it. Nor is there a fixed season for it: on average the wind is strongest in September, yet the closures mentioned all fell between January and April.

Booking the boat day so a cancellation costs nothing

This is the real Plan B, and it starts before the trip.

Put the big boat day early in the week. Book it for the second-to-last day and get wind, and there’s no replacement slot left. Book it for day two or three, and you can reschedule.

Check the cancellation terms. Many trips can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours beforehand; the exact terms are on the individual booking page. In a place where the wind decides the day, that’s not a minor detail. The island trips compared: Orange Bay & Giftun Island.

Check a wind forecast the evening before. Not to make the call yourself, but to be prepared. If noticeably more wind is forecast for the next day than on the days before it, it’s worth messaging the operator before the kids get woken up at six.

Never on departure day. This is also mentioned in Hurghada with kids, and it applies doubly here: wind delays not just the departure, but also the return.

What works with kids on a windy day

Sorted honestly – not everything that looks like a Plan B actually is one.

Hurghada Grand Aquarium. Indoors, with over 1,200 animals from around 100 species according to the operator, including sharks, rays and sea turtles. Hurghada Grand Aquarium It’s the answer to “but I wanted to see fish today”, and it’s completely unaffected by wind.

The desert in the afternoon. A harbour closure doesn’t affect quad and camel tours, so they are the obvious substitute for a cancelled boat day; trips start from €7.57. It isn’t calm out there, though: in strong wind, sand blows in the desert too, and whether a tour runs is the operator’s call. With small kids, the camel ride is the better part: Desert safari from Hurghada.

El Gouna. Roughly 20 to 25 kilometres to the north, a lagoon town with canals that works well as a half-day trip. On a windy day, it has a particular appeal: the wind that stops the boats in Hurghada is the whole point there, and kids can watch the kitesurfers for hours.

The horse ride on the beach and in the desert. From just under €11 per person, with transfer. Most language versions of the listing say one hour, one says one to three; have the booked duration confirmed. The horse doesn’t need a calm sea.

The souk in El Dahar, in the late afternoon. Short, close by, easy to cut short at any time. What else is there is covered in What to see in Hurghada.

What only looks like a Plan B

The semi-submarine. It’s often seen as a bad-weather option because you sit inside and don’t need to get into the water. But it’s a boat, and if the harbour is closed, it doesn’t go out any more than any other.

Mini Egypt Park and Sand City. Both are good outings, but both are outdoors, the Mini Egypt Park being in Makadi Bay. In strong wind, sand blows around there, and in summer the midday sun beats down. They suit a calm morning better than a windy day.

Luxor or Cairo as a spur-of-the-moment substitute. When the boat day falls through, it’s tempting to do the big trip instead. With kids, that’s not a good idea: the coach example to Cairo is listed in our catalogue at 15 to 20 hours depending on the language version, and for Luxor the local operator HurghadaToGo reckons on four to six hours’ drive each way. HurghadaToGo Days like these are planned with confirmed pick-up and return times, not improvised.

All the trips on land at a glance: Things to do in Hurghada.

The second Plan B day: the heat

In July and August, the average daily highs in Hurghada are around 36–37°C, and individual days get considerably hotter. Hurghada climate table For kids, it’s mainly the midday sun that matters then.

On days like this, the Plan B isn’t the activity, it’s the time of day. Boat trips start in the morning, and that’s their advantage. Desert tours run in the late afternoon and at sunset, and that’s the slot to book in summer. The hours in between belong to shade, the pool and the room.

In spring, there’s a third weather pattern worth knowing about. In Egypt, the Khamsin usually blows in April, occasionally as early as March or as late as May: a hot, dry wind carrying lots of sand and dust from the desert. Such a spell usually lasts only hours, but it can come back. Khamsin On those days, the desert isn’t a substitute either; it’s a reason to stay at the hotel.

When we’d advise against it

Going ahead with a trip just because it wasn’t cancelled. If the operator is running, that’s no promise the return trip will be pleasant. With a child who gets seasick easily, a windy day is the wrong one for a first boat trip. What matters about the boat, the duration and the facilities is covered in Boat trips with kids.

Building the whole week around the boat day. A holiday where everything hinges on a single day is a risky one given this wind. Anyone planning shorter trips rather than one single big day, as described in Hurghada with Kids 6–10, loses less on a windy day.