El Gouna is a tourist resort, developed and owned by Orascom Hotels and Development, dating from about 1990, It is located on the Red Sea in Egypt, 22 km north of Hurghada International Airport.
El Gouna specializes in watersports, including scuba diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing, waterskiing, parasailing and snorkelling. There are two main beaches, Zeytuna Beach located on its own island and Mangroovy Beach. A network of canals allow many houses to have their own strip of beach, even hundreds of metres inland. Most of these canals are crossed by small stone bridges.
There are three centrilized areas in El Gouna, that houses shops, bars and restaurants; - Downtown, Tamr Henna square and the Abu Tig Marina.
Currently boasting 14 hotels (some of which were designed by the American architect Michael Graves) from three star to five stars; a six star hotel is currently under development next to the Abu Tig Marina Extension.
El Gouna hosts a Golf course designed by Gene Bates and Fred Couples.
El Gouna has a fully equipped hospital that can handle many medical treatments including dentistry, plastic surgery, pediatrics, ophthalmology and general surgery. It also features and intensive care unit and a decompression chamber incase of diving accidents. It also has an International school, an Environmental Geographic Information System and a small private airport for charter aircraft. There are also three marinas; - Abydos marina, the Abu Tig Marina and the Abu Tig Marina Extension which is currently in its last phase of construction, which can receive super yachts.
The town also boosts a small museum with some 90 exhibits (including statue replicas and an exhibition hall of contemporary Egyptian paintings by Hussein Bikar) which was opened in 1996.
Other attractions/activities around town are; a small aquarium, a go kart track, a paintball arena, tennis courts, horse stables and a football stadium. It also has a Coptic Church; Church of St.Mary and the Archangels.
