WADI SABARAH
WADI SABARAH
"wadi": the arabic word for valley. Pronounced wa-dee. Our valley takes its namesake from a bedouin woman named "Sabarah".
According to folk tales, she lived & travelled in the valley & around the nearby deserts. the word "Sabarah" in arabic means 'she who has shown patience & endurance'. This was the perfect pairing to our lodge which has been years in the making. Every stone was set with attention to detail, passion & love of nature.
crafted with love & inspired by our surroundings, Wadi Sabarah was born from a deep connection to our environment & the passion for adventure.
We’ve created Wadi Sabarah to share with visitors the unique beauty of our location, just a half-hour drive from Marsa Alam International Airport. Located on a 110-acre beach-side property, and featuring an expansive botanical desert garden, Wadi Sabarah offers you a unique restorative and educational experience where the Eastern Desert and the Red Sea meet.
OUR DESIGN & PHIlosophy
Our lodge has been a work in progress for over a decade. Built with repurposed fossilised coral limestone, Wadi Sabarah was designed in harmony with nature — applying vernacular architecture and academic research to reduce our environmental impact. With a solar grid powering the lodge, and reverse osmosis, filtered water sourced from desalinated seawater, offered in refillable glass bottles in rooms for guests, we are constantly growing our environmental efforts. We would like to thank everyone on our team & our friends for their contributions. We hope one day you’ll call us home.
OUR DESIGN & PHIlosophy
Our lodge has been a work in progress for over a decade. Built with repurposed fossilised coral limestone, Wadi Sabarah was designed in harmony with nature — applying vernacular architecture and academic research to reduce our environmental impact. With a solar grid powering the lodge, and reverse osmosis, filtered water sourced from desalinated seawater, offered in refillable glass bottles in rooms for guests, we are constantly growing our environmental efforts. We would like to thank everyone on our team & our friends for their contributions. We hope one day you’ll call us home.
MEDIA
In this section you can find images of Wadi Sabarah & beyond. We also gathered here some press coverage for your review….find more
MEDIA
In this section you can find images of Wadi Sabarah & beyond. We also gathered here some press coverage for your review….find more
DISCOVER MARSA ALAM
& BEYOND
DISCOVER MARSA ALAM & BEYOND
Our lodge’s location, tucked between desert & sea, is the ideal spring board to discover Marsa Alam whose seas offer up some of Egypt’s best diving spots. This is also the best base from which to venture into the southern reaches of Egypt’s vast Eastern Desert, where gold and emeralds were once mined by the Romans in the barren, mineral-rich mountains just inland. Whether you’d like to spend most of your time underwater, put on an explorer cap in the desert or simply spend a few days taking in the serene landscape, this is the place for you.
GETTING HERE & AWAY
GETTING HERE
& AWAY
Even though Marsa Alam is closer to the Egypt-Sudan border than Cairo, it’s an easy transport away from Cairo, Luxor & Aswan, Hurghada as well as a direct flight away from Europe.
BY AIR. Marsa Alam Airport is approx 67km north of Marsa Alam along the Al Quseir road. Egypt Air has flights from Cairo four days a week, and several European airlines offer direct flights from Milan, Zurich, Prague and others. – Please contact us to arrange an airport transfer.
BY ROAD. Marsa Alam bus station is along the Edfu road. Several buses to/from Cairo via Al Quseir and Hurghada are available. Private transfers can be arranged through the hotel, a van or car can take from 7-9 hours from Cairo or 3 hours from Hurghada. Private transfers from Luxor are seasonal. – Please contact us to arrange private transfer.
WEATHER & SEASONS
WEATHER
& SEASONS
Marsa Alam has something to offer in every season. Your ideal season to visit will depend on your preferred travel itinerary & interests.
Summers (April through October): The temperatures can be hot ranging from 30 degrees Celsius in April to the highest of 40 degrees Celsius in July. Night time temperatures remain cool enough to roam around its stunning beaches. Diving is better suited to the summer season due to the 30°C water and calmer seas. This allows for prolonged dives, easier swimming and exceptional visibility.
Winters (November through March): Although not preferred for diving, winters are the best time to visit Marsa Alam for those who just wish to relax on the beachside. The overall average temperature ranges from the annual low of 18 degrees Celsius in January to 23 degrees Celsius in November.
LODGE
More than a lodge, Wadi Sabarah offers you a home, a nature retreat and an ecological centre in the making. Each room is unique and designed for comfort and peace of mind. Tamarisk, our restaurant and bar, takes you on a different gastronomical journey every day with a serene backdrop of sea and desert. Our resident yogi hosts beachside meditation sessions, private and group yoga classes. Our library, Karen’s Living Room, offers historical and cultural context of the area around us with books, resources and artefacts collected over the years. Dr. Irina’s Desert Garden surrounds the hotel and overlooks the sea providing you with a fascinating walking tour right at the lodge. With a showcase of desert flora of trees, shrubs and medicinal plants collected from different areas and grown on our land, it is a first of its kind in Egypt.
LODGE
More than a lodge, Wadi Sabarah offers you a home, a nature retreat & an ecological centre in the making. Tamarisk, our restaurant & bar takes you on a different gastronomical journey everyday with a serene backdrop of sea & desert. The Oasis yoga shala hosts meditation sessions & multiple styles of yoga classes. Karen’s living room, our library & art showcase, is here to give you historical & cultural context of the area around us with books, resources & artefacts collected over the years. Irina’s desert garden is a project dear to our hearts. Dr. Irina’s botanical gardens surround the hotel & overlook the sea providing you with a walking tour right at the lodge. With a showcase of desert flora of trees, shrubs and medicinal plants collected from different areas and grown on our land, it is a first of its kind in Egypt.
DESERT
Our excursions are set up in remote desert areas as well as right in our backyard. Designed with your well-being and comfort in mind, we carefully choose the most interesting & comfortable locations possible. Under a blanket of stars, join an astro tour. Tread along the path of archeologists by visiting rock art & ancient ruins. Or follow our guides on hiking & walking tours discovering plant life, bedouin journeys, trails & geological wonders along the way. Our aim is to provide a truly memorable experience, ensuring you enjoy the thrill of discovery and adventure as we explore the great diversity of the Eastern desert.
DESERT
Our excursions are set up in remote desert areas as well as right in our backyard. Designed with your well-being and comfort in mind, we carefully choose the most interesting & comfortable locations possible. Under a blanket of stars, join an astro tour. Tread along the path of archeologists by visiting rock art & ancient ruins. Or follow our guides on hiking & walking tours discovering plant life, bedouin journeys, trails & geological wonders along the way. Our aim is to provide a truly memorable experience, ensuring you enjoy the thrill of discovery and adventure as we explore the great diversity of the Eastern desert.
REEFS
In-the-know divers have been heading to Marsa Alam for years, attracted to the Red Sea that offers up some of Egypt’s best diving just off the rugged coastline. Our on-site diving centre “Emperor Divers”, offers tailored trips for experienced divers and training for beginners. With a commitment to small groups and daily ecological presentations, Emperor Divers will help you explore the amazing dive sites of the South Red Sea such as the steep reef walls and sharks of Elphinstone, the National Park of Sha’ab Samadai with its resident pod of spinner dolphins, and hundreds of kilometres of fringing reefs and tranquil coral lined bays; this coastline is full of wonders.
REEFS
In-the-know divers have been heading to Marsa Alam for years, attracted to the Red Sea that offers up some of Egypt’s best diving just off the rugged coastline. Our on-site diving centre “Emperor Divers”, offers tailored trips for experienced divers and training for beginners. With a commitment to small groups and daily ecological presentations, Emperor Divers will help you explore the amazing dive sites of the South Red Sea such as the steep reef walls and sharks of Elphinstone, the National Park of Sha’ab Samadai with its resident pod of spinner dolphins, and hundreds of kilometres of fringing reefs and tranquil coral lined bays; this coastline is full of wonders.
BOTANICALS
About 2000 plants of over 30 desert species are growing in our wadi bed. Irina’s gardens will guide you through Egypt’s wild flora where almost every plant has economic value supporting the life of the local nomads inhabiting the Egyptian deserts. A project dear to our hearts, this garden started in 2017 in cooperation with Dr. Irina Springuel, former professor at the Aswan University, who resides most of the year at the premises of Wadi Sabarah. Dr. Irina’s efforts to collect seeds from the desert and tapping into her network of desert lovers has led to her second garden here at Wadi Sabbara. Most plants in this garden have been used in traditional medicine and its dry specimen is sold in herbal shops.
BOTANICALS
About 2000 plants of over 30 desert species are growing in our wadi bed. Irina’s gardens will guide you through Egypt’s wild flora where almost every plant has economic value supporting the life of the local nomads inhabiting the Egyptian deserts. A project dear to our hearts, this garden started in 2017 in cooperation with Dr. Irina Springuel, former professor at the Aswan University, who resides most of the year at the premises of Wadi Sabarah. Dr. Irina’s efforts to collect seeds from the desert and tapping into her network of desert lovers has led to her second garden here at Wadi Sabbara. Most plants in this garden have been used in traditional medicine and its dry specimen is sold in herbal shops.