What's the weather like in Marsa Alam in January?
Marsa Alam is a town located in the southeastern part of Egypt and on the western shore of the Red Sea. Marsa Alam is known all over the world for its diving sites.
January in Marsa Alam is winter time. Winter, however, comes without the rain and the snow that you may expect in Great Britain. In fact, don't expect any extreme cold weather, nor rainfall in Marsa Alam at all! The daily average temperature is a pleasant 18°C, which is as cold it gets in the resort in the entire year. The minimum nighttime temperature in January is 13°C and the maximum daytime temperature is 23°C. Both numbers are the lowest in the year, which gives you an idea of how warm this part of the world actually is. They remain essentially constant throughout the monthanuary 13 is the 'coldest' day of the year. Diving is not recommended during winter because of the choppy seas, though, but averaging 23°C this month, the sea temperature is definitely comfortable enough for a swim. The same sea temperature is recorded in February and March as well.
Rainfall is virtually non-existent in the resort all-year round and January is no exception. Precipitation is observed on only one day in the entire month, but the total amount of rainfall doesn't even reach 1mm. The resort is bone-dry in Januarynd in the rest of the year as well for that matter.
The length of the days in January remains pretty much constant, with only a 20-minute increase in the course of the month. January 1 is the shortest day of the month with 10.34 daylight hours; January 31 is the longest with 10.58 hours of daylight. When it comes to cloud cover, all January days are mostly clear. The percentage of cloud cover decreases from 38% to 32% in the course of the month.
In terms of sunshine, January is the second least sunny month of the year, together with November. This doesn't mean that it's a dark month thoughhere are still 10 glorious hours of sunshine per day (out of less than 11 hours of daylight!). A typical day in January is extremely sunny, as is the case for every single month of the year in this resort. Only December is less sunny with its 9 sunshine hours.
Located thirty kilometres from the Marsa Alam International Airport is the Hilton Marsa Alam Nubian Resort. As the name implies, this beachfront hotel has interior Nubian designs. It also has lovely rooms, complimentary breakfasts and direct access to the beach. It's an all-inclusive resort, its desert surroundings making it a true oasis. The lobby features a beautiful stained-glass dome, while the Souk Café is the place to go to smoke a shisha pipe. There are a restaurant, fitness centre, no less than four swimming pools, a few pool bars and an Arabic coffee bar as well.
Hit the beach
One of the most popular beaches in the area is found in Abu Dabbab Bay. This beautiful bay consists of a great beach and shallow wade-in waters. Often busy, the beach lies close to some of Marsa Alam's luxury resorts. The biggest attraction in this area, however, is the dugongs that live in the bay. You can simply walk into the water and start exploring the fringing reefs in the company of these rare sea cows. To enter to beach, you need to pay a fee, but this gives you access to the parasols and beach chairs. There's a snack bar and toilets as well.
Eating and drinking out
The Wunder Bar is one of the most popular restaurants and bars in Marsa Alam. This busy sports bar and grill serves food throughout the day, from breakfast over lunch to dinner. In the evening, live music livens up the placet stays open until late at night and is definitely recommended if you're looking for a fun night out.
Things to do
Due to sea conditions it is best to stick to being on land during your winter stay in Marsa Alamwimming in the Red Sea is, however, possible year-round. Do not be disappointed, though, because there's plenty to see and do, including a visit to the Emerald Mines (Mons Smaragdus). Queen Cleopatra loved the gems so much that she gave the mines her name. The Emerald Mines is one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt and is believed to be also one of the oldest mines in the world. The Emerald Mountains are found in the hills south of Marsa Alam.
Another historically significant site that should not be missed is the Temple Seti I in Kanais between Edfu and Marsa Alam. The temple, cut from rock and built by Pharaoh Seti I, is situated in Kanais and can be found along the desert road leading to Marsa Alam. You can only view the temple entrance because the interior is kept off from tourists. Also near the temple are an ancient well and the ruins of a Roman fort.
