Kite safari with friends: booking a boat as a group

You can book a kite safari with friends as a group, and Mohamed, who runs the safari in the Red Sea, has a special offer for groups. A week on a yacht suits a crew: everyone sleeps on the same boat, rides the same spot and ends up at the same table in the evening.

I've been on Mohamed's safari several times and have known him for years. The crew takes care of food, gear and picking the spot for the wind. What's left for you as the organiser is the cabins, the deposits and a date everyone can make.

How group booking works

The safari runs 8 days and 7 nights, starting and ending in Hurghada, and the boat heads out to the islands each day depending on the wind. In 2026 it cost €1,250 per person in a twin cabin. That includes full board, drinks (alcohol too), a base on the beach, beach boys who carry and pump up your gear, a rescue boat, and transfers between the airport and the boat.

There is a special offer for groups. Mohamed will confirm the exact terms for your chosen dates. Ask through the form on the kite safari in Egypt page and tell him roughly how many of you there are, which dates you want and how many of you kite.

A booking becomes binding once 50% of the price is paid. The balance is due 75 days before the trip starts.

Cabins: sort them out first

The base price is for a cabin with 2 beds, air conditioning, a fridge, a toilet and a shower. The boat on the most recent trips, M/Y Hermes, has twin cabins and suites. The boat for future dates is confirmed along with the dates, so the layout may differ.

I'd split the cabins before anyone gets payment details. Couples will want a double bed; friends are usually fine with 2 beds. If you end up with an odd number, you have 2 options: ask about a single cabin, or find another friend for the crew.

Money in a group: who pays and when

Organisers tend to worry about 2 things: ending up paying for everyone else, and people dropping out at the last minute. Both get easier when everyone knows the terms from the start. These are the organiser's payment terms for 2026:

Before paying a deposit, ask Mohamed for the current cancellation terms for your booking. Have him confirm the exact deadlines and fees, including which fee applies on each boundary date, and share them with the whole group.

My advice: don't hold a cabin spot for anyone on a promise. Give your friends a date for their deposit and only confirm places once the money is in. Ask Mohamed whether each person can pay their own deposit, so you don't have to collect and forward everyone's money. And say it out loud before anyone books: whoever cancels pays their own cancellation fee.

On top of that, a marine park and marina fee plus a tip for the crew are paid on site, €100 to €150 per person in total. Mohamed confirms the exact amount with the dates. Flights to Hurghada, the visa and travel insurance that covers kiting (which the organiser recommends) aren't included. When you pick insurance, check whether it also covers trip cancellation, for example if you get ill.

For the full breakdown of what is and isn't included, see how much a kite safari costs.

A mixed group: beginners, riders and non-kiters

It's rare for everyone in a group to be at the same level. I'd first find out who needs an instructor and who can ride independently, then put the numbers for each group in the enquiry. What matters to me in a course is learning to ride safely and handle problems on the water. Getting your first ride isn't enough. In his review on the organiser's site, Jan Procházka appreciated the shallow spots where riders of different levels could enjoy themselves.

The favourite spot is Tawila: a huge turquoise lagoon, steady wind of 15-25 knots (8-13 m/s), shallow water and a sandy bottom. Visits need to be arranged in advance, and there is an entrance fee. The smaller island of Abu Mungar has a calm, shallow lagoon that the organiser recommends for beginners and trick training.

The boat anchors off the island, and the beach boys help you launch and land your kite. Beginners learn with an instructor. Depending on conditions, independent riders can join a downwinder organised by the crew, riding with the wind between islands. Check with the instructor or crew beforehand whether that particular crossing suits your skills.

Beginners in the group

Anyone starting from scratch can take the 6-day intensive course on board for €600 including gear. If someone has ridden before but hasn't been on a board for a while, there's a refresher course: 3 hours for €180 or 6 hours for €330. Renting a full set of gear costs €300 for 6 days; a twin-tip board alone is €60.

In April 2024 we took 8 beginners with us. We spent the first 2 days at Geisum in a kind of training camp. Day 1 looked tough. By the middle of day 2, everyone was riding, and then we moved on to Ashrafi. Don't take that as a promise that your group will go the same way: it depends on the wind, the instructor and each person. For a kite safari with beginners, I'd arrange the course in advance.

Friends who don't kite

People who don't kite at all can come on board too. Mohamed says it plainly: "Beginners and Non-Kiters are welcome on-board." If your partner doesn't kite, they can use the included snorkelling gear or try wakeboarding behind the boat. Diving costs €50 per 45-minute dive and a 45-minute massage is €35.

Picking a date everyone can make

There were 4 trips scheduled for 2026: 11-18 April, 22-29 May, 10-17 October and 7-14 November. As of 18 October 2026, the next trip is 7-14 November; check availability through the form on the safari page. The kite safari dates for 2027 haven't been published yet. They're coming soon, and you can ask to be notified through the form.

According to the NASA POWER model, average wind at 10 m near Hurghada is strongest from June to September, around 13-14 knots (about 7 m/s), and weakest from November to February, around 10-11 knots (5-6 m/s). It's a coarse-grid model, not the wind on the beach, and the local thermal wind is often stronger. If you have non-kiters along, temperature matters too: the same model puts April and November at around 24 °C on average, and May and October at around 27 °C. You'll find the Hurghada spot and the safari islands on the kite spot map.

Start choosing your dates early. The balance is due 75 days before departure, so for a mid-April trip that's the end of January. By then everyone in the group should have paid both the deposit and the balance.

Pulling the group together

A date poll in the group chat can take longer than the safari itself, so I'd go straight in with a concrete proposal and this list:

• A group contact. A designated person talks to Mohamed through the form; everyone else goes through them.
• The same information for everyone. Send your friends the safari page and what to expect on a kite safari, so they don't all ask the same questions.
• A group sheet. Name, who they share a cabin with, whether they ride on their own or are starting out, whether they want a course or rental gear, and what they eat. Vegetarians needn't worry: Daniela Kohnová wrote in her review that vegetarians would be well looked after too.
• A deposit deadline. A specific day by which everyone pays. Whoever misses it frees up the spot for someone else.
• Fly together. If you can, all fly on the same flight. The airport transfer is included, and arriving together makes things easier to organise.