Marsa Nakari Village

If you like to dive or snorkel and you want to escape the horrors of places like Hurghada or so called luxury resorts, you have to go to Marsa Nakari. It is one of the 3 eco resorts from Red Sea Diving Safari. It is a beautiful laid back place, it has in front a great house reef, and in the back the desert mountains. We slept in a tent which was really nice, but you can also choose for a room. The staff is great, from the housekeepers to the dive instructors. It looks like they all get along very well, and they really try to make your stay as good as possible. They are very concerned with the environment and the health of the reefs, and offer you very nice trips close to Marsa Nakari. And on top of that all, the food is great! We had a wonderful time. Henk and Elisabeth

We stayed a week in each of the 3 eco villages: Shagra, Nakari and Lahami. In each place the staff were helpful and friendly, but Nakari gave us the best experience. There was a warmth and camaraderie about the place that made the whole experience incredibly enjoyable. Dive staff - we are snorkellers, and all dive staff did their best to accommodate us on excursions and chatted to us about our experiences. (You can sometimes be treated as secondary to divers in some resorts.) It was casual but effective. All were great but Monty, Mustapha and Mahmoud made a big difference. And we felt safe and confident with Mahmoud, one of the boat captains. He efficiently battled high waves and spotted and steered around the dolphins. Katy was great to talk to, knowledgeable and helpful in identifying fish. Other staff - Ahmet the accommodation manager was informative and helpful (no point in saying 'friendly' as they all were), the guy in Reception so cheerful and interesting, doing his best with the crazy wifi slips of paper, the cafe guy and waiters and the chefs were all brilliant - I know I am gushing, but their positive attitude made such an impact on us. Snorkelling - the house reef is less interesting than Shagra and I think the coral is less colourful than five years ago, but the bay is still full of great creatures, especially the South side. We saw shoals of juvenile barracuda, a lot of porcupine fish (larger ones outside the bay), trevallies chasing *****ed mackerel, several blue spotted sting rays, a white tipped reef shark and a beautiful group of scrawled filefish - plus all the other usual suspects. Accommodation - we stayed in a chalet, which was fine. Great shower, room cleaned properly every day, kettle with coffee and tea, functioning a/c. Food - a highlight. Usually a selection of beef, chicken and fish plus pasta, a range of salads and vegetables, different types of bread and incredible puddings. Fruit, rice, eggs and beans for breakfast. The best night was a barbecue with chicken and kofta. All the grilled fish was good. And thank you for the football! (NB there is construction happening at the top end of the site that looks as if it will be there for a while. It was occasionally intrusive but did not detract from our holiday.)

Unfortunately our Trip to Marsa Nakari Village was not the best experience. The Staff was nice, the accommodation was OK and the food was good. Some other things where quite annoying: For example the many construction sites or the lack of adequate English of the staff, who often know only the most common English phrases and can’t help with problems. The Diving Equipment seemed worn in many cases: for example I could not get a diving jacked without holes in their pockets (I tried three!), so I always feared to loose my two additional lead weights. Another thing is the advertising of “eco diving”, “environmental activism” and “sustainable tourism”, which may be true to a certain point compared to other companies of the region. But when you here the sound of the giant diesel generators for producing energy, see the amount of water that is used to water all the ornamental plants and observe the ongoing structural growth of the villages with their increasing buildings, you cannot deny that this is the opposite of “sustainable”. The environmental Impact of RSDS is not contemporary for the 21.th century any more and you should do better. But the main point of a trip like this is the house-reef-diving and here Nakari has a major problem: The house reef is not healthy. More than 60% of the corals are dying or already dead, there is heavy sedimentation, brown algae and cyano bacteria everywhere. Because of the ecological problems many of the fishes and other non-sessile animals are gone and the reef seems barren and empty. Questioned about this the staff told me that there has ben a catastrophic flood some months before, which explains at least the sedimentation and the very bad sight. Of course I cannot blame Nakari for such an event caused by nature. But what I CAN blame is the lack of honest communication: Everybody there knows about the bad condition of the house reef… expect the clueless diving tourists when they arrive. We where forced to book tours every day and we compensated our frustration by making day tours to Marsa Shagra. The house reef of Shagra is healthy, beautiful and exactly what you want, if you are searching for convenient shore-to-shore diving in healthy nature. Of course these tours raised our costs and what I find especially frustrating is, that Marsa Shagra village belongs to the same company, so one would think, they can make better arrangements. In my opinion Red Sea Diving Safari should have been more honest in communication. They should have hinted to the bad condition of their house reef beforehand and should have offered some kind of compensation: For example free trips to better diving locations, which are sometimes only minutes away. Or they honestly should have recommended Marsa Shagra or Wadi Lahami which, as I said, belong to the same company.

"If you're looking for an unforgettable diving experience, look no further than Marsa Nakari Village. With its helpful staff, pristine cleanliness, exceptional service, and breathtaking natural surroundings, this resort embodies hospitality and warmth. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves diving. The accommodations are not only beautiful but also cozy, making it the perfect retreat after a day of underwater exploration." See you next year - can't wait 🫶🏻 "Teacher Line"

Holy moly, it was such a good experience, first of all the people working here were very nice and helpful. The diving experience was amazing and the equipment just as good. The food was so great, I have not eaten that much food in a long time. Over all a really fun and joyful experience.

Holy guacamoley what a trip this was where should i even start? Well first of all, The personel was so kind and always ready with a good laugh. The reef was also so amazing. So if you’re looking for a fantastic diving resort this is The place! 🐫🐫

That was our second time in Marsa Nakari and the most enjoyable it was. Many staff members recognized us from last year and we felt welcome. The upgrades to the cafeteria and diving areas were super, with much more space in both/ We have been to Marsa Shagra several times, and we now prefer Nakari. There were some diving groups, but they were very friendly and we were not at all left out because we were only three. The trip booking went fine. We also did a day trip to Luxor: a super English-speaking guide, and it was good to see the spectacular sites there again. The crew was superb as always, and we thank Mahmoud for his warm welcome. The crew succeeds in making diving and snorkeling lots of fun; what would one wish for more? The restaurant was at its best and every meal was delicious. In the luxury chalet, the shower booth is a welcome addition. The attention to cleanliness at the cafeteria and restaurant toilets is superb: very important. a great week at the end of the year it was and we will be back!

We visited as part of a trip visiting both Marsa Shagra and Nakari. It is much quieter and smaller than Marsa Shagra which has its pros and cons. The dive shade is much less busy, staff are much more friendly and attentive, the overall vibe is much calmer. Food options are much more limited though (no vegan milk for example), and toilets and showers aren’t cleaned as frequently as Shagra. The house reef is less interesting than Shagra but there are nice excursions available. If we came back we would stay in a tent as our royal tent was not on the beach and very close to the toilets and the walkway going to the restaurant which meant we could hear everyone walking back at night.

We returned to Marsa Nakari after a 13 year absence and spent two fabulous weeks diving the local reefs and generally chilling out (as much as one can chill in 35°c!). The centre has upgraded many of the key parts of the operation but has managed to keep the feeling of simplicity that us what we love about it. The dive centre has a huge shaded area with individual lockers for each diver, BIG rinse tanks and individual hanging/drying facilities for suits and bcds. It's a very short walk across the beach to the jetty and shore dive entry point. Local dives can be shore-shore or a zodiac will take you out and drop you at an appropriate distance. Longer trips are available and use one of two big ribs fitted with botle racks. Things have changed in terms of cost for the non home reef dives, so be prepared to pay for more distant destinations. The dives are "zoned" A-C and are charged accordingly. Nitrox is available at €2 per fill, order the day before to ensure there are sufficient tanks. The dive centre staff are just fantastic- very helpful, knowledgeable and multi lingual and there's full rental available if needed. Be aware that things like batteries aren't easily available- buy at the airport but be aware that C and D cells aren't sold at airports either! The cafeteria area has also been upgraded - and its the only place with wi-fi. On that subject, wi-fi is charged according to the amount of air time you want. A week costs €20, 10 hours is €5. Not unreasonable and its a stable connection. Restaurant: buffet style but with a number of staff to bring drinks, clear plates etc. All very friendly and generally lovely! The kitchen is headed by Chef Waheed who is usually found checking that the guests are happy with the food. There's a good variety of things to tempt the taste buds, plenty of vegetarian options and pasta as well. Food hygiene is clearly taken very seriously here. Rooms: we stayed in a deluxe chalet with air con, tea and coffee facilities and a fridge. The rooms are simple, comfortable and the bathrooms now feature a proper shower cubicle with a very very good shower. Diving: the home reefs are showing signs of coral bleaching due to high water temperatures (30°-31°c even down at 25 mtrs) but are still spectacular- especially the South side. Dolphin House lived up to its name with a pod of 40 or so Spinners, we found a resident Reef Whitetip Shark on the south side, fish life is very healthy and includes Leaf Fish and Sea Moths in the sand channel. All in all a fab place to go. Do it!!