Roots Red Sea is a small friendly resort in El Quesir. Those scuba divers and snorkellers looking for a quiet, relaxed atmosphere will love the can do attitude of this British run team. Roots "camp" is anything but basic, with a variety of accommodation and modern facilities. Getaway from it all and let the experienced owners Steve and Clare show you just what makes this corner of the Red Sea so special. Recharge your batteries without any animation to disturb the peaceful ambience. Chose from 3 distinct room grades to create your own ideal holiday. The deluxe chalets are most popular with our guests, as the perfect combo between comfort and budget, with air con, en suite, Tv and fridge. The eco huts deliver value for money, with a basic room option, ceiling fan and shared facilities. Or upgrade to the superior boutique rooms, for extra space and full in room facilities. Stay on a B&B basis, half board or full board. The public area facilities at Roots are charmingly rustic. A traditionally built reception welcomes guests with inspirational architecture. The chill out lounge and bar providing a quiet haven for relaxing and additionally serves refreshments to the fresh water pool just outside. Across the courtyard lies the main restaurant serving sumptuous meals for the guests. The kitchen team are happy to cater for most dietary needs. Outside the restaurant is the Terrace, where the evening buffet is served most of the year. Just a short walk away is the Roots private beach on Abu Sauatir Bay. Here you will find all you need to while away the hours: sun loungers; parasols, toilets, showers and the Beach Bistro where lunch is served each day.
The Deluxe Chalets all sit on the side of the desert mountain backdrop with stunning views of the Red Sea directly in front of them. The construction is local red stone, timber framing and a thatched roof offering a clean modern room. Inside the chalet there is a separate en suite toilet and shower room, independent modern split unit air conditioning, LED satellite TV with 20 European channels, mini fridge, keypad room safe and a smoke alarm.
At the top of the resort there are seven individual Boutique Rooms constructed completely in local red stone with an ornamental brick roof. These rooms offer the same specification as the Deluxe Chalets with separate large en suite facilities and generally a larger floor area. Double or single options
The Eco Huts are constructed with natural materials blended with a modern contemporary interior. The structure is a mixture of local red stone, thatched roof and woven reed exterior walls all creating a harmonious blend of Egyptian culture. The modern clean washing and toilet facilities are situated just 20 meters away across the courtyard, with separate facilities for ladies and gents.
The guest rooms at ROOTS RED SEA are designed to suit all visitors, from the basic Eco Hut with the minimum of private facilities; through the Deluxe Chalets on the hillside offering a modest size room with all the home comforts including en suite toilet and shower, independent air conditioning and heating ; to the stone built Boutique Rooms at the top the camp offering family sized rooms with full facilities.
For British nationals the FCDO currently advises against all but essential international travel to Egypt at the moment. We expect this to change soon.
Many other countries already consider it safe for their nationals to visit Egypt.
Since 1 July, the Egyptian government has permitted international flights to and from Egyptian airports. Some airlines are imposing special requirements, such as the wearing of face masks. You should check with your airline before you travel.
From 1 September, all persons (including those who hold Egyptian nationality) arriving from overseas, to any part of Egypt, will be required to present a negative PCR test certificate on arrival. The Egyptian authorities have advised that PCR tests must be conducted no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Egypt.
Passengers from all countries will have temperatures observed, will be required to complete a monitoring card with personal details, and will need to provide confirmation of valid health insurance policy to airport authorities.
You have to complete this form online before you arrive in the UK from any country:
Form to provide your journey and contact details before you travel to the UK
If you're returning to the UK, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days
Updated 01SEP2020
The Red Sea is between 4-5 hours flying time direct from the UK. Scuba Travel have over 20 year's experience in the Red Sea and have carefully selected a fleet of luxury liveaboards and superb hotels that meet our exacting standards.
Explore the sheer beauty of the Red Sea on a Red Sea liveaboard from North to South. Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada and El Gouna are popular resort locations, whilst Marsa Alam, El Quesir and Hamata are perfect for those looking for quiet escapism.
For British nationals the FCDO currently advises against all but essential international travel to Egypt at the moment. We expect this to change soon.
Many other countries already consider it safe for their nationals to visit Egypt.
Since 1 July, the Egyptian government has permitted international flights to and from Egyptian airports. Some airlines are imposing special requirements, such as the wearing of face masks. You should check with your airline before you travel.
From 1 September, all persons (including those who hold Egyptian nationality) arriving from overseas, to any part of Egypt, will be required to present a negative PCR test certificate on arrival. The Egyptian authorities have advised that PCR tests must be conducted no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Egypt.
Passengers from all countries will have temperatures observed, will be required to complete a monitoring card with personal details, and will need to provide confirmation of valid health insurance policy to airport authorities.
You have to complete this form online before you arrive in the UK from any country:
Form to provide your journey and contact details before you travel to the UK
If you're returning to the UK, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days
Updated 01SEP2020
Fine weather is the order of the day pretty much throughout the year, with rainfall quite rare and short lived. The hottest time of the year is July to August with air temperatures over 30°C. Even in Egypt's so called 'winter' the average rarely falls below 20°C. Water temperature varies from 20°C in February to 29°C in September. Please choose your exposure suit accordingly, depending on your personal preferences.
As standard our holiday packages are based on flights from London Gatwick, direct to your Red Sea hub - Sharm el Shekh, Hurghada or Marsa Alam. Where possible, we are happy to offer regional departures, in particular Manchester. A supplement may apply for regional departures. Times and any applicable supplements will be confirmed by your travel consultant before you finalise your holiday. Unfortunately, not all regional flight routings are compatible with liveaboard schedules. If you wish to make your own flight arrangements to Egypt, let us know and we can remove the cost of the international flights from your quote. Please do not confirm any flight arrangements yourself before your holiday is confirmed by us.
As flights are direct between the UK and Egypt, there are no stop over options available.
All UK visitors to Egypt need an entry visa (valid for a 30 days). This can be obtained on arrival with cash payment. Or you can npw apply online by clicking here Save time and prebook your visa with Scuba Travel's prepaid visa service. It is your responsibility to ensure your passport is valid and you fulfil entry requirements. Regulations can change: please review current FCO advice: click here
Scuba Travel requires all of our customers to have diving insurance. Please make sure that you have appropriate cover for your diving activities. We also strongly recommend you have travel insurance. It's worth taking out travel insurance once you have paid your deposit to ensure you are covered for unforeseen events and cancellation. Find out more about our combined dive and travel policy click here
Please speak to your local GP or check out the latest NHS advice on travel immunisations: click here
Most flights to Egypt are charter flights. This means seating is allocated at check in. For some carriers we are able to prebook leg room, window or aisle seats. Please speak to your travel consultant about availability and the current charges levied by your airline.
Charter airlines do not enable online check in for flights out of Egypt. You must print your ticket coupon prior to travel. Do ensure you leave up to 3 hours, especially over busy travel periods.
An airport lounge is a great way to start your holiday or to while away flight connections in comfort. Scuba Travel works with Lounge Pass to offer a huge range of affordable airport lounges around the world. click here
Prebook your airport parking to save money! If you have a long way to travel, why not also look at booking an airport hotel. These aren't as expensive as you might think. click here
On arrival in Egypt, you will need to clear immigration and collect your baggage. Our representative will be waiting either airside around the baggage carousel or in the arrivals hall. They will be holding a board with either Scuba Travel, your destination or your name on it. If you have prepaid for our visa service, you will be given your visa on arrival. If you have any issues at all locating your rep, please contact us. We have an emergency contact, manned by a member of the team here in the UK. Call 0044 7747 488 002. We will be able to help your rep locate you in the airport.
Airport transfers are always included in your liveaboard or resort holiday package when using our flights. Our representatives will advise where to find your transfer outside of the airport. We try to keep transfer times as short as possible, with most being no more than 30mins travel time from the airport to the boat/hotel. If you have made your own flight arrangements to land in Egypt, please confirm at the time of booking if airport transfers are included or available at an additional cost
At the end of your holiday, your return transfer details will be advised locally. There is currently no departure tax leaving Egypt.
Tipping is entirely at your discretion. We do not make recommendations as to how much to tip. Should you wish to leave a tip for the staff and crew, it should reflect the level of service you have enjoyed.
Euro, USD and sterling cash (notes) are all widely accepted. It can be handy to have small denominations of Egyptian pounds for use outside of the hotel/tipping. Credit and debit cards are accepted in most hotels and larger restaurants, but will be processed in Egyptian pounds and subject to a transactions surcharge,
Mobile phone coverage will depend on your carrier - please confirm any overseas charges before travel.
European 2 pin plugs
Kit hire can be arranged in resort and is paid for locally
Special trips, night dives, 3rd dives and any extras are arranged and paid for locally
The dive centre has a small, limited shop on site
Nitrox is available for a local surcharge
A typical deposit for a holiday to the Roots Red Sea is around £250 per person, although this will depend on your exact flight option
We accept mastercard and visa debit or credit cards. Alternatively, you are welcome to pay via bank transfer. All non sterling card payments and UK business debit cards will be subject to the 2% surcharge. Overseas bank transfers must add £6 to the sterling total to cover international handling fees. We are not able to accept PayPal transactions.
If you have booked as part of a group, you can still call and pay directly without needing to go via your group leader. Please have your trip reference number to hand to help us locate your holiday as quickly as possible. You will receive a transaction receipt - your group leader will forward your ATOL certificate and booking confirmation
Are you one of Scuba Travel's repeat customers? Over 60% of our customers trust Scuba Travel to book their next diving holiday, time after time.
And we believe you deserve a huge thanks for your ongoing support over the years, which is what our repeater discount is all about! Travel with us again in either 12 months or 24 months and you will qualify for a discount. That's all you have to do. No forms, no numbers to remember, no fuss, just a good honest price reduction.
Repeat discounts are not cumulative and cannot be applied to special offer prices
7 nights on a B&B basis basis in a deluxe chalet 5 day no limit house reef diving package Flights from Gatwick to Hurghada or Marsa Alam with airport transfer You can upgrade your room type, board basis to either half board or soft all inclusive (no alcohol) - please speak to a travel consultant at the time of booking
Excluded from your package are any meals or drinks outside of your package, additional diving or local excursions There is a 5euro compulsory reef tax. Night dives, nitrox, kit hire and courses are all paid for locally. There is a 5euro compulsory reef tax. Tipping is entirely at your discretion. We do not make recommendations as to how much to tip. Should you wish to leave a tip for the staff and crew, it should reflect the level of service you have enjoyed. You will need an Egyptian visa for entry
Diving around El Quseir is extremely varied with numerous pristine coral gardens, challenging wall dives, off shore ergs, sea grass meadows, extensive cavern systems and a resident pod of dolphins. There is something for every diver with options for unlimited house reef diving, shore diving, zodiak diving and hard boat diving, there are even opportunities to take excursions to visit world renown sites such as Elphinstone and Salem Express. Abu Sauatir is the simply outstanding easy entry house reef for Roots Red Sea, a fact borne out in a recent marine biology survey which recorded over one third of the Red Sea fish species in the bay in just a 2 week period! The first thing that regular visitors to the Red Sea will notice is you will have the dive sites to yourselves, with over 80 sites and 6 dive centres, El Quseir offers 'Millionaire Diving' - astounding dive sites with you and the marine environment, not other divers! Shore access can be simply such is Serib Kebir, a few strides on the sandy beach and out into the colourful fringing reefs or the more challenging entries such as Nafag Rene which is a hole in the reef leading to a 10 minute swim through caverns to reach the outer reef. Zodiak diving from the harbour offers some of the best diving in the region and all so close the historic town. The Rock, the topic of a recent Sport Diver article, is an amazing mount with several hundred anemones forming a swirling topping of tentacles extending to the dazzling array of a thousand damsel fish that call the anemones home. The extensive gardens at Ras Qusier provide jaw dropping dives amongst endless varieties slow growing hard corals all absolutely teeming with fish life. The 40m wall provides a regular haunt for the large Napoleon Wrasse that frequent the region. Omar Sukan is simply a natural aquarium, awesome fast growing hard corals stretching as far as the eye can see with a busy metropolis of marine life covering the area. Pharaoh Dive Club 5 Star IDC Centre Further afield by hard day boat are the off shore ergs of Monica and Lassal, here soft corals abound with masses of predator fish hunting around these nurseries for the smaller fish. The surrounding corals are also fascinating with schools of bannerfish, morays, angels and other reef fishes taking full advantage of the colourful pinnacles.
This is fantastic site offering something for every diver. An easy shore entry leads into a sandy bay, deep mounds in the middle of the bay, a pristine sloping reef to the north and a cavern system towards the south where you will also see one of the most spectacular coral gardens in the area. Beside the classic reef fish you can encounter some the rarer species such as the stargazer and sea moths.
There is a short walk across the sand to the lagoon entrance where you will find a roped channel out to the reef. The channel is buzzing with reef fish going about the daily business and completely ignoring the divers. Out of the channel there are interesting reefs both towards the north and the south, but the real attraction is the series of pinnacles raising from 20m. These offer shelter to clouds of glass fish . Watch out Hawksbill turtles and occasional reef sharks which are not uncommon sights.
The Rock is one of the most famous dive sites in the El Quasir area. In the middle of a bay there is a mound absolutely carpeted with Magnificent Anemones and hundreds of Anemone fish. It's a fantastic dive for photographers that usually s[end many dives here trying to capture the perfect clownish pic. A bit further away from of the mound a pinnacle at 25m is home to a Giant Moray, the overhang on large rocks at 30m will often hide the massive Napoleons and some big groupers. Heading across and up the reef for the safety stop you arrive at a hard coral plateaux, breathtaking in it is colourful beauty and schools of fish - Barracuda, Black Snapper, Fusiliers, Unicorn fish among many others. Looking out for passing Eagle rays.
The Cathedral is a large chamber in the reef which can be accessed as a simple in and out, however for those with suitable experience it is merely the entrance to a whole system of caverns that can easily keep a diver entertained for over an hour without exiting the system. Dives are restricted to a maximum of 4 divers with suitable experience.
Across the courtyard lies the main restaurant serving sumptuous meals for the guests. The kitchen team are happy to cater for most dietary needs.
Outside the restaurant is the Terrace, where the evening buffet is served most of the year.
Just a short walk away is the Roots private beach on Abu Sauatir Bay. The Beach Bristo offer different lunch options for divers and beachgoers
Recharge your batteries in the peace of el Quesir with the British led team from Roots Red Sea. The ideal break for divers and snorkellers
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House reef Abu Sauatir
Skill level: Novice | Ave Depth: 10 | Max Depth: 25The House Reef of Roots Camp offers something for every diver from the total novice to the highly experience. Entry is a gentle sloping sand bank with a large plateaux. You will find some elusive species - Spanish Dancers are abundant, Ghost Pipefish and Red Sea Walkman are frequently spotted, there is a resident Hawksbill Turtle. For photography the site is perfect with good lighting, and great subjects including a pinnacle with a perfect Red Anemone and partner Clown fish.