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Hurghada Airport to Makadi Bay Transfer Guide

Hurghada Airport (HRG) to Makadi Bay: 35 km, about 35 min, private transfers from $22. Prices, taxi comparison, arrival tips and what to book.

From €22 per car — fixed price, free cancellation, flight tracked, driver waiting in arrivals.

Check price & book

A private transfer from Hurghada International Airport (HRG) to Makadi Bay costs from $22 for the whole car, covers about 35 km and takes roughly 35 min door to door. There is no train and no airport bus on this route, so the real choice is between a pre-booked car and negotiating with the rank outside arrivals.

Beach and resort coastline at Makadi Bay south of Hurghada, Egypt
Makadi Bay's resort coastline Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Hurghada Airport to Makadi Bay at a glance

  • Distance35 km
  • Drive time — about 35 min
  • Private transfer — from $22, fixed at booking, per vehicle rather than per person
  • Public transport — none direct from the terminal
  • Best forMakadi Bay, arriving without a negotiation

Arriving at Hurghada International Airport

Hurghada International (HRG) is Egypt's busiest Red Sea gateway, sitting 5 km inland from the resort strip and within a four-hour drive of everything between El Gouna and Marsa Alam.

HRG runs two passenger terminals; almost every charter and low-cost flight from Europe lands at Terminal 2. After passport control and the baggage belts you walk into a single arrivals hall that funnels everyone through one exit. Your Bacharide driver waits inside that hall, past the customs doors, holding a name sign — so you never have to work out which of the men calling to you is actually yours.

How to get from HRG to Makadi Bay

Private transfer — the default here

You book before you fly, the price is fixed to the car and not the person, and the driver is inside arrivals with your name on a sign. On this route that matters more than usual: it is a short run where the alternative is agreeing a fare with a stranger while jet lagged. See live prices for Hurghada Airport → Makadi Bay.

Airport taxi

The taxi rank outside works on negotiation, not meters. Rates quoted to arriving tourists are routinely two to three times the local price, drivers rarely speak much English beyond the haggle, and a second round of price-setting often starts once your bags are already in the boot.

Bus, train or shuttle

There is no train and no airport bus at HRG. Go Bus and Blue Bus serve Hurghada's city bus station, not the terminal, so any bus journey starts with a taxi ride anyway — and long-distance departures are timed for locals, not for flight arrivals.

Hotel shuttle

Many hotels in Makadi Bay will arrange a pickup, usually at a higher price than an independent transfer and often on a shared basis — which means waiting in arrivals until every passenger on the list has cleared customs. Worth it only if your hotel includes it in the rate.

What each option really costs

OptionTypical costTimeThe catch
Private transfer (Bacharide)from $22 per car35 minNeeds booking in advance
Airport taxi rankNegotiated, usually higher after luggage and night surcharges35 minNo fixed price, no flight tracking
Hotel shuttlePer person, often above the private car price for two or more35 min plus the wait for other guestsShared departures, fixed slots
Bus / trainCheapest where it existsNot direct from the terminalLuggage, transfers and schedules built for locals

The drive itself

South on the Safaga highway across open desert, then a short access road down to the bay. Half an hour, almost all of it on dual carriageway.

It is a short hop, which is exactly why the fixed price matters: short routes are where negotiated fares are most inflated relative to the distance actually covered.

Makadi Bay: what you are arriving into

Makadi Bay is a family-resort enclave 35 km south of Hurghada airport, best known for its big all-inclusives and the Makadi Water World park. It has no town centre — the resorts are the destination.

Areas worth knowing

  • Makadi Bay proper — the main resort arc and the water park
  • Makadi Heights — newer hotels and residences set back from the shore
  • Bay-side dive centres at the southern end
Resort hotel gardens and pool at Makadi Bay, Red Sea, Egypt
All-inclusive resort grounds at Makadi Bay Photo: Wikimedia Commons

What people do here

  • Water World Makadi, the largest aqua park on the Red Sea
  • House-reef snorkelling straight off the hotel jetties
  • Desert quad and Bedouin dinner excursions
  • Boat trips north to Giftun or south to Abu Dabbab

When to travel

Best October to May. Families dominate school holidays; spring is calmer and cheaper.

Two Egypt-wide notes worth planning around. Ramadan shifts everything: restaurants open late, roads are chaotic just before sunset and calm immediately after. And between June and September, midday heat inland regularly passes 40 °C — schedule long drives and sightseeing for the early morning.

Local tips for Makadi Bay

  • Nothing is within walking distance outside your resort — plan excursions, not strolls.
  • The bay is shallow and reef-fringed; bring reef shoes for the entries.
  • Makadi Heights hotels are 5–10 minutes further inland than the beachfront names.

Night and early-morning arrivals

A large share of HRG traffic lands between 22:00 and 04:00. Nothing scheduled runs at those hours, hotel desks are unstaffed and the taxi rank thins out fast. A pre-booked transfer tracks your flight number, so a three-hour delay simply moves the pickup — at no extra cost and with no midnight negotiation.

What the fare includes

Live prices for Hurghada Airport → Makadi Bay, for the whole vehicle:

VehiclePrice
01$22
02$27
03$27
04$45
05$45
06$54
  • Meet-and-greet inside arrivals with a name sign
  • Flight tracking and free waiting time after landing
  • All tolls, taxes and fuel — the quoted price is the final price
  • Free child and booster seats on request
  • Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup

Booking your Hurghada to Makadi Bay transfer

Enter your flight number, pick a vehicle class and pay online — the driver, the vehicle and the price are confirmed by email before you travel. Book the Hurghada Airport to Makadi Bay transfer, or browse all Egypt airport transfers.

Coming from a different airport? The transfers to Makadi Bay hub compares every gateway we serve for this destination.

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