Basata Resort: Egypt’s Hidden Vacation Treasure

Basata is a unique tourist resort destination that combines ecology and tranquility

When my husband first mentioned Basata to me this past summer during a bus ride to the town of Hurghada, where we had planned a small vacation, the name didn’t register. But as fate would have it, during our drive home from our short trip along the Taba-Nweiba Road, we found ourselves at Basata. Exhausted from the drive and irritated by the seemingly endless emptiness of the scenery on the way, we decided that Basata was the perfect place to rest. Reclining against a palm tree on the sand by the sea, I found that Basata was just what we needed. It was clean, quiet and so beautiful.

Basata is the brainchild of Sherif Al-Ghamrawy, who first traveled to the then empty open space in 1982 shortly after Egypt reclaimed the Sinai from Israel. His reaction upon seeing the natural beauty of the area with its majestic hills and tranquil beaches was typical: “Ah, Basata!” From that point onward, it was Al-Ghamrawy’s dream to settle there, and after four years of hard work, he made his dream come true by opening Egypt’s first resort on the Gulf of Aqaba.

At Basata, the experience of nature is the attraction, and being one of Egypt’s first ecotourism destinations, the welfare of the resort’s natural environment is always paramount. One is more likely to see huts and earthen dwellings than five-star accommodations. Littering is strictly forbidden, as is other disruptive and destructive behavior.

Sherif describes Basata as a place of great power that engenders peace and tranquility where he says he’s “trying to decrease the damage I’m doing to it as much as I can.” Ecology in this resort experience is rooted in respect and care for life. There are do’s and don’ts and requests for greater environmental awareness. Vacationers are asked not to step on the coral reefs or take parts of them as souvenirs. Visitors are also warned against leaving cigarettes behind in the sand and allowing ringing mobile phones to disturb other guests. There is even a recycling and disposal scheme for glass, paper and organic products. On a more personal level, vacationers are asked to use discretion in public displays of romantic affection and there are no drugs, no drinking, no topless women and no television.

For some, the restrictions may sound like a recipe for boredom; but that would be a mistake. And one trip to Basata, with all its natural beauty, is enough to spark the desire to return again and again.

For my husband and me, our second vacation to the resort came in September, and unlike our first trip, it was no accident. We were going directly where we wanted to be, and after the six hour ride from Cairo we were thrilled to see a sign by the side of the road that read “Basata, a piece of nature”.

The road to Basata cuts between the hills. Originally named Ras Burka, or “head of the blessing”, the resort then spreads before you with its many huts and villas. It started as a camp where Al-Ghamrawy lived in his car. Things grew quickly and he moved into a bungalow and then eventually into a hut. Today, 16 years later, there are eight villas and 18 huts that accommodate between 50 and 250 people, depending on the time of year.

Environment and community are the focus of Basata. Keeping both alive and preserving them is the philosophy behind its evolution, an evolution that has shown that tourism can be simultaneously profitable, environmentally friendly, and socially conscious.

The family atmosphere and simplicity of the place make it a permanent destination on the map for many people, and for some it has even become a permanent residence. Manal, who teaches at a local school near Basata, is a prime example. Originally a teacher from Cairo, she came to the resort in June to work as a receptionist with the intention of returning to her teaching career in Cairo at the end of the summer. But when she was asked to stay and teach in Basata, she simply couldn’t refuse. Manal now lives in a hut on the beach and says that “Basata simply feels like home.”

For Nagah, Fedia and Gawaher, three Bedouin girls living in the area, Basata means the whole world. It gives them a chance to attend school, play, speak English and German, surf the internet, go swimming, and communicate with the cosmopolitan range of people attracted to the resort.

When I go to Basata, I don’t just go to swim; I sit on the sand, sleep in the bamboo huts and lie on the beach watching the stars. No one is bumping into each other and you’ll be happy to meet and share stories with many people. Bedouins from the area are integrated into the life of Basata, too. Their children go to school there and the women come during the day to sell handicrafts to tourists.

Basata is really a place of dreams where one man’s vision has become a recurrent dream for many others. It inspires, refreshes and renews the mind, body and spirit.