Egypt vs South Africa

White resort buildings overlook multiple blue pools with palm trees and loungers at Steigenberger Resort Alaya Marsa Alam, with the Red Sea beyond.

Egypt and South Africa, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.

Egypt guide · South Africa guide · How we score

By the numbers

Egypt compared with South Africa
Egypt	Measure	South Africa
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
20	Resorts in our catalog	0
★ 4.7	Average guest rating	–
$62–$303/night pp	Nightly rates	–
4 of 20	Adults-only resorts	0 of 0
No hurricane season	Hurricane exposure	No hurricane season
None to speak of	Rainy season	November–March (southern-hemisphere summer thunderstorms)
October–May; high summer is very hot (but dry, and the sea is warm)	Sweet spot	April–September for dry, mild weather; also prime safari season inland
Arabic (English widely spoken at resorts)	Language	11 official languages – English widely spoken
Egyptian pound (EGP) – USD and euro often accepted	Currency	South African rand (ZAR)
220V, Type C/F plugs (European – adapter needed)	Power	230V, large Type M/N plugs (special adapter needed)
On the right	Driving	On the left
Sharm el-Sheikh (SSH)	Main airport	Durban (DUR) or Johannesburg (JNB)
~11–13h from the US East Coast (via Europe or the Gulf)	Flight time	~15–17h from the US East Coast (often via Europe or the Gulf)

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country.

On the map

Egypt

No mapped resorts yet

South Africa

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Egypt and South Africa
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Egypt · high °F	71	73	78	85	91	95	97	97	93	87	80	74
South Africa · high °F	82	83	82	79	77	74	73	74	75	77	79	81
Egypt · rain (in)	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.1
South Africa · rain (in)	5.3	4.8	4.8	2.9	2.2	1.1	1.5	1.9	2.9	4.3	4.8	4.0

Approximate climate normals for Red Sea coast (Hurghada) and KwaZulu-Natal coast (Durban): planning guidance, not a forecast. Deeper gold = hotter; deeper teal = wetter.

Where you'd actually stay

Best of Egypt

Full Egypt guide

Chains here: Jaz Hotels · Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts · SUNRISE Resorts

Best of South Africa

No South Africa resorts in our catalog yet.

Full South Africa guide