Swim with wild dolphins in Egypt
| country: | Egypt |
| location: | Red Sea |
| departures: | All year round |
| price: | From £424 (7 days) per adult and £362 per child (aged 6-9) excluding flights. Babies (0-5 years) free. Environmental tax €15 per visit to Dolphin House reef, single supplement available. |
read 9 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
A U-shaped coral reef lies in calm turquoise waters off the Egyptian coast, in which a group of up to 200 Spinner Dolphins rest, play and raise their young away from the strong currents and dangers of the open seas. On 3 days each week we travel in well equipped dive-boats to the reef and then swim with the dolphins in the sheltered bay. If the dolphins are outside the bay, our small (RIB) boat drivers will take you to them and drop you into the water beside them. Safety is provided by the small (RIB) boats who will pick you up and take you back to the main boat.
You need to be able to swim, but no scuba experience is needed. You will be using a face mask and snorkel, and fins. Equipment may be hired on site. The area is famous for the spectacularly beautiful coral reefs and very popular with scuba divers. You will have plenty of opportunity to snorkel or scuba from the beach. While snorkelling you may see dolphins, turtles and rays or the very rare dugong which lives in the area. Camel and horse rides and desert excursions are also available.
Accommodation is in tents, bungalows or luxury chalets, to suit your budget. Full board, transfers and dolphin-swim boat trips are included. We will arrange flights from the UK for you. The dolphins are wild and free, so we cannot guarantee they will be present, but we have enjoyed an 80% success rate since 2003.
You need to be able to swim, but no scuba experience is needed. You will be using a face mask and snorkel, and fins. Equipment may be hired on site. The area is famous for the spectacularly beautiful coral reefs and very popular with scuba divers. You will have plenty of opportunity to snorkel or scuba from the beach. While snorkelling you may see dolphins, turtles and rays or the very rare dugong which lives in the area. Camel and horse rides and desert excursions are also available.
Accommodation is in tents, bungalows or luxury chalets, to suit your budget. Full board, transfers and dolphin-swim boat trips are included. We will arrange flights from the UK for you. The dolphins are wild and free, so we cannot guarantee they will be present, but we have enjoyed an 80% success rate since 2003.
travellers' tales
I can’t even begin to put into words the feelings I had as I watched a group of 20 spinner dolphins approach us, turn to swim alongside us and beneath us, and when I turned to check my daughter had as good a view of them as I did I found she was flanked by them, literally inches away from her. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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We work only with Egyptian companies who employ local workers. The boat crews and guides tend to be from fishing families who know the sea and local reefs well.
The reef where we swim with the dolphins has recently become a Marine Park and is monitored by Rangers specially trained for the purpose. We work closely with them to ensure the preservation of the dolphins and abide by the Marine Park Regulations as well as the International Dolphin Watch Code of Conduct. We are Approved IDW Dolphin Swim Operators. You will stay in an environmentally friendly eco-village, built by local masons with local stone using traditional methods. Our contractors have received awards for promoting responsible eco tourism and care for the marine environment in 2002, 2003 and 2005. We encourage our guests to take excursions into the desert with local Bedouin tribesmen to learn about their traditional ways of life. By coming here, you help to provide employment for all these people who have would otherwise not have the opportunity to earn good wages in work that allows them to follow their traditional trades. |
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