This reef is also called “Dolphin Reef,” shaped like a horseshoe, where entire families of these beautiful mammals live. This unfenced reserve is home to many other inhabitants of the Red Sea: turtles, sea snakes, nudibranchs, parrotfish, and many other interesting creatures. And, there are underwater caves and tunnels here.
You will have the opportunity to swim with these amazing animals in the open sea, listen to them “speak” and get a lot of positive emotions. The probability of seeing dolphins is up to 90% (swimming with dolphins is absolutely safe, you will be accompanied by an instructor).
ATTENTION! Diving is possible on this program, more details below in Additional Information.
Here’s a breakdown of what the tour includes:
- Hotel pickup: The tour will pick you up from your hotel around 5:00 AM (the exact time will be confirmed after booking). The journey from the hotel to the port is about 2 hours, depending on your hotel’s location.
- Departure: The yacht will depart towards the Sataya Reef bay around 8:30 AM.
- Snorkeling and swimming with dolphins: There will be two stops at the reef for snorkeling in shallow waters and swimming with dolphins. The depth ranges from 3 to 18 meters, and each stop will last approximately one hour (depending on the guide’s decision).
- Lunch and refreshments: A buffet lunch and non-alcoholic beverages (tea, coffee, soda) will be provided on the yacht throughout the day.
- Return: The tour will return to Hamata port and transfer you back to your hotel between 6:30 PM and 7:00 PM.
Included in the tour price:
- Lunch and drinks on the yacht;
- Snorkeling equipment;
- Services of accompanying guides for snorkeling and the trip itself;
- Transportation within Marsa Alam.
Children up to 5 years old – Free!”
Additional Information:
- Passport photo requirement: Due to national park regulations, a copy of your passport is required when booking this tour.
- Yacht capacity: Yachts can accommodate between 20 and 40 people. They are spacious, and there is plenty of room for everyone. The capacity is limited by the tourism police.
- Departing from Hurghada: This tour can be arranged from Hurghada with an additional fee of $80 per car (up to 13 people) for round-trip transportation. A $50 prepayment is required. Departure is around 6:00 AM, return around 7:00 PM, and the journey takes approximately 2.5 hours one way.
- Russian-speaking guide: A Russian-speaking guide may not always be available as there are few Russian-speaking tourists on this program. Marsa Alam is generally not a popular destination for Russian tourists, and this tour operator is the only one offering this specific program.
- Dolphin encounter: The probability of seeing dolphins is about 90%, but the chance of swimming with them is lower. Nature cannot be predicted.
- Safety precaution: Please do not go up to the upper deck wet. It is important to dry yourself thoroughly with a towel before ascending. This is a safety precaution to prevent slipping on the stairs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Your price is so low... Probably you are doing a low-quality service?
We truly offer some of the lowest prices while maintaining a high quality of service. The reason is that we are an online booking company for large tour operators in Egypt, allowing us to offer very competitive prices due to our large volume of tourists. By booking with us, you receive high-quality service without overpaying intermediaries.
What kind of buses and transfers do you have?
A variety of transportation is available for use by the event organizers within the park, including cars, minivans, and comfortable buses. All vehicles are equipped with air conditioning and safety systems. For longer journeys, buses with restrooms are provided. Additionally, all vehicles undergo regular maintenance and sanitation checks, and possess the necessary tourist permits. Furthermore, drivers undergo inspections by the tourist police before each long trip.
How and when do I pay for the tour?
We work without prepayment. All group tours are paid for on the bus or during the tour itself. The exceptions are prepayments for private tours and tours that require purchasing airline tickets or processing documents. Our main programs are paid for directly during the transfer or at the beginning of the tour. You don’t need to look for someone to pay for the tour. An employee of the organizer will approach you. You can pay in cash in US dollars, euros, or Egyptian pounds. For your convenience, we also offer the option of transferring funds to a bank card in rubles, hryvnias, and euros at the exchange rate or to a cryptocurrency wallet in USDT, prior to the tour. For more detailed information on payment methods and refunds, please see here.
Do you have a tourist license?
Egypt is a highly regulated country, especially when it comes to tourism. For any vehicle or yacht to depart on an excursion, daily permits must be obtained from both the police and the military. If the tour operators don’t have a valid tourism license, they naturally won’t be granted these permits. This is why for certain excursions, we may request copies of your vouchers and passports (this applies to sea excursions in Sharm El-Sheikh, private tours, and some group tours if they involve leaving the city. For other excursions, permits are simply issued based on the number of people, and passport details are not required).
Are we insured during the excursion?
Unfortunately, some hotel guides try to convince tourists that their travel insurance is allegedly invalid if they book excursions with external tour operators, as opposed to their own company. This is not true.
Firstly, your travel insurance is valid throughout Egypt, just as it would be if you booked with the hotel’s tour company.
Secondly, if you are on a boat, bus, or other mode of transport, the organizer bears full insurance liability to the passengers. Otherwise, they simply would not be able to obtain a permit to conduct tour activities. Egypt has quite strict tourism regulations, and permits are required before each trip.
How can I retrieve a lost item from a tour?
We always remind our guests to double-check that they have all their belongings when exiting the bus or yacht at the end of the tour. Unfortunately, recovering lost items can be quite challenging due to the immediate departure of vehicles for cleaning and the complexities of Egyptian logistics. While we will do our best to help you locate your belongings, we cannot guarantee a 100% recovery rate. If we are able to find your item, there will be a delivery fee of $5-10. Please be mindful of your belongings!
Should I adjust my plans or wait for the tour?
We have a significant daily influx of booking requests for our programs from tourists. As a result, most excursions are organized daily or on specific days of the week following a detailed schedule provided in each program’s description. After booking, we will send you the exact pick-up time from your hotel. Many tours will be conducted with small groups from various hotels who have purchased excursions through tour operators. The only difference is that our prices are 40-60% lower (our organizers conduct all major excursions in Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh for Russian-speaking tourists).
Where can I find the photographer who took photos on the tour?
We would like to inform you that the photographers accompanying you on excursions act as independent representatives of their photo studios. They are not part of our online service or the program organizer team. All terms and conditions related to the photoshoot and its payment are discussed and agreed upon directly between you and the photographer. We recommend that you approach prepayments with caution and ensure the reliability of the services, as well as obtain all the photographer’s contact information before making any payments.