6-Day Marsa Alam Dolphins & Snorkelling Holiday
Four guided snorkelling trips on Egypt's quiet southern coast, with kit, park fees and airport transfers included. Sea creatures are wild, so we say likely, never certain.
The short answer
6-Day Marsa Alam Dolphins & Snorkelling Holiday is a 6-day, 5-night trip to Marsa Alam. It includes transfers. Prices start at £565 per person, two sharing (Essential, October–April).
02Overview
A first look
Marsa Alam sits at the quieter, southern end of Egypt's Red Sea coast. The beaches are wide, the hotels are well spaced and the reef is never far from the sand. This holiday gives you five nights in one hotel and four snorkelling trips, chosen to show you what the area does best.
One trip is a boat day at Samadai, known as Dolphin House. Another is a morning in the shallows of Abu Dabbab, where turtles and dugongs feed. A third takes you to Wadi El Gemal National Park and the beach at Sharm El Luli, and the last is a boat to the islands of Hamata and Qulaan. Each day has one trip and the remainder is free. You pick the standard of hotel when you book, and we name it for your dates.
What lingers
- 01A full day by boat to Samadai Dolphin House, with lunch aboard and a life jacket, mask, snorkel and fins provided
- 02Abu Dabbab Bay, a sheltered bay where turtles and dugongs are often seen (they are wild, so no promises)
- 03Wadi El Gemal National Park and lunch on the beach at Sharm El Luli
- 04A full-day boat trip to the islands of Hamata and Qulaan, lunch on the boat
- 05Five nights in a single hotel, with the afternoon free on most days
- 06Airport transfers at both ends of your stay
Choose your comfort level
Prices are per person in GBP, from 2 people sharing a double room, including accommodation at the properties listed or similar.
| Comfort level | Where you stay or similar | Per personfrom, Oct–Apr | Choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentialfrom £5653★ hotels | £565May–Sep: from £599 | ||
| Comfortfrom £7324★ hotels | £732May–Sep: from £971 | ||
| Classicfrom £1,0125★ hotels | Marsa Alam · 5 nightsSENTIDO Reef Oasis Suakin Resort | £1,012May–Sep: from £1,113 | |
| Prestigefrom £1,1575★ deluxe hotels | £1,157May–Sep: from £1,116 | ||
| Luxuryfrom £1,1875★ luxury hotels | Marsa Alam · 5 nightsSteigenberger Coraya Beach (Adults Friendly 16+) · Pickalbatros Vita Resort Portofino | £1,187May–Sep: from £1,145 |
You'll stay in these properties, or a similar choice of the same quality. Choose your date in the booking panel for the exact price.
- New
Day by day
Detailed itinerary
6 Days / 5 Nights · Marsa Alam Airport · Marsa Alam · Samadai Dolphin House · Abu Dabbab Bay · Wadi El Gemal National Park · Sharm El Luli
- 1
Once you have landed at Marsa Alam Airport, a driver takes you along the coast to your hotel. Nothing else is planned. Settle in, walk down to the sea and put your feet up after the journey, because the first trip starts early tomorrow. We confirm your guide's details and the pick-up time for day 2 before you leave home.
- 2
A vehicle collects you at the hotel for the longest sea day of the week, around 8 hours. A shared boat carries you to Samadai, a protected reef better known as Dolphin House. You slip in from the boat wearing the life jacket, mask, snorkel and fins we supply, and lunch, tea, coffee and water are served on board.
Dolphins live here but they are wild and may stay away, so we promise a lovely reef rather than a sighting. The captain decides whether the boat goes, depending on the weather and sea. Back to the hotel in time for the evening.
- 3
This is the shortest trip, about 5 hours, so you have a lazy morning first. A shared vehicle drives you to Abu Dabbab Bay, a calm beach with shallow, sheltered water over seagrass. Turtles graze here and dugongs are sometimes seen, but nobody can guarantee either. Your guide helps you into the water with mask, snorkel and fins, and the beach entrance is covered.
You are back at the hotel afterwards with the afternoon free. No lunch is included on this trip, so eat at the hotel or at the beach.
- 4
Expect a full day of about 9 hours, most of it on the road. A shared air-conditioned vehicle heads south into Wadi El Gemal National Park, a protected piece of the coast. The beach at Sharm El Luli is where you spend your time in the water, snorkelling with the kit provided over a reef close to shore, then eating lunch on the sand. Your guide stays with you and the park fee is already settled.
The vehicle brings you back to the hotel in the late afternoon.
- 5
For your final trip you spend about 8 hours on a boat, visiting the islands of Hamata and Qulaan. A guide and the crew show you where to snorkel, with mask, snorkel and fins supplied, and lunch comes on board with tea, coffee and water. The boat and the vehicle are shared with other guests. Sailing is subject to the weather, and the captain has the final say.
You return to the hotel in the afternoon or early evening.
- 6
Have breakfast, check out and meet your driver for the run to Marsa Alam Airport. Flights from here follow the airline's timetable, so we set your pick-up once we have your flight details. If your onward journey goes through Cairo on a separate ticket, have a look at the flight question in the FAQs below before you book.
The fine print
What's included – and what is left out
Included
- Five nights in a hotel at Marsa Alam, standard chosen at booking
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure
- Boat day to Samadai Dolphin House with lunch, tea, coffee and water on board
- Abu Dabbab Bay snorkelling trip with beach entrance and bottled water
- Day at Wadi El Gemal National Park and Sharm El Luli beach, with lunch on the beach
- Boat trip to Hamata and Qulaan islands with lunch, tea, coffee and water
- Mask, snorkel and fins on every trip, plus a life jacket on the Dolphin House trip
- Marine park and national park fees
- A guide on every trip, and boat crew on boat days
- Hotel pick-up and return for each trip
Not included
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egypt entry visa
- Tips for guides, drivers and boat crew
- Meals and drinks other than those stated
- Travel insurance and personal spending
- Extras bought at the hotel or on the boat
Field notes
From our Egyptologists
- 01
Slip into the shallows at Abu Dabbab gently and keep your flippers off the seagrass, where turtles and dugongs graze and startle easily.
- 02
Pay attention to the briefing at Samadai about permitted swimming areas, because this reef is protected and access is carefully managed.
- 03
Pack a floppy hat and extra water for Wadi El Gemal, since the park is dry and shade is scarce between stops.
- 04
Travel-sickness tablets are wise before the Hamata and Qulaan islands day, along with a wind jacket for the exposed boat ride.
Tailor it
Make it yours
Choose your hotel standard at booking. Ask us about extra nights, or about adding Cairo, Luxor or Aswan before you fly home.
Your own specialist deals with each request before you book.
Suited to
Is this for you?
Yes, if
- Travellers who want an easy Red Sea holiday built around snorkelling. It suits strong swimmers and beginners comfortable in a life jacket, and anyone who likes a hotel base with a trip each day.
Maybe not, if
- Travellers who dislike boats or long days in the sun, who want temples and town sightseeing, or who need step-free access to boats and beaches.
Honest assessment
The honest pluses and minuses, as our own team sees them after running this trip.
Highlights
- Four different snorkelling settings in five days: dolphin reef, turtle bay, national park beach and islands
- One trip a day, so most afternoons are your own
- Kit, park fees, guides and hotel pick-up all included
Things to Consider
- Wildlife is wild, so dolphin, turtle and dugong sightings are likely at best
- Boat trips depend on the weather and the captain's decision
- Days 2, 4 and 5 are long, at 8 to 9 hours
Where it fits
A good choice for a week of sea and sun with something planned each day. Add Cairo or the Nile if you would like the ancient sites too.
Worth knowing
How this compares
Marsa Alam is the calmer, southern stretch of Egypt's Red Sea, with fewer crowds than the northern resorts. This holiday keeps to the water: one trip a day, shared vehicles and boats, and kit and fees covered. It is not a tour of Egypt's temples.
Compare
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On the ground
Where it is
Snapshot
Good to know
- Travel style
- Beach Hotel Stay with Guided Snorkelling Trips
- Accommodation
- A single Marsa Alam hotel for five nights, standard chosen at booking
- Destinations
- Marsa Alam Airport · Marsa Alam · Samadai Dolphin House · Abu Dabbab Bay · Wadi El Gemal National Park · Sharm El Luli · Hamata Island · Qulaan Islands
- Includes
- 5 nights in a hotel at Marsa Alam · Transfers from and to the airport · Four guided snorkelling trips · Mask, snorkel and fins, and a life jacket on the Dolphin House trip · Marine park and national park fees · Lunch on the boat days and at Sharm El Luli beach
- Best for
- Snorkellers and beach lovers · Nature-minded travellers · Couples and friends after a quiet Red Sea break
The morning of
Meeting point & timing
- Where
- Marsa Alam Airport, Arrivals HallMap
Before you go
What to pack & wear
What to bring
- Passport and any visa or travel documents
- Swimwear to put on under your clothes on boat days
- Reef-safe sun cream, SPF 30 or higher
- Sun hat and sunglasses
- Two towels, one for the boat and one for the beach
- Refillable water bottle
- Any regular medication, including travel-sickness tablets if you use them
- Water shoes for rocky entries, if you own a pair
What to wear
- Swimsuit under light clothes on each trip day
- A long-sleeved rash vest or T-shirt to protect your back while snorkelling
- Quick-drying sandals or water shoes
- A hat and sunglasses
- A light layer for early on the boat and for the air-conditioned vehicle
Children & families
Children are welcome. Hotel and trip prices depend on the child's age, so we quote exact figures once we know the ages at booking. Kit sizes and life jackets for small children, and any age limit on a particular boat trip, are confirmed with the operator when you book. Children should stay with an adult in the water, and the sun at sea is strong.
Accessibility
Who can join this
Nearly all of this holiday takes place on boats and beaches. Getting on and off a boat involves steps, a gangway or a ladder, and the walk into the sea can be over uneven sand or rock. Several days are long, with little shade. The vehicles are shared and air-conditioned, but we cannot promise wheelchair access on the boats or at the beaches. Tell us what you need when you book and we will be honest about which trips could work for you.
– Responsible travel
How we travel here
Trips use shared vehicles and shared boats, so guests travel together rather than in separate cars. Samadai, Wadi El Gemal and the other places you visit are protected, and the marine park and national park fees are paid for you. We ask guests not to touch or chase wildlife, not to stand on coral, to wear reef-safe sun cream if they can and to take their rubbish with them. Hotel and boat staff are local, so a good share of what you spend stays on this stretch of coast.
Licensed Egyptologist guides
State-licensed, and people we have worked with for years
Fair wages on the ground
Drivers + guides paid above market
Site preservation
We follow the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' site rules: marked paths, no touching reliefs
Local teams, real help
Our own offices in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Sharm El Sheikh
If plans change
Cancellation and refunds
If you cancel, your refund depends on how soon you let us know and on the kind of holiday. See our current cancellation and refund terms
Asked & answered
Frequent questions
01Will we definitely see dolphins, turtles or dugongs?
No, and we would be misleading you if we said so. They are wild animals. Samadai is known for dolphins and Abu Dabbab for turtles and dugongs, so sightings are likely at best. What we can promise is clear water and a healthy reef.02Is snorkelling kit provided?
Yes. Every trip lists a mask, snorkel and fins, and the Dolphin House trip also lists a life jacket. If you would rather use your own, tell us when you book.03What happens if the sea is rough?
Boat trips go ahead weather and sea-state permitting, and the captain may change or cancel a sailing for safety. We will help you move the trip to another day where we can. Refunds follow the cancellation text on this page and our policy page.04How busy is each day?
After arrival, each day has one trip and the rest is free. Days 2, 4 and 5 run 8 to 9 hours, so they fill most of the day. Day 3 is about 5 hours and leaves the afternoon to you.05Are the trips private?
No. Vehicles and boats are shared with other guests. Your guide and the boat crew are with you on every trip, and the transfers on days 1 and 6 are separate from them.06Where will you collect us from?
From your hotel in Marsa Alam town, Port Ghalib or the resorts in between. El Quseir can be arranged on request. Tell us where you would like to stay and we will check that pick-up works before you book.07Which hotel will we stay in?
You choose a standard when you book, from budget to luxury, and we name the hotel once we know your dates. The trips are the same whichever you choose.08Will I make my international flight?
Domestic and international tickets are separate bookings, so a late domestic flight can lose you the connection. If you fly from Marsa Alam via Cairo on separate tickets, we recommend a last night in Cairo. If you have to connect on the same day, pick a late-evening or night international flight and carry travel insurance that covers missed connections.09What is not included?
International flights, the Egypt visa, tips for guides, drivers and crew, meals and drinks not listed, travel insurance and any extras you buy at the hotel.
Last updated Product ID: TOU-MRS-966401
At a glance
- Length
- 6 days · 5 nights
- Starts
- Daily
- Includes
- Transfers