Where to go on from Dahab?

[mellowwhippet]

Hey all, I have a week or so to kill after my beloved Dahab late Sept and fancy an adventure. Not sure about a liveaboard as pricey - would like to go to a new country like Sudan perhaps. Would you recommend this for a single f traveler? Does Sudan offer shore diving/ day trips? Any info on the vibe etc? Many thanks.

 

[samaka]

Sudan is tricky to get in to. You have to go to Cairo and apply for a visa and wait for it for a week so it might be tight with your time frame. Why not see more of Egypt and go to Hamata or something like that? Check out more on Hamata here HAMATA


...a...

 

[Tippytoes12]

Mmmm ..not sure I would go to Sudan as a single female.

Liveaboards are pricey but do include up to 20 dives in a week and full board , so are very good value. My husband and I have done several and up to 50% of the other passengers have been singles.

From Dahab you could go to the Luxor area for culture , which is wonderful.

For something really different Kenya is wonderful , I'm sure Kenya Airways fly to Nairobi from Cairo. In a week you could get in a safari and experience an East African city.

On the other hand you could spend 2 weeks in Dahab , which we also absolutely love !

 

[ArthurGerla]

There is no shore diving in Sudan, so you would have to do a liveaboard out of Port Ghalib (Egypt) or fly from Cairo to Port Sudan (only one flight a week) to board a liveaboard there. Port Sudan is the hairy unwashed ars3 crack of Africa but once you're on board and away from the coast the company is excellent and the diving magnificent. Unlike most dive sites in Egypt you will have the reef to yourself. All the stuff you know from Dahab (only more & bigger) plus hammerheads, tiger sharks, bumphead parrotfish, the occasional clandestine yemeni fisherman... It's lovely. Go for it.

 

[ocdiver1]

Yes, Sudan will be way more expensive and complicated than any Egyptian Red Sea liveaboard. I'd really consider a LOB..you won't find them cheaper anywhere in the world than you will in Egypt--especially if you can book last minute. I've gone on a perfectly nice boat for a week for as little as $750 USD. If you want to head just up the road from Dahab to Nuweiba, I've dove there and it's all shore diving although mostly for macro. Although I've never personally dove either you could continue and cross the border and dive Eilat in Israel or Aqaba in Jordan.

 

[CaradonnaWorldwideDive]

Agree with ocdiver1! Either look for a deal on a liveaboard visiting Sudan or consider Aqaba, Jordan.

 

[mellowwhippet]

Thanks guys. Sudan sounds like it...will check into costs.

 

[String]

Sudan will be costly and maybe impossible to organise.

Personally at that time of year id go for a deep south liveaboard

 

[ocdiver1]

no, Caradonna meant Egypt, as i did in the post before it, I'm sure. there's no shore diving in Sudan, a liveaboard will be easily 2x+ more expensive, you have expensive flights and visa issues. Only one boat does Sudan leaving Egypt. You can easily find a cheap Egyptian Red Sea liveaboard, or head north from Dahab to Nuweiba/Taba in Egypt, or Eilat, Israel or Aqaba in Jordan

 

[samaka]

Depending on what kind of diving you like I would suggest different itineraries. Late September is a good time for Southern Egyptian Red Sea but I need to know if you like walls, coral gardens, wrecks or any other preferences. Let me know more and I can advise. I will be on the boat guiding a Rocky, Zabargad and St. John's trip from Friday but I'm back the week after and have no further trips planed for a while so I can reply then. Also feel free to email or PM me with questions.


...a...