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From
Dahab, if you are up for a sporty holiday, with some
snorkeling, diving, hiking
& camel-riding, just hire a 4x4, or
even a pick-up Toyota with a driver.
The Blue Hole is situated only 15 km north
of Dahab, and it surely ranks as one of
the most amazing spots of Sinai. The car drive goes
along the seemingly endless coastline of the peninsula
fringed by the crystal clear waters of
the Red Sea. The track is not too rough, until your
driver points to a high rock with a big
hole in it & says "we're going through it "
- what a sense of humor!, you think. And as he drives
closer you will close your eyes & hope that he had
hopefully been here before to know what he is doing...
Immediately after this, you have reached the Blue
Hole. It earned its name, not due the hole in
that rock, but because from a far high mountain, the
bay looks so turquoise blue with a dark spot due to
its depth of approx. 100 meters.
The place is bustling with simple cafeterias &
restaurants that offer drinks, snacks, diving
& snorkeling equipment. There is also toilets available
and a shower place that costs around 2 L.E.
Once you settle down on the kelims, little
Bedouin children come with their charming smile and
a mixture of languages trying to sell you bead-bracelets
and necklaces. You'll probably end up buying things
you don't know what to do with, well... you made them
happy.
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It's
advised to walk further north for not more than 100 meters.
Then start the diving or snorkel adventure to explore the
depths and marvel of endless species of fish as well as
the beautiful shades of unusual coral and sea gardens. On
a clear day, the visibility is fantastic all
the way down to the depth of 35 m.
As you head south you will end up where the cafeterias are.
After a rest & a drink, go back into the water and head
further more southwards. At a distance of no more than 200m,
you reach the spot known as the "reef garden",
then later the "canyon". At these
spots, you will probably see barracuda, parrotfish,
triggerfish, napoleon fish,
and plenty of species of corals of blue, red,
yellow and purple colour.
Coming back to shore, it is time to eat. Normally, the choices
vary from shish kebab, grilled chicken,
to omelets and yes of corse, fish.
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Now
it's time to hike or to have a camel
ride. Probably, the first hazard is to get onto
the camel: its rise to all fours is a three-step body dance
accompanied by chesty groans, so boarding is an adventure
itself.
For about 90 minutes, on foot or on camel, you will enjoy
the scenery all the way to Abu
Galum. However, if you are walking, you should
have good walking shoes.
The way towards Abu Galum
shows up with a very beautiful bay, with its warm water
just perfect to form home to a myriad of marine flora
& fauna. Over
here, there are three spots to dive, while the easiest access
is the "lagoon", as it is a smooth
sandy path going into the water. One of the diving spots
has a canyon which is an amazing experience, too.
Back to land, there are some Bedouin
huts that you can hire to spend the night.
Shelter and a mattress is being offered. In the evening
you'll be tempted to walk along the one kilometer-wide beach,
watching the moon and the clear and breath-taking star filled
sky. However, you won't be alone: snails, crabs, prawns
are also there, so watch your toes...
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| Advices: |
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At Blue Hole,
we strongly recommend to dive with an expert who has
been here before. The Blue Hole is about 80m deep and
several accidents (also deaths) have happened for not
listening to this advice. |
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If you're
not spending the night in Abu Galum, the drive between
Blue Hole to Abu Galum is longer than the hike; so,
don't worry if you are walking and you arrive at Blue
Hole before your driver. |
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The
drive from Abu Galum to Dahab takes about 3 hours, partly
track, partly road. |
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