How to get to Dahab (swedish)
Either you land in Sharm el sheik or Cairo (or in Hurghada and take the fast ferry to Sharm el Sheik - not recommended). From Sharm it is very easy to get by taxi to Dahab (a one hour ride) a pre booked taxi by us is cheapest. From Cairo you can either fly to Sharm (egypt air) or take a bus. Busses leave often but sometimes erratic. Just go to Turguma busstation by taxi from the airport (more below). Flights from/to Hurghada/Sharm Monday, saturday, sunday - Egypt air. Ferries from/to Hurghada/Sharm - here.
A few airlines that fly to Egypt:
Redseaflights (London – Sharm)
Malev.com (to Cairo) (long trip).
XL (London-Sharm)
Condor.com (London-Sharm)
British Airways (http://www.britishairways.com) (london to sharm)
From Scandinavia:
Apollo ( till Sharm) (kolla flygstol, sista minuten)
Fritidsresor ( till Sharm) (kolla flygstol, sista minuten)
Ving (till Sharm) (kolla flygstol, sista minuten)
Atlantisrejser (till Sharm) ring dem.
Fly me (Sverige - London) lets you take 20kg of baggage and ryanair only 15kg.
Ryanair (Sverige – London) (lång resa mellan Stanstedt och huvudflyplatsen ca 30 B.pund)
www.airbaltic.com (Riga - Sharm) Sweden - Riga is really cheap. Book in advance!
How to survive the bus from Cairo to Dahab.
East delta bus (Cairo-Dahab) or
Superjet leaves several times a day.
- Have a food parcel ready packed in your home country. Always carry water. Have Egypten pounds in small change already exchanged at home. Lots of vendours lacks change (or pretends not to have).
- While paying the 15 usd VISA at entry, try to get as much change there as possible.
- At Cairo airport carry your luggage yourself - donīt pay if they just grab it in front of you. But if
you want to contribute to the local economy: go ahead and pay for the porter.
- La chuckran, means "no thanks".
- Taxidrivers come by the doussin, and you can walk out to the parking lot and choose your own. Say Turguma busstation (about 30 minutes west) and
tell him you will pay about 40 euros (this is for the whole car, no matter if you are two or three - but I ususally pay more if there are many people and lots of luggage). I usuallay make him understand that this is the total amount he will get from me - no extra fees later. The driver will want to have
5 LE extra when passing the gates (an extra fee).
- If you are tretated with respect - give tip.
- "Good price for you" usually refers to a good price for the seller in question.
- There is a closer busstation only 10 minutes away, but it is dirtier and simpler and you will be last on the bus as it leaves Cairo.
- Turguma station looks like a palace - busses are one level below.
- Bus fare with the slower east delta is about 65 LE, you could buy two seats and get more space
(very small seats).
- You will have to ask the "shouting man" about which bus it is. Luggage is left in the cargohold and you will get a
recit. If you have lots of luggage you will be asked for 1-2 LE per piece.
- Your ticket and passport will be checked several times along the way.
- Busride will take about 9 hours (superjet is faster). - Seats are numbered, try to find the right number - it will avoid discussions further up the road.
- Toilet stops about 2-3 times, always have some toiletpaper in your pocket.
- You will be freezed down by aircondition and sometimes very loud arabian comedy movies will be played on the TV. Pillow, earplugs and something covering your eyes is recommended.
- When in Dahab taxidrivers will "attack" you. Say you will pay 10 LE to
Masbat bay. If you dont like the
price, just walk until you find one
that has a reasonable price.
Where to stay - Accomodation
...is easy to find. Cheapest is to share a room. You acctually dont need to book, but you can.
Dive center
You need a place to hang your suit, this could be at your accomodation if this is a hostel/dive cenetr kind of place. Otherwise all F.BIZ activities are centered in one of the most central dive centers in the middle of the bay: desert Divers, her you can rent a locker, hang your suit and shower, hang out for a daily fee.
Water temp in april is about 22 C.
This temperature can be to your
advantage if you are an experienced
freediver.
What to do
Drink fruitjuices and milkshakes. For shallow diving go outside lighthouse in the main bay (you can find 45 meters quite easily). At Blue hole you need a buoy and a rope (bring your own or rent). Take at least one dive at Bells 100 meters beyond Blue Hole. If feeling touristy - take an overnight camelride to the snorkeling place Ras abu gallum or climb mount Sinai. Weather
Advice
Never pay more than 2LE in a
store for a water bottle. Within Dahab a taxi costs no more than 5 LE local price (10 LE to the busstation), A taxi
(all seats) to Blue hole there and back can range from
60-100LE depending on your negotiation skills and length of stay, Internet about 5 LE an hour, drink water with hydration powder, medical drugs are cheap (but not at the pharmacy along the waterfront), in summer you need aircon, in winter you do not. Stay healthy.
Have you never been to Dahab? Ask us - we will help you with the details of transportation and accomodation. info @ freediving.biz.
