We have a huge variety of snorkel safaris on our website, with each one offering something unique. Some are resort-based, while for others we charter an entire liveaboard. On some, we combine multiple resorts and liveaboards into one epic trip. Some are centered around reef snorkeling, while on other tours we spend the majority of our time in the open ocean looking for pelagic species. Some are in Asia and others are in South America. If you are new to snorkeling safaris or the destinations, it can be a little confusing choosing the right snorkel safari for you. Here’s a little guide to help you decide.
Liveaboard or Resort
This is one of the most important decisions to make in our opinion. If you know you are prone to seasickness or just really want to have more space to move around, then a resort might be more enjoyable for you. If you want to have the opportunity to venture a bit further into the region and just love the idea of falling asleep and waking up at sea on a luxury yacht, a liveaboard may be right for you.
One Destination or Multiple
We have quite a few different combination trips, like Alor-Komodo, or North Sulawesi-Raja Ampat, or even our Epic Indonesia tour which stops at five different locations over the better part of a month. If you just don’t want to miss anything and don’t mind the extra travel involved, then joining one of these combination tours may be a wise choice. For these tours the average time at each location will be 4-6 nights with a day of travel in between. Just keep in mind there will be a bit more packing and unpacking as well as additional time spent flying between locations.
If you really just want to soak up the atmosphere and sights of one location without worrying about packing and unpacking, then a single stop may be the best option for you. On these tours we spend anywhere from one week to ten days at the resort or on the vessel, which is plenty of time to unwind and immerse yourself in this unbelievable world, while not ever getting tired of the sites.
Reef-Critters-Big Fish-Pelagics
What the underwater experience is like and what you’ll see is also a very important factor in deciding which snorkel safari is best for you. Some locations like Belize, Alor, Wakatobi, and the Philippines are very much centered around pristine reefs and critters, while other places like Raja Ampat, Komodo, and Triton Bay offer a mix of reef, pelagic species like mantas, and big fish.
Then we have a couple of trips to Mexico and South Africa which are almost entirely spent searching for those charismatic pelagic species like sea lions, dolphins, sharks, rays, and whales in the open blue ocean. We do our best to make this as clear as possible on each tour page with our marine life-icons, so it’s really important to consider what type of snorkeling experience you would like to have.
Die Hard Snorkeling or a Leisurely Snorkeling Holiday
This isn’t a huge thing, but I do think it should be considered. What type of holiday are you looking for? Do you only plan to exit the water for meals, or do you want to take the snorkeling easy while also indulging in naps, beach lounging, and massages? If you are just gung-ho about spending every minute in the water, a resort with its own house reef or liveaboard would be a wise choice. If you plan to just do a couple of snorkels a day but would also like to do things like kayak and enjoy the onsite spa, then just about any resort in Indonesia, Belize, or the Philippines would be your best bet as they all offer plenty of activities outside of snorkeling.
