14 People

Max Group Size

Jul, Aug

Month

This special tour has been planned so that we will be in the path of totality for the 2027 full solar eclipse!

Come snorkel Egypt with us and enjoy it’s crystal-clear blue waters. There, the thriving shallow coral reefs host a unique array marine life large and small. Egypt is also a country with some of the oldest and most influential civilizations. The ancient history is etched into the red cliffs and dunes that border the mighty Nile River. Take these two elements, the land and sea, throw in a total solar eclipse, and you’re left with the experience of a lifetime.

Join us as we explore the rich history of Egypt with a Nile Riverboat Cruise, where the path of the eclipse passes directly over us, followed by a week of snorkeling the Red Sea from a resort.

Nile River Cruise

This is our most unique and specialized Egypt Snorkeling safari. We start by exploring some of Egypt’s unique historical sites, like Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, which we’ll visit via the comforts of a privately chartered Nile River cruise boat. This tour has also been timed to coincide with the full solar eclipse on the 2nd of August. We’ll have unobstructed views from in the middle of the Nile River.

Resort Based Snorkeling

Thereafter, we spend a week in one of the area’s best snorkeling resorts, Marsa Shagra. Here we can enjoy the incredible house reef which stretches over 2KMs! We will also enjoy some boat snorkeling at sites further off shore, with good chances of seeing dolphins. We’ll spend an evening in the desert, star gazing after meeting a Bedouin community.

History, astronomy, and marine biology- this trip has it all!

Lyn B. May 2024

‘This was my second trip with Snorkel Venture. Highlights for me were snorkelling with a pod of spinner dolphins, seeing turtles & moray eels and the beautiful extensive house reef at Marsa Alam’

Marine Life Guide

This tour is partnered with the Manta Trust. Find out how we support the Manta Trust via this tour here.

Please note that the transfer points are subject to change based on the scheduled flight itineraries at the time of the tour.

Day 1 - Arrive to Cairo

Upon your arrival in Cairo, you’ll be met and assisted through arrivals by a local representative who will transfer you to our Cairo hotel where the group will be staying. That evening you’ll have a chance to meet the rest of the group and your group leader over a nice dinner together. We will spend the night here, and in the morning we’ll check out and catch our flight to Luxor.

Day 2 - Board our Nile River Boat

Upon arrival in Luxor, we’ll transfer to the river where we’ll board our privately chartered Nile River boat, the Merit 2.

We’ll enjoy lunch on board before setting off to visit the Luxor and Karnak Temples, followed by dinner on board and our first night sleeping on the mighty Nile.

Day 3 - 6 - Nile Crusie

Each day onboard will start with a delicious breakfast, followed by a tour to one of the sites or temples. All of the land tours will be led by a professional Egyptologist who will fill us full of fun facts about Egypt’s amazing history.

We intend to visit the following places:

Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, and the Colossi of Memnon
Esna Lock and the Temple of Edfu
El Ramaday Island
Kom Ombo Temple
Hor Diab Island
Philae Temple and the High Dam

We will always come back to the boat for our meals, and of course, we will schedule it so that we are in an ideal spot to witness the full solar eclipse.

Day 7 - Transfer to Marsa Shagra

After another delicious breakfast on board, we will disembark the vessel in Aswan and transfer to Marsa Shagra by air-conditioned van. This will be a full day in the car with stops for restroom breaks and lunch. Transfer time is approximately 7 hours.

Upon arrival in Marsa Shagra we’ll settle into our rooms and enjoy a delicious dinner.

Day 8 - Snorkel from Marsa Shagra

After breakfast, we’ll have a full briefing about how the snorkeling works at Marsa Shagra. We’ll have a chance to pack our gear in our own lockers and get to know the lay of the land, before the snorkeling begins with a nice long one on the famous house reef!

We’ll break for lunch, and then jump back on the house reef, but this time on a different portion of it. The house reef here is absolutely massive and could easily be broken up into at least four separate sites.

Day 9 - 12 - Snorkeling from Marsa Shagra

Each snorkeling day will run slightly differently as we aim to explore some of the different reefs in the area. Two of the days will be spent around Marsa Shagra’s massive house reef, which extends for hundreds of meters in either direction. On the other days, we’ll take the resort’s larger speedboats further afield to snorkel on some other reefs in the area. There’s also a solid possibility of being taken to a spot where dolphins or dugongs have been seen, as they are frequently in the area. Marsa Shagra is really adept at reacting quickly to changing situations, so it’s not unusual for the plan to suddenly alter because an exciting creature/ pod of creatures has decided to make an impromptu appearance in the bay somewhere.

With the incredible house reef on the doorsteps of the resort, we’ll have unlimited access to explore every inch of it any time we choose. With a myriad of colorful damselfish and reef dwellers using the hard corals as shelter from larger predatory fish like trevally or jacks cruising up and down the reef, there is always something new to find. It’s not uncommon to come across larger creatures, like their resident turtles feasting on soft corals, giant moray eels, and blue-spotted rays digging for crustaceans or hanging out on the sandy patches between the coral bommies. The resort does have tender boats that can drop us further along the house reef and then snorkel back to the resort, or we can always just walk in from the beach!

On one of the nights, we will also enjoy an organized excursion into the desert to see the night sky without any light pollution.

Day 13 - Tour ends

After breakfast we will bid farewell to Marsa Shagra Resort and be shuttled to the airport, either at Marsa Alam or Hurghada, and catch our flight to Cairo, where the tour will end.

Merit 2

The Merit Dahabiya 2 Nile River Cruise is a luxurious 50-meter sailboat that sails the Nile River. There are 8 fully furnished deluxe cabins, each with an individually controlled air conditioning unit, mini bar, and openable panoramic window. Each cabin also has its own private bathroom, with a hot and cold water shower, a hair dryer, a mirror, and slippers. Guests will enjoy excellent service from the crew. There’s a a restaurant on the sundeck and indoors, a bar, and lovely reading lounge. The sundeck features 10 sun beds as well as an open-air heated hot tub.

Marsa Shagra Resort

Marsa Shagra occupies one of the most strategic and beautiful seaside locations for snorkelers. It not only offers us unlimited access to the house reef just a few feet from the resort’s beach, but it’s also the gateway to Egypt’s southern Red Sea, which is known for its abundant marine life and vibrant reefs.

Our group will be staying in their Deluxe Chalets. These cleverly designed rooms offer private terraces with views of the mountains as well as the sea. Inside, you’ll find a large double bed or two singles, depending on your chosen sleeping arrangements. The rooms feature everything you would expect in an upscale resort, which includes a wardrobe, television, AC, digital safe, and large bathrooms.

Resort Guide

Vessel Guide

Snorkeling Boats

Whilst we will mostly be snorkeling with access from the shore at Marsa Shagra, there are times when we will use Zodiac Ribs for transfers between snorkeling sites. For more information on this, please get in touch.

Marsa Shagra: Large inflatable ribs equipped for traveling longer distances. The boats do have ladders to help board the boats after snorkeling.

On this page you will find our Tour Dates & Pricing, a Request to Book Form and Details of Payment schedule including deposit and final balance.

My name is Graham and I’ll be your personal consultant for this tour, I’ll manage your booking right up until you meet our tour leader in destination. I’ll be on hand to assist with everything from additional nights before and after your tour and making sure you are on time for our ‘Welcome Dinner’ to guidance on what to bring and the snorkeling conditions you are likely to experience. We share an email inbox at Snorkel Venture, you can fill out the form below or drop me an email at hello@snorkelventure.com. I look forward to assisting you on this tour.

Make an Enquiry or Book this Tour

2027 Tour Dates

30 July – 12 August

Tour Price:

$8,850 USD per person sharing (Deluxe Cabin on Merit 2 + Deluxe Chalet Marsa Shagra)

How to book your place:

Initial deposit to secure your booking $800 per person

12 Months before departure interim deposit of $600 per person

6 Months before departure interim deposit of $1000 per person

Balance due 3 months before departure

Please note for single supplement bookings we ask for 2x the deposit for each payment.

Inclusions:

Airport meet and assist with transfer to local Hotel (may be private or in a group, depending on other arrivals)
Transfer from Cairo Airport to Cairo hotel
1 Night Cairo hotel
Group dinner in Cairo
5-night Nile Cruise- Accommodation on board a 5-star Dahabiya on a full board basis
Tea, coffee, and soft drinks are available all day while on board
All Dahabiya (Nile cruise) excursions
Entrance fees to all sights between Luxor and Aswan
Egyptologist guide during your excursions
6 nights Marsa Shagra Deluxe Chalet with full board & 2 days house reef snorkeling + 3 days boat snorkeling.
Star Gazing tour from Marsa Shagra
Domestic flights from Cairo – Luxor and Marsa Alam/ Hurghada – Cairo
Accompanied by a Snorkel Venture tour leader
All transfers are by a modern air-conditioned deluxe vehicle
Transfers from Aswan – Marsa Shagra – Marsa Alam/ Hurghada Airport

Exclusions: