Surf & Turf Safari in Egypt
Posted By Lucie Wright on 14 September 2005
Egypt is famous for its ancient buildings, complex history, meandering Nile and bounteous Red Sea. Although I had previously visited the Sinai in Egypt, I hadn't actually been to the African continent! So this was to be my first African adventure, two weeks to take in temples, tombs and some of the best diving in the Red Sea.
We hit Cairo in the middle of the night, several days after some tourists had been killed on a bus in the city, so we bypassed the big smoke heading to Luxor on a "First class" train - first class in Egypt is not quite what you'd imagine! It was a long, semi-comfortable and uneventful journey along the luscious green Nile. Once in Luxor, we stayed in a charming French colonial guesthouse built of mud. It was something out of an Indiana Jones adventure. The beauty, size and overwhelming history of the temples and tombs staggered us, but after a few roasting-hot, culture-filled days we needed sun, sand and salt water. We jumped on the colourful local bus to Marsa Alam, a trip not to be done alone because women in Egypt can get a lot of unwanted attention. It crossed a seeminly uninhabitable desert, where people would step off and wander towards distant desert mountains, heading who knows where.
Marsa Alam is a small uneventful town in southern Egypt, which is popular with divers due to its close proximity to some of the finest dive sites in the Red Sea; Elphinstone, Abu Dabab and Dolphin House to name but a few. Very few people actually stay in Marsa Alam, instead heading for one of the many resorts nearby. We immediately hopped into a taxi to Marsa Shagra Ecolodge, which sits on the shore of a natural bay, surrounded by desert mountains, 20 km north of Marsa Alam and 250 km South of Hurghada.
Marsa Shagra is described as "diving away from mass-tourism. In symbiosis with nature with a touch of comfort". Marsa means bay and Shagra means blonde - and blondes do have more fun! We arrived unannounced, having not booked a thing and were graciously offered lunch, before being shown to the Hut which was to be our sparse but wonderfully comfy home for the next few days. The resort is totally unique, generously spread out, with a communal restaurant in the middle, and a hidden gem of a Bedouin cafe at the far end of the beach, it's not far from Paradise!
One of the most wonderful things about Marsa Shagra, is that you don't have to wait for an organised trip to go diving. There are unlimited dives on the house reef, and you can jump in with any-buddy you find loitering in the shed, no divemaster required! You can dive straight from the shore or be dropped off and picked up by the zodiac, which runs backwards and forwards all day for just this purpose.
The house reef runs north to south with a small bay inlet, and goes from 1m to deeper then any diver requires. It's an inviting reef that houses hundreds of fascinating fish and many thriving corals. I spotted a Napoleon wrasse that must have been well over 2m long, other noteworthy finds were; numerous sensitive Pipefish skittishly hiding from divers, badly camouflaged Crocodile and Scorpion fish, one cleverly disguised Frog fish, lots of dangerous yet picturesque Lion fish and a few big fat Moray eels.
Elphinstone is often reported to be one of the best dives in Egypt and is only a short RIB ride from Marsa Shagra. After a rough and very uncomfortable boat trip, we arrived to the 300m long pinnacle which is visible just under the surface, only to find about 11 liveaboard boats, with over a hundred divers in the water it didn't feel so special from the surface!
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