Dolphins in Hurghada: the wild reef, the show or the pool?
Four very different ways to see dolphins from Hurghada — one at sea with wild dolphins nobody can promise, three on dry land with a time on the ticket. Here is how to choose.
"Dolphins" means two completely different things in Hurghada, and the one question that decides which you want is this: do you need to be sure you will see them?
At sea: Dolphin House
Dolphin House is a full day on a boat to Shaab El Erg, the reef where wild spinner dolphins come to rest. When they are there, there is time to watch them from the boat. They are wild animals, and we say it plainly on the trip page: nobody can promise they will be there, and we do not.
What makes the day worth it either way is the snorkelling stop — mask, snorkel and fins are on board and a guide is in the water with you. Thirty places, about eight hours, out at eight in the morning from Hurghada Marina, with hotel pickup.
On land: three outings with a time on the ticket
The other three are at a venue about twenty minutes from most hotels, with the entry ticket and an air-conditioned transfer in the price. They are short outings rather than days out, so plan the rest of the day around them.
- Dolphin Show — the indoor dolphin and sea lion show, about an hour of it, two hours door to door. The easiest of the four for small children.
- Dolphin Photo Session — a short session at the poolside for photographs, the standing-beside version rather than the getting-in version.
- Swim with Dolphins — supervised time in the water with the dolphins, in a controlled pool rather than the open sea. Twelve places, three hours in all.
So which one?
- You want the sea, and a reef either way: Dolphin House.
- You need to be certain, or the children are small: the show.
- You want to be in the water with them, at a booked time: the swim.
There is also a Dolphins and Aquarium pairing, and Dolphin House sits in the middle of the Red Sea Week. Every date and the seats left on it are on each trip's page.