Snorkeling Day Trip to Paradise Island (Hola-Hola) from Hurghada

We konden niet aanmeren omwille van het slechte weer. Dat was op zich geen probleem, maar we betaalden 20 dollar voor de toegang tot het eiland en de bemanning wou deze niet teruggeven. Bovendien betaalden we het dubbel in vergelijking met andere trips voor de toegang tot het eiland.

We had a wonderful day! Pickup: Time was very punctual. Both directions, we had to squeeze into a car that had 1 fewer seats than people- good thing my kids are little! Boat ride/crew: The crew was very friendly and fun. They played music, entertained the kids with towel art, took a lot of great photos (extra price if you want to buy them), let the kids sit in the captains chair, and were just overall a blast! There was a full boat with a mix of Egyptian tourists and foreigners. There appeared to be a mix of packages that were bought- some bought a scuba diving package minus hanging out on paradise island, some were expecting a banana boat ride (which they did not get), and we got exactly what we expected, which was a snorkeling trip and a little bit of hangout time on an island. Lunch was so delicious, with rice, spaghetti, friend chicken, kofka, salad, and drinks. Coffee/tea, Water and soda was provided. Snorkeling: Beautiful!!!!!! Equipment was provided. My kids and husband got pretty freaked out near the beginning, so they didn’t snorkel much at all. There’s very little 1:1 / hand-holding attention if you are not comfortable with snorkeling. There is a guide pulling a safety floaty ring that ~5-6 people people can hang onto and get a little “guided” tour, or you can just go snorkeling on your own. I snorkeled on my own. The boat left me behind with a crew member and another snorkeler, and redocked in a slightly different location for a 2nd snorkel. There was no real warning about this and we were a little nervous for a little bit but the crew member was super calm so that helped (he didn’t speak much English so he couldn’t explain what was happening- he just kept saying, “no problem! Here fish!” People were jumping off the 2nd and 3rd levels of the boat. It was very fun to watch. We didn’t do it ourselves. The island: we stopped at paradise island for about 45 minutes. Beautiful sandy island with lots of umbrella space and fun swings throughout. Very clear water. Overall: very fun, laid back adventure! Aligned with most things Egyptian that we have noticed, you have to be a little bit flexible and open (like squeezing into a car, or being left behind for a few minutes while snorkeling!) but I would highly recommend it for anyone who is not a very anxious traveler, and for people who like to experience more laid back experiences (Vs individualized experiences)

What a wonderful day