How to Get to Ras Abu Galum from Dahab

What is Abu Galum?

Ras Abu Galum is a secluded national park located about 15km north of Dahab. It’s only accessible by boat or by foot which makes it all the more special; a place you can totally get off the grid.

The protectorate is known for it’s picturesque desert landscape, amazing reefs and corals, and beautiful beaches. And is still home to a Bedouin tribe, living near the beach and fishing for food.

Abu Galum is an amazing place to dive and snorkel, as well as hiking. One of the best parts is spending the night in a hut on the beach and drinking Bedouin tea by the fire as you listen to the sounds of the sea. Simply dreamy.

Things to do in Abu Galum

Snorkeling or Diving

Abu Galum is probably most famous for it’s underwater wonders. Amazing places to snorkel or dive are located just a short swim out from the beach filled with colorful fish, coral towers, and Porites.

Check out Padi for more info on the dive sites.

Sleep at a Camp

You can definitely enjoy Abu Galum as just a day trip. But a really cool experience is staying the night in a camp on the beach.

I recommend Makany Camp, but you can also just show up and see which one speaks to you. Most of the camps provide a hut (some are nicer than others), meals or snacks, and beach front access.

Spend the day at Blue Lagoon

Blue Lagoon is technically in Abu Galum, but it’s located about 15 minutes driving from the camps. Some taxi’s are available to shuttle people between them.

It is not only a beautiful place to hang out and swim, but it is known as one of the area’s best places for kiting and windsurfing.

If you decide to stay the night at Abu Galum, one amazing activity is to head to Blue Lagoon for the day. Or Blue Lagoon has it’s own set of camps to stay the night there instead.

Hang out on the beach

Whether you decide to stay at a camp or are just there for a day, hanging out at the beach is the perfect way to pass the time. Camps have little restaurants offering meals or snacks shaded from the sun, or catch some vitamin D laying out near the water with a good book.

At night, sip on some Bedouin tea and relax on the beach by the fire before retiring to your hut.

Hike through the desert

You can hike into the reserve from the Blue Hole along the shoreline, and there are several hiking trails within Abu Galum as well. A Bedouin guide or camel can lead you through the desert. The camp can set you up with the right people.

How to get from Dahab to Abu Galum?

Getting from Dahab to Abu Galum isn’t difficult, but it does take some insider information. It isn’t easily accessible and you can’t drive there.

Here is everything you need to know about the three most common ways to get there, with my best recommendation at the end.

The Blue Hole

The first way I will explain to get to Abu Galum from Dahab is via the Blue Hole.

The Blue Hole is an amazing place in it’s own right and I would suggest spending some time here to snorkel or dive either on the way to Abu Galum, or on the way home.

Getting to the Blue Hole is just a matter of finding a taxi, and making sure you have a scanned and printed copy of your passport. From Dahab, the taxi ride will be about 20 minutes.

Once you’ve arrived at the Blue Hole, you have two options for the second half of the journey, as you cannot reach Abu Galum by car: boat or hike.

Boat

To find the area where the boats pick up, walk all the way to the end of the road with the cafes, past the diver’s memorial and a bunch of large boulders, to the dock. If you look on google maps, walk to ‘El Bells‘ or ‘White Bar‘.

Once you reach the boat dock, it will probably be very chaotic. The guys in charge will take your information and another printed copy of your passport, as well as payment for the boat ride. It should be no more than 175 EGP for a round trip ticket, but make sure you always haggle it down. Then ideally they should give you a physical ticket so they know you paid for the return trip, although sometimes they are not that organized.

The boats are continuously running back and forth from Blue Hole to Abu Galum, as long as they are full. If the boat isn’t full, you will have to wait a bit until more people come. They may also temporarily suspend picking up people from the dock if the waves get too big and you must wait for them to die down.

The boat ride itself takes about 20 minutes, not including any waiting time.

All the boats pick up and drop off in Abu Galum right in from of Sand Beach Camp which is located on the western end of the beach. Keep this in mind if you plan to bring a lot of stuff, as you will then have to walk to your camp.

Hike

Hiking to Abu Galum is also possible from the Blue Hole. Depending on how fast you walk, it takes about 50-60 minutes. It’s ideal if you don’t have too much stuff with you, but if you have backpacks, dive bags, luggage, etc. you can hire a camel to carry your stuff as you walk.

Finding the hiking trail is similar to the way you find the boats. And if you get confused, ask any café worker or boat guy and they can help you.

Walking back to the Blue Hole from Abu Galum is pretty easy to find. Go to the same area where all the boats are waiting and follow the trail along the shore by the rocks.

Daniela Diving Resort

Another common way to get to Abu Galum is by boat from Daniela Diving Resort. Daniela is a resort located about 10 minutes outside of Dahab on the way to the Blue Hole.

Boats take off from the beach next to it and make daily trips to Abu Galum and Blue Lagoon (these are two different places so make sure you are clear with where you want to go).

These boats are slightly pricier than from the Blue Hole since you have farther to go and with less people, but should be no more than 275 EGP per person. Make sure you sort out with the boat guys if you need a return ticket.

Book a Tour

Abu Galum is one of Dahab’s most idyllic locals. It is a popular destination and there are many tours going from Dahab to Abu Galum who will make all arrangements for you, all you have to do is show up.

This Abu Galum and Blue Hole Snorkel Safari includes all transportation to and from, snorkel gear, and even a camel ride along the beach.

The Best Way to Get to Abu Galum from Dahab

I think the best way to get from Dahab to Abu Galum is Daniela Diving Resort, returning to home via the Blue Hole. Let me explain.

Abu Galum and the Blue Hole are national parks and requires you to print copies of your passports and give a bunch of information at the check points, pay for entry, etc. However at Daniela, you don’t need to deal with any of this hassle.

On the way back from Abu Galum to the Blue Hole, it is assumed that you probably already provided your information and paid to get there so you don’t need to do it again. Therefore if you came a different way, you can get into the Blue Hole for free.

Not only that, but it is a lot easier getting back to Dahab from the Blue Hole because tons of taxi’s are waiting around there. At Daniela, there may be some taxi’s waiting but you might need to go into the hotel and ask for one or walk to road and flag one down.

Keep in mind, the Blue Hole “officially” closes every day at 4:30-5pm, but you can still hang around waiting for a ride.

Here’s an example Abu Galum itinerary I recommend:

Friday	Catch an afternoon boat from Daniela to Abu Galum; stay the night at a camp
Saturday	Snorkel in the morning and taxi to Blue Lagoon in the afternoon; stay the night at a camp
Sunday	After breakfast boat to Blue Hole, spend the day at Blue Hole; taxi home

Planning to digital nomad in Dahab?

• Check out Dahab’s top coworking spaces.
• Get this definitive guide on the best places to live in Dahab.
• Plan an epic Nile River Cruise.