CANYON colorato & SNORKEL & Dahab City DA SHARM El SHEIKH

The coloured canyon. We enjoyed the heep safari and walk. We weren't told before that we had to rent life jackets. Toomuch waiting around.

I'd start by saying that it was a great experience and worth doing. The guide and team were very pleasant. There was an assumed guard with us throughout the drive, not sure if it's meant to make people feel safe? The blue hole is Absolutely Fantastic, it deserves much more than 40 min snorkelling. So is the cost by Dahab. Nice lunch with sea view in a semi traditional place with free showers. The half hour canyon walk was spectacular and we reached it after a fun desert jeep ride from the main road. The whole drive through the rocky desert itself was also a show. The camel ride was cool, but only a scenic 10 minutes ride on the beach, as expected (they're ready for large groups of tourists). However: Be prepared for hidden charges all the way! Make sure all is paid in advance or that you have the most favourable currency (€/$), as the exchange rate they apply for EGP is horrendous. Park fees $10 are mandatory, fair enough. Snorkeling kit should have been included in the price, but as soon as I completed the booking it became chargeable and it wasn't given to know in advance how much would we have to pay. The rental place of choice is in the middle of nowhere and you must hire equipment there for an extortionate $5 per piece (hotels generally charge €/$2a day for mask and fins). One must wear a life jacket, wetsuit, rock shoes, mask and fins. We refused to pay for the extra kit (we had our mask and fins) and it was very difficult to get out of the argument, with threats that we will injure ourselves or down. At the end we had to write a liability waiver on free paper stating that we take all the risks of not wearing the required (not) equipment. Also, the canyon they take the group is Salama/white canyon, not coloured canyon! They will claim that the coloured canyon was closed by the military. Not the case. The atv ride is completely not worth it. It's 10 mins on a circuit. You can get in the views instead. There is no visit to Dahab: the bus will stop at an ugly tourist trap 'shopping mall' for half hour even if no one in the group wants to. Great waste of time. It is too be said that all tours, no matter the price, will have this route, so choose your operator and inclusions wisely and ask for everything detailed in writing before departure.