Advice on Trips

[SMarie]

Advice needed!!!
Im going Egypt next week with my bf (both early 20's) and have noticed there is alot to do (Diving,swimming with dolphins,quad biking/camel riding in desert,trip to waterpark,glass bottom boat.) We are only goin for a week so cant fit everything in and so am hoping on some advice on what things are the most worth doing while there. (We are already planning to fly to Cairo)
Please Help! Thanks!!!

[HW iaintwoeyes]

Well worth reading this thread and then asking any further questions SMarie.


http://forum.holidaywatchdog.com/Sharm- ... -7649.html

There are loads of tips and plenty of advice contained in the thread.

Don't think you'll find swimming with dolphins so easy. I believe the only place is a dolphin pool in Sharm but it has a poor treatment record of the dolphins and is mostly boycotted!

[dickinson]

You will love 'Quad Biking', do it in the evening, its great fun!

[Sekhmet]

Just a quick word on the dolphins, taken / adapted from a post that has been left as a warning to 1st Time Travellers on another forum:
Dolphinella is a captive dolphin "attraction" in Sharm & is not popular on several travel forums. Several of us have pledged to raise awareness about the place so that 1st time visitors can be prepared when they are offered the excursion & may be better informed to consider the implications, including the possible impact on their own health, or that of their children, by swimming in a tiny pool, with dolphin excrement, plus the results these conditions may have on the long term health of the dolphins, whose immunity can't be at it optimum, given their unnatural lifestyle. It must be easy to get swept along by the tour op's hype & also by children asking to swim with dolphins.
Previous threads on other forums have run into difficulties because it's an emotive subject & some people feel that keeping such animals in captivity, merely for entertainment, is distasteful & unnecessary, especially when they can be seen in the wild. One of the junior Russian trainers admitted to me that one dolphin was wild caught & not born in captivity.
Dolphinella did have 2 beluga whales which were confiscated by a welfare organisation - sadly, it was too late for one & it died. Their pool at Dolphinella was extremely small.
The dolphin pool is tiny for 3 grown dolphins, there is no shade & the dolphins have no privacy from each other, so they bear the scars from having repeated squabbles amongst themselves. Despite the request not to go in with suncream or jewellery, I suspect some still do. It's not that deep so I've wondered if they can swim down deep enough to be cool at times.
Apart from the 30 minute swimming sessions, with 2 people per dolphin, they have to perform several acrobatic shows a day too. Failure to perform adequately results in withdrawal of rewarding treats for any dolphin who fails to execute the exercises correctly.
Sharm is a 365 days a year resort. All 3 are from the Black Sea, where the temps will be nothing like the heat of Sharm.
On the way into Dolphinella, there are tiny cages, with no shade, housing numerous tortoises & a couple of rabbits.
It's nobody's place, on this forum, to tell people not to go but many of us have pledged to raise awareness & ask people to think carefully about it.
Many posters on another forum have seen wild dolphins when out on boat trips along the coast of Sharm; some have posted photos under their profiles Another poster went snorkelling at Marsa Alam & found himself swimming with a sizeable pod who joined him, on their terms.
Divers on the other forum have also posted their experiences & photos with wild dolphins
I also understand that a live croc & snake show has opened near Na'ama Bay during 2007. Feelings also run high concerning this "attraction."
The Tips for 1st Timers thread also contains a section on other less emotive & contentious activities & excursions available in Sharm. Plz click this link to see:


http://forum.holidaywatchdog.com/Sharm- ... -7649.html


As there is a wealth of accessible facilities at one's finger tips today, I decided to research Dolphinella a little more; I wasn't happy with what I found. I also looked into how to "voice an opinion" & what provisions are in place to should they ever be safely removed & felt heartened by that information.
I, & several others, have written to some tour ops & we have expressed our concerns at Welcome Meetings; even tho this may not go down well with the rep.
A poster on another forum contacted Sky Travel, who talked with the Marine Society &, as a result, had tour companies remove any reference that promoted Dolphinella. This same poster has also posted video footage of her swimming / diving with a wild dolphin.
So, in conclusion, may I simply ask that anyone reading this just pauses for a moment before booking a trip to see the dolphins in Sharm & seriously consider if it's what you really want to do? Thank you.

[SMarie]

Thank you for all that information, I had no ide it was like that!! Dont woory I defo wont be going there now!
Think I wil prob go quad biking, sounds really fun!

[SMarie]

Oooops
*Idea
*Worry

[Sekhmet]

Dooont wary, I cune spoke leek the poleece mon frim 'Allo 'Allo too : )

[Sekhmet]

Have just copied & pasted this from the Tips for 1st Timers thread as it's also relevant to this thread. I'd already explained that it's my understanding (but haven't yet put it to the test) that even if you're with Thomson, for eg, you can go & book a trip thru the hotel's Thomas Cook rep, or any rep there, incl Longwood, who do the Jerusalem & Dead Sea ones:
Don't now that much about "Longwood Holidays". Only came across them ourselves when we booked for Sharm, for the 1st time, for Xmas / NY '04. We wanted to go with Thomson but had left it too late; our travel agent recommended Longwood. They don't seem to have brochures out on shelves for them; don't know why.
They were very good & offer just about the same trips as Thomson but excluded Dolphinella (thankfully!) & included Jerusalem.
They transferred us from the airport via minibus, which was a bit of a faff (trying to get all luggage on the roof & inside!) but they seem a good firm from what we can tell.
One lady (on TA) always goes with them & can't fault them. Our travel agent seems to think they're better than Thomson in some respects, but we didn't have an indepth conversation about them & have just slipped back into going with Thomson since. I haven't googled them.
There are usually a few people in our hotel, in Sharm, who are with them but they don't have the large numbers that Thomson / Thomas Cook do.
Found the website & list of excursions / prices:
http://www.longwoodholidays.co.uk/
& http://www.longwoodholidays.co.uk/sharm/tours.htm
Regards

[SMarie]

Aw thanks Sekhmet. Going tomorrow, cant wait now!!!!

[Sekhmet]

Have a great time; 5 weeks for us : )