| Djibouti
 Boreas at anchor rada  Whale shark  Beach  in the deep blue  Arta bay  Turtle  Amongst the coral  Passe du Ghoubbet  Islands in the Passe du Ghoubbet  Lac Abbé  The coral reef  Lac Assal  Lac Assal  Lac Assal  The lagoon  The vulcano |
—– | Thursday – Djibuoti Our airport assistance will meet you at the airport of Djibouti. The “Boreas” and “El Safir”, our boats, will be waiting for us at the “Fish Port” in Djibouti, which we will reach in 20 minutes by private minibus. Boarding, introductions, breakfast (or lunch), allocation of cabins and a small trick: the clocks will go forward one hour in order to have longer days at sea. Out of the harbour, we’ll then set sail in the direction of Ras Eiro. We’ll soon be encountering flying fish and dolphins. Upon arrival, there will be a chance to swim and do some snorkelling on a beautiful reef in front of the mooring, to be able to immediately get to know the sea. Check dive: Very simple diving on a coral face at a depth of 15 metres, with a sandy seabed. It’s also possible to do a night dive. ————– Friday – The dome We’ll set off in the early morning to the shallow “Dome” for a dive between 18 and 37 metres deep between two coral gullies. The underwater landscape is of great interest. As we explore it, we will be surrounded by gentle Napoleon fish, blue triggerfish and batfish. We will also encounter tuna and jack fish. We may even spot a whitetip reef shark. Back on board: shower, breakfast and after some time to relax, we’ll take a dinghy towards the Bay of Arta to look for Whale Sharks. You’ll be able to do some snorkelling and take photos of these perfectly tame creatures, avoiding touching them, however. In the afternoon, the beautiful beaches of the bay provide a pleasant opportunity to go walking, swimming and exploring, while for those who wish it will be possible to go for another dive in Ras Eiro. A wall of 18/20 metres that slopes down to a plateau of 27/30 metres: you will be able to see groupers (tropical sea bass), blue triggerfish and tropical umbrae and possibly encounter Napoleon fish and turtles. ————– Saturday – Ras Corali Navigation in the early morning passing in front of the French Legionary Base. Breakfast along route. Upon arrival there will be a diving session in Ras Corali: A beautiful plateau that starts at 12 metres and gradually drops to 35, with several rocks covered with coral which are the natural habitat for big groupers. A fascinating dive: many blue triggerfish, moray eels, Napoleon fish, red dentex, batfish, jack fish and barracuda. It is also very likely you’ll see turtles. Cast your eye upwards as you may see a whale shark that wants to be tickled by your bubbles. Later on, some time to relax and then we’ll go in the dinghy across to the Bay of Balgorè for snorkelling close to the whale sharks. The beaches are outstanding – in the afternoon it will be possible to relax for a while sunbathing, or go for a climb up the volcano. For those who prefer to dive in the Balgorè reef: there is a beautiful wall of coral in front of the beach with a depth of 15 metres with a large variety of fish. During the night dive in Ras Corali we very often encounter the Spanish Dancer. ————– Sunday – Bay of the Old Lighthouse Sailing in direction of Ghoubbet for about 15 miles. Breakfast along the way. We enter from the Passe, where the strong current of the tide always creates little whirlpools. We will moor in a beautiful protected bay south of Antica Perleria, where we will stop for the whole morning. The dive at the Virgine Rossa is the deepest drop in the Djibouti area. The wall reaches 130 metres. Our dive begins on a plateau of 25 metres and continues along the wall covered with beautiful corals up to a depth of about 40 metres. You can often see mobula rays, some barracuda and tuna and sometimes the whale shark. After diving you can relax on a beautiful white beach with a very interesting snorkelling area. After lunch, a short sail away we find ourselves in the charming Bay of the Old Lighthouse. You’ll be able to relax at sea and on the beach with the possibility of a spectacular walk up to the top of the volcano overlooking the bay. ————– Monday -Passe du Ghoubbet In the morning we’ll sail crosswind for 10 miles in Ghoubbet. Some of us can follow in the dinghy to take some photos. The dive before lunch at La Faille is very interesting, above all from a geological point of view. It is a fault that is opening up 2cm a year. It is connected with Riff Valley and it is the point in which the separation of Africa from Asia began millions of years ago. One enters the canyon at 7 metres and continues up to 31 metres, proceeding in single file, without raising suspension with flippers. Worth noting is the remarkable play of light. The outer plateau is full of shoals of fish and turtles, and often the whale shark makes an appearance. After lunch we’ll dive in the Passe du Ghoubbet. This is a very special and fascinating dive for the variety of currents usually present, with the possibility of seeing whirlpools. We will dive at the outer corner of the island at the centre of the Passe and descend “flying” until 55 metres, then come up again when we have visible contact with the wall before emerging from the back of the island itself. You can see volcanic rock and corals and pelagic fish with enormous shoals of jack fish and dentex, as well as Sweetlips, groupers and batfish. On several occasions we have seen a large, solitary hammerhead shark, some big manta rays, mobula rays, grey sharks and whitetip reef sharks. Due to the difficulties of remaining in a group during the dive, it is absolutely necessary to stay at least with your diving companion. The floating buoy is compulsory. The night will be spent in Ras Étoile. ————– Tuesday – Ras Étoile We’ll have an early morning dive in Ras Étoile. A plateau of 15 metres with a stake of up to 28 metres. The zone between the plateau and the drop-off is particularly beautiful with many Lutanidi, Sweetlip fish and snappers and jack fish. After the dive, we’ll sail out of the Passe towards the Balgorè beach and moor in the zone where there are a lot of whale sharks. It’s easy to be able to swim together or photograph them directly from the boat. It is definitely worth spending an afternoon on the lovely Balgorè beach, relaxing under the sun and in the water. On the other hand, if we want to do another dive we can sail to Ras Corali to the beautiful plateau of corals at a depth of 12 metres, that gradually drops to 35. ————– Wednesday – Le Sable Blancs With a gentle sail we’ll head towards the charming bay of Le Sable Blancs. Breakfast at sea. The snorkelling around the boat is definitely worthwhile and we can also relax on board or on the beautiful beach. The dive has a lovely fall that reaches 30 metres, full of fish, where it is common to encounter a Treasure Shark. In the afternoon we will sail towards the port and arrive at about 17.30. Disembarkation and transfer to Hotel Kampinsky. Guests will be able to dine in the hotel (the cost is around 50 €), or in town in one of the many local restaurants (the cost is about 25/30 €). Dinner will be at passengers’ own expense. You will then have the evening free in Djibouti. ————– Thursday – Lac Assal Breakfast in the hotel and the possibility of doing an excursion to Lac Assal (an evocative Salt Lake with unique and unusual colours), at the cost of 90 € per person. Departure scheduled for 8.30am; the excursion will be a route of about 180km roundtrip in a private minibus. On the journey to Lac Assal (the largest African depression, at about 250 metres above sea level) you will have the possibility to stop off on the way to see the impressive landscape , including the spectacular Canyon. Lunch in a restaurant (included in the excursion price) and return to the hotel at about 17.30. In the hotel you will have one room for every six passengers as a base to freshen up and relax until 20.00. For those who decide not to participate in the salt lake excursion, you will have the day free to explore Djibouti, with meals at your expense. At 21.00 transfer to the airport and the end of our services. ————– ————– ————– ————– |
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